amcpotomac

Places to Paddle: Upper James River Water Trail

By Rich Batiuk Members of the Potomac and New York/North Jersey Chapters joined together in April 2021 for three days paddling and camping on the majestic upper James River in western Virginia as the currents carried them through the Blue Ridge Mountains. This was an expedition paddle: participants carried their gear and food down riverContinue reading “Places to Paddle: Upper James River Water Trail”

Get to Know the Capital Trails Coalition

By Ken Shuck If you live in the Washington DC metropolitan area (i.e., the District, Alexandria, and the counties of Prince Georges, Montgomery, Arlington, and Fairfax), are you aware that there are over 450 miles of multiuse trails available to you? Or that there is an organization, the Capital Trails Coalition (CTC), working to create and supportContinue reading “Get to Know the Capital Trails Coalition”

Boot Failure

By Eric Pavlak Various responsibilities had kept us from any of our backpacking gear for almost four years, so before doing a tough trip this summer, we loaded our packs and laced up our rugged, high-topped boots. We decided to do the Pulpit and Pinnacle loop and carried the same weight as would on ourContinue reading “Boot Failure”

Places to Paddle: A Beautiful Chesapeake Creek at the Tipping Point

Mattawoman Creek is a tidal fresh Potomac River tributary just 30 miles south of Washington, but a world away. You can launch in Mattingly Park, Indian Head, MD, and paddle up the creek into a wide streamlined with green tidal marshes. Soon you pass Gravel Island and Sand Island, spoil mounds left by dredging. TheseContinue reading “Places to Paddle: A Beautiful Chesapeake Creek at the Tipping Point”

Conservation Conversations: The History of Lewis Mountain in Shenandoah National Park

As the smallest campground in Shenandoah, Lewis Mountain offers quiet campsites, cozy cabins and a camp store. But did you know Lewis Mountain was once a segregated campground in accordance with Jim Crow laws in Virginia? Join Ranger Claire Comer to hear the complex stories of Lewis Mountain and the desegregation of Shenandoah National Park.Continue reading “Conservation Conversations: The History of Lewis Mountain in Shenandoah National Park”

Michael McCarthy: Nature, joy, and becoming fully human

“We might have left the natural world, most of us, but the natural world has not left us,” says Michael McCarthy, a British naturalist and writer. “The natural world is a part of us, and if we lose it, we cannot be fully who we are. And if we were to realize that, which isContinue reading “Michael McCarthy: Nature, joy, and becoming fully human”

AMC Potomac Chapter to join the Capital Trails Coalition

The AMC Potomac Chapter has recently been invited to join the Capital Trails Coalition (CTC) as an Advisory Member. The Coalition consists of more than 60 nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies, including the D.C. and Virginia chapters of the Sierra Club, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, National Park Service, and multiple local biking clubs. Although the CTC doesContinue reading “AMC Potomac Chapter to join the Capital Trails Coalition”