Saturday, July 6, 2013

Roosevelt Island and Capital Crescent Trail Run

A couple of weekends ago I set out on a two-hour, rainy Sunday run.  I was dreading it, not only because it was pouring, but because my runs lately haven't been going all that well.  So to take my mind off my running woes, I wanted to run someplace where I don't go very often, with new scenery to distract me.  My choice:  Roosevelt Island and the Capital Crescent Trail.


Roosevelt Island is named, you guessed it, after out 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt.  The island, with swampy woods along the banks of the Potomac River, is designed to honor the outdoorsman that Roosevelt was.  

There are several trails that wind around through the island, and on this particularly rainy Sunday, they were pretty muddy.  But I wound my way around the trails and found myself at the actual memorial portion of the island.  

Hello Mr. President...
I have to say, as far as Presidential memorials go, I think Teddy's wins hands down.  He has an entire island!!  Plus, he has a beautiful memorial with walls of wonderful quotes:  

I'm going to have to add this to my list of favorite quotes...
Another wall of quotes....
After I left the memorial, I started back along one of the muddy trails.  Suddenly, on my left about 15 feet off the trail, was a juvenile deer.  I've written how the deer is one my Eight Empowering Symbols, and I tend to see deer at very meaningful and opportune times.  On this day, seeing this deer to remind me to be light and agile on my feet (like the deer); to remind me of my childhood love of Bambi Gets Lost that my mom always read to me; to remind me to slow down and appreciate all the beauty around me - it was just what I needed.  
Hey Bambi!  
The most amazing thing though, is that the little deer never moved.  He just stood there as I had a conversation with him for about 10 minutes (Yes, I stood and had a conversation with a deer, in the pouring rain).  I'm sure it's because he's so used to seeing humans on the island, but still....

I shot this video of him just chewing the grass and watching me:  


I hated to leave my new little friend, but I had another hour and a half of running yet to do...

From Roosevelt Island, I headed over the Key Bridge into Georgetown to pick up the Capital Crescent Trail...another historical trail.  That's what I love about the D.C. metro area...there's a history lesson virtually everywhere you turn.  

According to the Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail, the paved trail is a rail-trail that was built on the abandoned railbed of the 11-mile Georgetown Branch of the B&O Railroad.  The trail goes from Georgetown to Silver Spring, Maryland and it provides another beautiful wooded trail for running...Well, except maybe when it's raining, in which case you have to watch out for pollution from combined sewer overflows that dump into the Potomac...Again, only in D.C....

Lovely...Uh, yes, it was raining that day....
Nonetheless, the trail is beautiful...pollution and all...

I also spotted another deer along the trail...It must have been my day for Bambi sitings!  

Deer on the Capital Crescent Trail...
The trail runs between the Potomac and the C&O Canal...

C&O Canal out of Georgetown....

There are lovely grassy fields and woods along the trail....

Gorgeous views of the canal and bridge crossing...

And views of D.C. along the Potomac...

Rainy view looking south down Potomac toward Washington Monument....
The trail basically was a gradual incline the whole way out, so once I turned around to head back to Georgetown, it was all downhill...

By the end of the run it had stopped raining.  I felt surprisingly good and was thrilled with my two deer sitings and the gorgeous scenery...

A soaking wet, but happy runner after 2 hours of deer, woods, beautiful sites, and rain...
Not bad for a rainy Sunday run....

Where's one of your favorite places to run where you live?