Barbara Favola's Potomac Overlook Hike-About
Description: A pleasant up-and-down stroll through rolling, wooded parkland in north Arlington where nature and humankind have been co-mingled for over a thousand years.
Note: this Walkabout was originally broadcast on "Update Arlington," Channel 71. Click here to watch the program on your computer!
Download Walkabout Map (505k PDF)
Good morning. I'm Barbara Favola, member of the Arlington County Board. It's a beautiful fall day in Potomac Overlook Regional Park in Arlington. Joining me today is Martin Ogle, Chief Naturalist for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (Martin: a few words about what the Park Authority is). I'm glad you could join us, and I hope we learn a lot!
1. Nature Center
Our "hike-about" today starts at the Nature Center, which is also home to the educational programs sponsored by the Park Authority, and the starting point for several of the trails. Luckily for us, the paths through the park are very well maintained -- by staff and lots and lots of volunteers. There are about two miles of intersecting, marked trails in the park which converge to other trails -- you can follow the Donaldson Run stream right down to the Potomac, for example. Maps are available at the Nature Center.
To find your way around the park during the hike-about and at other times, there are differently-colored blazes on trees that correspond to the different trails. Blazes make navigation a breeze, so even the amateur hiker can feel comfortable. And besides, you are never more than about half a mile from the nature center from any point in the park.
2. Trail Blazing
Our hike today will follow the Heritage Loop Trail (green blazes), and will take us past plenty of interesting features relating both to natural and human history. The tree we are about to pass here is a Tulip Poplar, one of the two largest trees in the park. It's a fast grower, but still is probably about 150 years old. It sort of lifts your spirits just to look at it.
3. The spring
Down the hill here is a little spring site where farmers in 1912 built a wall to make a basin to catch water. It probably was a working spring until the early 1930's when people got running water.
4. - 5. Steps, water bars and bridge
We're going to go over a little footbridge that crosses drainage from the spring we saw earlier. The hill is gentle, and should be accessible to most people. The railroad tie steps and "water bars" help make them easier to walk, too. Both the steps and water bars help divert water so it doesn't erode the whole trail away.
6. Decaying tree as habitat
This tree fell down about 15 years ago. The park leaves trees where they fell (unless, of course, they fall across a road or trail) since they provide excellent animal habitats and ultimately decompose and turn back into soil. When it first fell over, this tree was about twice as wide as it is now!
Fall is my favorite time of year, and it's a great time to visit the park. Not only are the leaves especially beautiful in October, but there are things that the animals and plants are doing to get ready for winter, like squirrels hiding acorns!
7. Indian village site
Speaking of the change in seasons, here is the site of a seasonal Indian village, where we believe Native Americans lived each spring and summer for about 1000 years, ending around 1500 years ago. It seems they left each fall to seek out warmer climates. The sundial and Indian Circle Garden are here to help visitors understand about the history of this land. The garden tells us about the importance of the Four Directions to native peoples, and the sundial is a natural way to tell the time.
8. The orchard
You'll notice a lot of fruit trees here as well. They were planted near the original site of the orchard of Miss Fannie White, who sold her apples in Cherrydale about 80 or 90 years ago. In honor of Miss White, the Park has planted an orchard -- pears and apples and plums. The only fruit that is harvested is the leftovers from the squirrels!
Before we finish our walk, I want to mention that Potomac Overlook is open to visitors all year from sunrise to sundown. You can also join a scheduled tour (see listing at http://www.nvrpa.org/events.html or http://www.walkarlington.com/go/events.html) or if you have a group of friends, neighbors, or a school group, the Park would be happy to schedule a special tour for you.
END - back at the Nature Center
This concludes our Walkabout at Potomac Overlook Park. Thank you for joining us -- and have a great day.
Potomac Overlook Regional Park
2845 N. Marcey Road, Arlington
703.528.5406
http://www.nvrpa.org/potomacoverlook.html
Hours: The park is open all year during daylight hours. The Nature Center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday and is closed Monday.
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Barbara Favola has been a resident of Arlington since 1982 and a member of the Arlington County Board since December, 1997. She has served as Chairman of the Arlington County Board in 2000 and 2004.
Among Ms. Favola's many positions on advisory boards and committees, she serves as Chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments' (COG) Committee on Noise Abatement and Aviation at National and Dulles Airports, where under her leadership, noise impacts related to National Airport have been minimized (a feat you will thank her for when hiking in Potomac Overlook Regional Park!). Ms. Favola also serves on the COG Chesapeake Bay Committee.
Ms. Favola holds a Masters of Public Administration from New York University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, Connecticut. She and husband Douglas Weik live in Arlington's Lyon Village neighborhood with son Donald Patrick.
For Ms. Favola's complete bio, click here.
Martin Ogle is Chief Naturalist for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority's Potomac Overlook Regional Park. He has worked at the park since January of 1985. Ogle graduated with B.S. and M.S. degrees in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University (Fort Collins) and Virginia Tech, respectively. He has been on the Board of the Arlington/Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless, the Arlington Heritage Alliance and Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment where he was the Chair for three years.
Squirrel photo courtesy of Dr. David Jefferies.
