Nearby Trails

Here is one of the beautiful trails in my neighborhood. As the trees continue to shed their leaves, they allow more light to suffuse their changing colors. Today I hiked over challenging boulders to reach the Potomac River. The creek was calmer today than the roaring torrent it was after Frankenstorm Sandy, but several big trees had fallen in the high winds. Each day I choose a new path and find fresh sights, gentle sounds and time to reflect.

Last August grandchildren of my friend Judith visited Virginia for the first time and found the stream behind our house a perfect place to cool off. They came all

the way from Santa Fe, but all I have to do is put on my boots and walk down the hill.

I’m grateful to earlier Arlingtonians for preserving from further development the land around several streams that drain into the Potomac River. Ours, Gulf Branch, is the only one called a “branch,” as in the Southern drink bourbon-and-branch. The others are all called “runs,” as in Bull Run. Gulf Branch Nature Center exhibits artifacts showing that Native Americans lived and worked along this stream.