Yesterday afternoon Maple and I participated in an L. L. Bean-sponsored, three-mile hike at Scott’s Run Nature Preserve— just off of Georgetown Pike, on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. As an employee of L. L. Bean and prospective hike leader, I was there, for the first time, not just to participate, but also to observe and take notes. David Manco, the Coordinator of Bean’s Outdoor Discovery School Program at Tyson’s Corner, in McLean, Virginia, was introducing and leading the hike. Maple had been here to hike once before, five years previously.

From the lower and larger parking area off of Georgetown Pike, we took the dark blue trail north to the Potomac River and to the modest falls, where Scott’s Run enters the Potomac. From there, we skirted the Potomac going east on the light blue trail finally climbing to an overlook. There we took a brief break, before getting onto the yellow trail that leads south through the center of the park, under the canopy of trees and terminates at the upper and smaller parking area. From there, we took the purple trail paralleling Georgetown Pike and ending back at the lower parking area. Looking at a map of the area, one can see that our path formed what might roughly be described as a square.

The participants in this hike were Maple and myself, a couple of middle-aged women friends, and an Asian husband and wife, with their thirteen-year-old son, along with our leader, David, and his wife, Linda.

There was an ankle-deep stream that we had to cross twice. Both times, concrete stepping stones were in place to facilitate a dry crossing. These stepping stones were close together, so that a child could cross. Perhaps they were too close together, for two of our participants fell while crossing and skinned their shins. Caution is evidently needed here.

Our small group judged this hike to be of intermediate difficulty, since the light blue trail involved a little scrambling. The highlight of the hike, at least for me, was the easy yellow trail, which passes directly through the middle of the park, under a canopy of trees.