Boy Scout Camping @ Manidokan

Due to a shortage of adult leaders, I volunteered to camp with T's Boy Scout troop this weekend. We camped at Manidokan Retreat Center, in Maryland between Frederick & Harpers Ferry. The site was pretty, but we were on the crest of a hill and so had no relief from a strong, unseasonably cold wind that blew all weekend. It was cold! T, who rarely gets cold, actually put on a jacket, and then borrowed one of mine as a wind barrier OK, he was still wearing shorts, but T with two jackets on is a rare occurrence.

On the Boy Scout trips the boys run the show. That's pretty neat - the adults don't have to do much work at all. We did, however, have to eat Scout-prepared food: nearly-raw steaks (I put mine back on the fire for a while after it was declared "done" by the cook), over-cooked pasta and instant mashed potatoes. Of course, no vegetables in sight. The above picture gives some idea of what eating with the Scouts is like.

Dessert was a sort of cherry cobbler - hot canned cherry pie filling with a layer of yellow cake mix on top. I was so cold, and it was so warm, that I actually had seconds of the cobbler. We also got to listen to the Scouts bicker over who had to do which chores - just like at our house.

Other than that, we did a nice hike, had a nice campfire, and had a generally good time. T & I hit a few geocaches on the way home, introducing one of his friends to the sport.

Ice Pirates Defrost

This week was one of our last Ice Pirate outings. In a couple of weeks, the Pirates of Georgetown officially starts up for the season. The dry suits, neoprene hoods and other cold weather gear will get packed away, and we'll be out enjoying the warmth and later sunsets of Spring. Image courtesy of Paige. Look - we're all using Greenland paddles.

The bad boys of caching

Today T & I took on a geocaching trail down in Dumfries (a town sometimes referred to as Dumsh*t). A group of three cachers has set up this amazing trail along a local bike path. There are geocaches every quarter mile or so - over 50 in all! T & I were going to bike the whole thing, but unfortunately my bike had a flat tire. So ... we wound up parking in the middle and walking the top quarter or so of the cahes (then walking back - a total of about six miles). As we were walking back, we saw some other cachers doing a "cache and dash" - at each cache location they'd pull over to the side of the road. One would wait in the car while the other went out and found the cache. They caught up with us just as we were getting back to our car. I usually don't like to work this way - it violates my idea of getting out there and really doing it. But, in this case, the lure of more caches was too hard, and it was fun kind of caravaning. So, the four of us set off in our two cars to pick up the next quarter of the trail.

Let me say that Fiarfax cops are pretty vigilant. We got stopped twice by cops wondering what we were doing. And, the cache hiders had foolishly hidden one right by a first responder station. they chased us away too. In the end, we logged over 25 finds and avoided the slammer.

Moving the Docks, Feb 2008

Here are a few pictures from moving the docks back upriver to Jack's boathouse this past weekend. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it down in time to ferry the docks back up, so I timed my arrival for when I thought they'd make it up to Georgetown. When I got there the parking lot was full but the place was deserted. It was a sunny afternoon so I took out my book and started, to paraphrase Otis Redding, Sittin' with the docks on the way, wastin' time. Within a few minutes I could see the dock flotilla start to peek out from around Roosevelt Island. Soon thereafter Frank Day alighted from a launch onto the small winter dock - a further harbinger of the docks' imminent arrival. Once the group got close we all got busy cleating, then uncleating, then swinging, then securing the docks into place.

Eastern Neck Kayaking

On Saturday I took my final kayak trip of the year. Once per season my friend Marshall organizes a trip to circumnavigate the island of Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge. It's about a ten mile trip, though if you poke up the creeks it can be longer. The southern end of the island is open to the Chesapeake Bay and so is usually the choppiest part. On this trip, even this part was like glass. Here's Marshall's post mortem of the trip:

"We expected rain with 15 to 20 mph yet thirteen paddlers came out to paddle the last of our Eastern Neck Series….and what did we get? Calm waters, sort of sunny, no winds and warm. How do you ever plan a paddle? I guess for us, it just does not matter, we are flexible and able to change our plans and love to paddle.

We have all done this paddle a number of times but I truly believe that each paddle is different. Each season brings something different to the paddle, the number of paddlers bring something different to the paddle, the weather brings something different to the paddle and Nature is ever present to bring her special touch to the paddle. The paddle is a little bit of a puzzle, never knowing what it will be like. Perhaps that is one of the reasons we keep coming back, a surprise and enjoyment each time, so precious for today.

Saturday was no exception. For me it started as a very quiet paddle, with old friends. But I think Nature played more of a role then usual. We heard and saw many loons with their call out in the Bay…to us, the weather was a little gray with fog in the distance. Our main event, the Tundra Swans, only graced us with a fly by of 8, so much for the 5,000. But the pot had other ingredients that we were treated to. Thousands of ducks, bobbing on the river, inlets and the Bay. Each time we got close they took off with the sound of honking and the light thunder of their wings flapping. We saw eagles watching us as we watched them and then flying away, a chance to see there white necks and tail. When we landed we saw prints in the sand of raccoons and deer. Nature was all around us and it was all ours to enjoy. We were all in a leisurely mood, paddling, eating and talking with each other, enjoying our time.

We seem to make it around the Island, a little faster then usual, not even trying and our lunch spot keeps changing to accommodate this. This is fine but it changes our appetite for after the paddle. But you all surprised me with a great alternative, dessert at the ice cream parlor, you know how I like that, thanks. And they were so accommodating to our group. Between there and the coffee shop, we have a nice winter choice."

More pictures here and here.

Last Pirates Paddle of the Year

The Pirates of Georgetown is a kayaking group that paddles out of Jack's boathouse in Georgetown every Thursday evening. It's been my kayaking home for years now - in fact, I'm the only member who has been around since the founding season. The group officially shuts down for the winter around Halloween (as does Jack's), but there are a few of us who continue to go out on the cold dark nights of winter. I haven't been very motivated about doing it this year - too many other conflicts, plus I've been a wimp about the cold. This week, though, the paddle was moved to mid-afternoon, as those of the regulars who were in town were available to start earlier (it's Christmas week and a lot of people have off).

So, six of us - Tom, Dave, Cyndi, Caroline, Brian and I - headed upriver from Jack's. It was a beautiful afternoon, not too cold, no wind. The river was empty; the water was like glass. We saw kingfishers and we saw deer.

Up near Chain Bridge there was some current. I was paddling a new boat for the first time and since I wasn't completely familiar with its characteristics I decided not to risk the currents. I pulled over into an eddy just below the bridge, as did Caroline. The rest of the group went up a little further, with some going as far as the falls. It was a quick trip back down with the current pushing us along. Then, dinner at a vegetarian Indian place in G'town. A very nice way to spend the afternoon.

It may be quackery, but it's *good* quackery

All my life I've believed that chiropractic is total nonsense. This impression is based in part on the way the chiropractic profession publicizes itself. My first-hand experience with the art/science has been limited to going to booths at health fairs. At such booths the chiropractor on duty examines you with various Willy Wonka gadgets, then declares you to be terribly "out of alignment." This pronouncement is delivered in a tone that implies, "How are you still alive with such radical problems?"

Well, I'm here today to tell you that it's only partial nonsense. I've been having some back problems this year. A good friend, who I really trust as a rational and intelligent person (as well as a serious athlete), repeatedly suggested that I visit her chiropractor. I ignored this advice for a long time, enduring both episodes of pain and a surreal visit to an MD physiatrist. Finally I decided to visit the chiropractor.

Well, has chiropractic cured me? Dunno - my back problems are intermittent; they pop up only 2-3 times per year. The fact that I haven't had an episode in the past two month means very little. Does the traditional chiropractic adjustment help? I don't think so. The chiropractor body slams me in various ways and makes different things pop, but I don't feel much of a difference afterward.

Here's what has helped: the DC spends most of her time with me on soft tissue massage. This is painful, but really seems to open up my movement. I walk out of the office each time with greater hip mobility than I remembered even being possible. She also is good at noticing structural imbalances; yes, the very same thing I considered quackery upon instant diagnosis at the mall turns out to be valuable when done with care. Fourteen years of running have overdeveloped and over-tightened some parts of my body relative to others. I've certainly got more flexibility in some directions than others. All of this she's pointed out and she's given me exercises to help.

So, is chiropractic medicine? Not quite. What about chiropractic manipulation? No value that I can see. But as a supercharged masseuse and physical therapist - great stuff.