It’s a rough life, working in the places I have to work… here are a few photos from yesterday’s field trip on the Billy Goat Trail with my NOVA Physical Geology students. Photos are courtesy Dr. Meg Coleman, who joined us for the hike.
A post-lunch lecture on river incision (note the two prominent bedrock terraces, a.k.a. “straths” in the background):
The crew climbing the dreaded “Traverse” section of the trail:
We had a nice hot day yesterday: almost 90° F! Tragically, the snack bar was closed when we got back to the visitor’s center, so we were denied our salutatory Italian ices. Back to the trail tomorrow, for the 4th of 5 trips this week…
Looks like a great trip. I’d be curious to see what else was in the area, as I am unfamiliar with the area.
It looks like I will be making a DC trip in the Fall, and I am trying to find a day to finallly experience thisi oft written about trail. Do you have a “Geology Underfoot” trail guide that you can share?
Philip,
I owe you a personal tour out there — why don’t you shoot me an e-mail with your dates of visitation; we’ll see what we can swing.
There’s a detailed description of the BGT’s geology here.
Callan
That looks like a treacherous climb for a group of freshman/sophomores. The group that I took Physical with were very naive of the out-of-doors, but that was some time ago.
Solius:
It is totally pushing their comfort envelope for some students, no doubt about it. That’s why I like it: the visceral, physical engagement with the landscape makes the trip a keen memory for participants. The Traverse looks much worse than it really is (total inclination is only 20 degrees or so).
C
Looks like a great trail and…OMG, awesome straths. I can’t believe I never hiked it when I lived in Baltimore.
Anne,
There’s a guided tour waiting for you (and your student entourage) next time you’re in the DC area.
C