Inaugural Walk!

This is the inaugural posting on the Montgomery County Dog Walkers Bible. For the past couple of years, my Border Collie and I have hunted down some of what we (yes, he joins in the conversation in his own way) think of as the most scenic walks in Montgomery County.

A shot at dawn of the Potomac Gorge looking upstream from Angler's point.

The impetus for this blog came because I kept hearing that the county is running out of open space. This is true. But also that people don't really know where to find the open space we have. So I figured why not just show people what we do have if they want to get away from their annoying boss or are just trying to skip phone calls from various credit agencies.

So let's start with the basics. Here is Loki. Since he is a Border Collie, he has two speeds: comatose and fifth gear. Which one he prefers is a mystery, but I know for a fact that when he is in the house, I like nothing more than to see him stretched out snoozing. A sleeping dog is a good dog especially when you have three cats because when he is in fifth gear, there are three cats flying around the house while Loki's herding instincts kick in. I didn't plan on living my life as a reality show based on the Tommy and Jerry Cartoons, but now that it has happened, I can work with it, Most of the time.

And when I can't, I tell my dog pretty much what I tell my kids when they are raising hell. Take it outside. Twice a day to be exact. A well-exercised Border Collie is a dog you can live with.

Oh sure, I could do the three times around the block in the neighborhood, but why in the world would I want to when you can see this instead?

Second shot of the Potomac Gorge, this one looking downstream from Angler's point.

Of course, canal walks are a little rough on Loki. He's a water dog and loves nothing more than fetching a tennis ball out of stream where he can cool down. Unfortunately, letting him swim in the Potomac is just a quick way to lose him because of the currents and the Park Rangers in C&O Towpath National Park take a dim view of dogs swimming around in the placid canal. Here's why.

Family of unherded Canada geese.

Walking past this group of geese took about as much forebearance as Loki could muster. Six goslings all headed in different directions and two parents trying to round them up. From his point of view, this was a situation that simply begged for a sheep dog to step in barking and nipping at everyone in to get them in a straight line. Like most Borders, Loki has a Obsessive Compulsive Disorder about disorder. He may not be sure which way he is supposed to herd something, but he'll damn well get them there or die trying. Imagine how much fun the cats in the house have with this theory.





The walk itself, between mile posts 11 and 12 on the canal, is about as easy as it gets. The towpath is flat. Flat like the bottom of a skillet. Flat like Nebraska. Flat like... well, you get the point. But what it lacks on the challenging front, it makes up for in scenery.

The canal.

Not that Loki appreciates this, I suppose. But from his point of view, a bad hour walking is better than the best hour of lounging around the house. He'll take what he can get.

A shot of a spot called Wide Water on the canal. I call it the bayou point because it sort of looks like a Louisana swamp shot. (Truth in advertising here. I have not been to a bayou in Lousiana, just seen them on TV)

Practical information: Take the Carderock exit off the Clara Barton Parkway. At the junction to the Carderock service road, head right and go to the last parking lot. Start the walk just before mile post 11 and end it at Angler's point just beyond mile post 12. Length about 2.5 miles. Time it took me? About an hour including screwing around shooting photographs.