~7.9 miles @ ~26 min/mi

Tangle of trails at Turkey Run Park: DS1 (aka Merle) & I explore a bit, then he goes on to follow yellow blazes clockwise while I meander on side paths and discover connections to Ridge Dr, Turkey Run Rd, and Bright Mountain Rd in the neighborhood near Langley High School — "Area Familiarization" and reconnaissance for future treks with friends in the MITRE Dawn Patrol, perhaps.

Then Mary Ewell arrives and we take the yellow blazed route in the opposite direction, meeting Merle as he descends to the Potomac River along Dead Run. He slips crossing the stream and cracks his new phone's screen; I fall in up to my knees in a dramatic stumble that Mary regrets not capturing on video; she is cautious and stays dry.

We finish the counterclockwise circuit with many inadvertent off-course detours plus one pause to photograph a cute snake. Mary identifies it later as an Eastern Gartersnake. Merle meets us at the bottom of the bluff and we climb back up together. Runkeeper records the route.

^z - 2014-12-19