Duncan Knob, Page County, VA

It was an absolutely perfect weekend for backpacking in the Shenandoah this past weekend as my friends and I of Troop 976 in Vienna VA hiked our way through to Duncan Knob, just outside of New Market Virginia. Many of our boys were out for their very first backpack overnighter including my son....and myself. The boys as well as adults had a blast of a good time deep in the woods, pushing ourselves, enjoying ourselves and learning many lessons along the way.

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Trustworthy Navigators.

The effort.

The reward.

The boys built a massive, and one of the best, fire rings I've seen. We were in for quite a blaze.

An interesting story began to emerge late in the day. We were in the middle of no where, roughing it, with no water source. Everything we had we brought with us. We were all patting ourselves on the back for our 3-4 mile up hill journey. Around 4 pm a man with a camel back, trail shoes, and bib number on his shorts came racing through our campsite. Later another man, and another. Then some women. It didn't take us long to figure out we were on a major artery for an endurance race taking part that very day. These folks were participating in the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run and we were sitting at about the 70 mile mark!

All afternoon and late into the night these folks came very quietly up and over the crest where we camped. Every time one came through, the boys would pause to clap and cheer and wish the runners luck. You can see the smiles on their faces below as they ran into this unanticipated welcoming party. It was a hoot and a very positive inspiration for all of us. All night long we saw little LED lights come quietly through our camp. It was humbling and (almost) made us feel guilty for curling up in our warm sleeping bags and snoozing the night away.

(If you are curious about this event please see this race summary by race sponsor Virginia Happy Trails Running Club. I contacted their webmaster and they included a link to this blogpost. Make sure you read the comments below this post.)






As we broke camp and headed down the mountain we were still occasionally passed by the ultra runner who had literally been up all night running through the forest. Many appeared to be in their 50s and 60s. Every time they passed, the Troop would part like Moses parting the sea and cheer the runners on. I hope they all reached their personal goals and got home safely.

My son and I sharing in another beautiful view brought to us by Boy Scouts of America. You can't find moments like these in a video game.

National Air and Space Museum ~ Udvar Hazy Center

I've been polishing up a few photos to enter into this month's Washingtonian Magazine's Photo Contest. The theme is Architecture. I'll keep you posted.

Out For A Ride ~ Self Portrait

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Hit the trails this morning for a long ride. Gotta love those clouds. Beautiful morning. Great ride. This wall runs along an industrial building near the Washington and Old Dominion Bike Trail in Vienna. Kinda cool...don't ya think?

Geek Speak: My self portrait was taken with my Canon 7D mounted on a mini tripod. Its a three shot HDR image married in Photomatix software and tweaked in Adobe Literoom and CS4. By the way....CS5 came out yesterday. Can you feel the excitement? Its all ready on order. Wahoo!

Midnight Dragon Sailing, Florida Keys

Our good friend Captain Jim has his website up and running and taking reservations. As you may recall, we sailed with Jim as part of the Boy Scout's Sea Base National High Adventure last summer. See previous post HERE. Some of my photography made its way onto his webpage. Check it out here: Midnight Dragon. The fish photo was actually taken by my son Danny.

Click the pic for a huge view!

Ashland, Virginia

Standing at the old Ashland Train Depot looking south. Now it is a Virginia Visitor's Center.

Bridge To Nowhere

Climb Me

My son's Mecca; a really good climbing tree.

Into The Mist

It's not very often you get to see this beautiful pier with no one on it. Its a very popular spot at the Whalehead Club looking out over the Currituck Sound. Nor do you get to see it like this, extending out into the fog of an early winter morning.

Sorry We Missed You

This looked to be an antique store on our way home from the beach in NC but upon closer inspection it looked abandoned. Reminds me of my kid's "I Spy" books.

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Under The Boardwalk

The view from under the Kitty Hawk Pier, NC.

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Magic Bus

Update: This photo below was selected into the HDRSpotting webpage. Glad I'm worthy. I thought it was a pretty cool shot.

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Sometimes I see things on the side of the road I just have to jump out and photograph. Of course my wife likes this as I am now more likely to stop for an antique store than I used to be!

This cool camper bus was parked on the side of Route 12 just North of the Whalehead Club on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I love the spiked front wheels. Modern day Ben Hurr.

Geek Speak: This is a 3 shot, hand held HDR image taken with a Canon 7D on a tripod, with a little Topaz Detail and Adjust thrown in while in Photoshop.

I have some great shots from my most recent trip to the OBX I'll be sharing in the days to come.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Outer Banks. We are down for a few days of friends and family. Great opportunity to shoot some pics. The fog rolled in and I believe I found the only spot of sunshine gleaming down on this Boathouse at the Whalehead Club.

Also, a great big Happy Birthday to my father who is 79 years young today. Pictured below with his beloved wife Pat and their many grandchildren. Have a great day Dad. We love you.

The Old Haunt ~ Kilroy's

Kilroy's in Springfield; an old favorite for many Thomas Jefferson High School Alumni. Saw many of my old buds there last night. Great fun.

Snow Day!

Gettysburg in Autum

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad

I took this shot several years ago. Always one of my favorites I decided to rework it with skills I've acquired since that day.

I decided to add the before shot. Gotta love digital photography.

Love Without Boundaries Champions

It was a fantastically beautiful morning in Washington for the 34th running of the Marine Corps Marathon. Congratulations to my brother Ben and my niece Caitlin (Ben's oldest daughter and my Godchild) for finishing AGAIN and continuing to help those in need.

I have posted here before that my brother, his wife Sandi, and their family of 7 are very involved in the charity LOVE Without Boundaries. They and a number of other runners raised over $20,000 dollars to help provide care and support for orphans and impoverished children in China and to assist in finding them homes here in the United States.

Its easy to see the passion these runners and their families share in their cause. You can help too by checking out the link above. Sandi, Ben and family are anticipating expanding to 9 children when two more China babies (older China babies) will hopefully join them this year.

Smiling at the start!

Rounding the corner and passing people all the way :)

Run Ben Run. The last corner before the finish. I was ready to hop the fence and administer CPR....but he finished strong!

A quick photo at the finish. Other dedicated team members were still on the course battling the odds. While they appear to be fresh and recovered, I can tell you that each (young or older) slowly inched their way to the shade to take this picture. This is a tough event and humbling to watch.

A proud moment.

And a beautiful day.

Camp William B. Snyder, Haymarket Va.

When fall arrives its camping time for Cubs from Pack 976 of Vienna, Va. To get our new Tigers and new recruits out into the woods we head out to Camp William B. Snyder. This 350-acre camp, located in Haymarket, Virginia is the latest and greatest camping experience offered by the National Capital Area Council and the Boy Scouts of America. The boys enjoy a weekend of activities like BB guns, archery, the Big Dig, hiking, and of course the late night fire and roasting marshmallows. Hats off to Eric Steele, the Camp Director, who keeps things rolling along at such a large facility.

The Fort awakes.

Beautiful scenery.

BBs ~ Always a Cub favorite.

Akela Village

The day would not be complete without burning a few marshmallows.

You can almost smell it!

Georgetown; An Urban Jungle