The Joys of Trekking!

The Joys of Trekking! 

There’s not a lot one can do during Covid - no Broadway shows; no fancy restaurant dinners; no monthly visits to see Mum in New York; no Adam Lambert+Queen live music concerts in Vegas; no hanging out at casino bars and running into tipsy celebs (Brad Garrett, Dennis Rodman, Troy Aikman)! 

But there’s one thing I am rediscovering: the simple joys of a long but not too arduous hike! And when you’re done, a quiet feeling of elation and accomplishment! Get out of the city and into the great outdoors; it’s so worth it!  

A good hike has the power to transport you from everyday life and immerse you in nature. It need not be remote. In Washington, D.C., I rarely drive to a hike as most are less than an hour from where I live and have their share of charms, be they scenic bridges, picturesque stone pathways over rocky streams or fallen trees engulfed in wildflowers. Tip: Bring water, avoid crowds, and opt for an early start!  

Glover Park

My friend Xiao Ye and I have done a few hikes (5-7 miles each) in Glover Park. It is a nearly 200-acre park on the western edge of Georgetown, one of the "finger park” extensions of the ubiquitous Rock Creek Park, that covers large swathes of D.C. and Maryland.  

Glover Park is a secluded and natural setting for an urban hike, neither too steep nor too challenging for beginners. It also provides a quieter option with less traffic than other D.C. trails. There are some street crossings, but it is easy to pick up the trail on the other side. We saw a few people with leashed dogs but the trail was mostly empty.

China Tour Postponed 

I met Xiao, an economist who worked with the World Bank, when she was organizing a visit to western China archaeological sites earlier this year. It was a trip that eight former colleagues and I were very excited about. Sadly, it had to be postponed because of Covid. Covering Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an, Mogao Grottoes, Buddhist caves, and other Neolithic treasures along the Silk Road, the visit will likely take place in the fall of 2021, all things being equal. 

Ancient China being temporarily unavailable, we were consoling ourselves with hiking Glover Park and enjoying the outdoors and the trees! I spotted maples, beeches, elms, cottonwoods, sycamores, white oaks, and several species of rather misshapen fungus!  

Sustainable Gardens

We also stopped by Xiao’s garden plot, a small space not far from the trail head where she grows flowers, fruit and vegetables, including the most delicious strawberries, gooseberries, and cherry tomatoes. (I sampled them all and brought some home!)

The entire garden is less than three acres with 150 plots, each averaging 30 by 30 feet. It began as a “Victory Garden” during the food shortages of World War II. (See Weblinked article below). Owned by the National Park Service, it is run by the Glover Park Community Garden Association and allows only organic growing methods. Another rule is that 90 percent of each plot must be devoted to food production (fruit and vegetables). 

Organic gardening is good for one’s health because it ensures that pesticides and other harmful substances are not used. It facilitates a sustainable lifestyle while caring for the environment by helping to reduce erosion and sediment going into waterways as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

Cow Farts!

Eating the organic vegetables one grows (even if only once or twice a week) can substantially reduce meat and dairy consumption, one of the leading causes of Climate Change - because of those pesky cow farts! 

Yes, methane from cattle (in the beef and dairy industries) is a big contributor to the greenhouse effect, trapping 30 times more heat than carbon dioxide which usually gets the blame for global warming; methane is in fact 85 times more powerful when it comes to trapping heat. More cows mean more methane, and more methane means a warmer planet!

Activism 

Xiao and her husband Terry Jodrie, an ER doctor, took part in some of the recent peaceful Black Lives Matter protest marches in D.C. that called for racial justice and an end to police violence. I found that impressive! I can’t even recall the last time I took part in a protest march (shame on me)! It was more than 15 years ago, for sure, and might have been a pro choice or a housing rally.  

At the height of Covid, Xiao told me, her husband Terry volunteered his services at some of the worst hit New York hospitals and continues (five months into the virus) to travel to Peru and Mexico to train doctors in how to deal with Covid. I’m in awe of frontline health workers especially those who volunteer their services!

West Potomac Park 

A few weeks ago, I went with my friend Ram and his family for a picnic at West Potomac Park in D.C. and a long trek along the Potomac River. Temps were in the 90s that day but near the water there was shade and a balmy breeze. Bhuvana had cooked several kinds of rice (with tamarind, yogurt, coconut, molasses) served with crisp papadums! I probably got a sugar high from all those carbs, but that was another fun day for a hike!

West Potomac Park includes all the parkland from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument and is the site of famous national landmarks, including memorials to Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King, Jr.  

National Parks 

Talking of parkland and trekking, America’s National Park System, founded in 1916, administers more than 400 parks in the U.S. From the blue green geysers of Yellowstone to the millions of years of geological history revealed in the walls of the Grand Canyon, they are national treasures that define the country, belong to every citizen, and should be seen and enjoyed. 

But the parks budget has been flat for decades: roads, trails, campgrounds, monuments, and other infrastructure are in urgent need of repair. According to the National Parks Foundation, in 2019, visitor spending in and around the national parks contributed more than $40 billion to the national economy and supported about 350,000 jobs. 

The coronavirus pandemic has led Americans to rediscover the outdoors and realize that national parks provide huge economic and health benefits. Reflecting the new realities, Congress recently passed the Great Outdoors Act which will devote nearly $3 billion a year to maintain and restore the national parks.

At a time when the very concept of public land is being questioned, this is a good time to reassess and make post-Covid trekking plans: go see a national park - you will love it!   

Ludi Joseph

Washington, D.C.

August 23, 2020

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_garden

Xiao

Moi

Trekking togs! 

Trail

Fungus

Xiao in her garden

Strawberries

Gooseberries