July 7, 2003
Four Sheroes from the Washington DC area (Dev, Knight Kate, Autumnleaf, and Rampaging_Cow) met at Great Falls Park on July 7, 2003. This is the story, complete with photographs, of how that meet-up went. (Story and photographs by Dev)
~~~~~~~~~~
The meet-up officially started at noon, but it ended
up being delayed. We were to meet at the visitor's center on the VA side,
and in the Sheroes post it had been said that we would know it's the right
place when we saw Kate in a red cowboy hat.
Knight Kate, or Kate, got there at noon, as did I, but we were the only ones there. Rampaging_Cow, or Emily, got there thirty-five minutes late, and Autumnleaf, or Leafy, was almost an hour late. We had given up on her and gone to look at the falls when she called my name--either she saw the cowboy hat in Kate's hand or she recognized me.
~~~~~~~~~~
I got my father to take a group picture.
*
Top: Me (Dev), Leafy
Bottom: Kate, Emily
~~~~~~~~~~
After the picture was taken, we arranged to meet with my father and Emily's family at three and headed off to see the falls.
They were really pretty. Either that, or I just have a thing for falling water.
~~~~~~~~~~
After looking at the falls for a while, we went and sat down at a picnic table. Kate and I had already eaten, but Emily and Leafy hadn't. We sat there while they ate, and we all talked--people programed in cell phones, moving (I have Leafy beaten for number of moves but she's lived more places), and of course, Sheroes. There may have been other topics, too, but I don't remember them.
~~~~~~~~~~
We left the picnic tables and went to see the wooden marker that showed how high the water had risen and when. Jeez, it was taller than I was! Much taller... those must have been some pretty big storms! I know that one of them (1972? something like that) brought down the bridge between the Virginia and Maryland sides of the park, and it was never replaced. That time was on marker. (Sorry, forgot to take a picture.)
~~~~~~~~~~
We walked off by the river, climbing rocks and trying to get good views, and as close as possible. We found a couple of places where the water ran off between the rocks, and we found a pond. We could see the river the whole time, but we couldn't get close. I mean, who's foolish enough to try to get near the Patomic River near the waterfalls?
~~~~~~~~~~
We left the river and went to climb rocks. We were still near it, but we lost sight of it at times. It was some roughish climbing, but we could all do it. The rocks were big, and we all had shoes that gripped the rocks well enough that we didn't fall too much.
~~~~~~~~~~
We finally got to a place where we could go down by the river, though I don't think we were officially supposed to be there. We slid down a smooth rock that was about eight feet or maybe a little more, and then jumped down from it. The next part was almost vertical and about ten feet (estimate, in no way accurate), with very few places to hold on. (Picture is from an angle, very good zoom.)
Emily and I refused to go down there, but Kate and Leafy did. They touched the water! (Overhead picture, very good zoom.)
Getting back up was a problem. The rock was smooth, so there were no footholds. Remember, it was also about eight feet. (Picture from an angle.)
We got Leafy up, but when it came my turn we had a problem. I couldn't get up! Kate and Emily gave me a boost and Leafy reached out her hand, but I couldn't get up! I ended up finding an alternate route--the ground sloped up at the side and I twisted around a tree and was on the rock about half way up, and could get up from there. Emily and Kate followed my way, I got hit by a shoe, and we were fine.
~~~~~~~~~~
By then it was two-thirty, give or take a few minutes, and we had to get back to the visitor's center. The only problem was that we lost the route that we took and had to find another--and harder--way back. Once Emily tripped when we were going over two small vertical rocks, and I took a wrong turn and ended up in the marsh, but that was it. Until we got to a big rock, probably six foot or so (the cause of my wrong turn was trying to avoid it.) I knew that we hadn't gone that way in the first place, and I wasn't sure that I could get up it. In the end I watched Kate straddle it and get over it, and I threw my water bottle over for Kate to catch. I threw wrong (yeah, I know I have no aim) and she didn't catch it--it bounced and fell apart--the plastic part on the rock and the rest of the bottle in a tree. I got over the rock thanks to a foothole and reached into the tree and got the bottle--not so hard. The problem is that the water bottle was brand new before the meet-up. It's not new now! Note the crack.
~~~~~~~~~~
We made it back to the visitor's center fifteen minutes early. We sat down at a picnic table and spread out maps, since Kate and Leafy were going to be there until six. We saw something of interest on there--Matildaville Ruins. We all wanted to go see the ruins, me especially! After quite a bit of argueing/whining, I got my father to let me go and Emily got her mother to let her go, as long as we were back by four. We couldn't go without Jon (Emily's brother) and unfortunately Joe (my brother) tagging along, though.
Side note: Jon is so much better behaved than Joe!
~~~~~~~~~~
We got to the ruins with most of Joe's comments shut up by the various girls, thank you to them. At each one someone read off what it was and a little history behind it. Basically, the ruins were lame. They did make for a good picture or two, though. I got one of Leafy with one ruin
and one of just the ruin and the stone wall (also a ruin) that was near it.
~~~~~~~~~~
The ruins that were actually interesting were the canal locks. There used to be a canal that ran through Matildaville, and the locks are still there. I actually got to learn how locks work! No, I did not know that before. They're really cool locks, too. Really cool locks.
~~~~~~~~~~
We left the ruins after we saw the lock, and we headed back towards the Patomic. We saw a series of rock ledges that lead up to a huge rock, after going across a few smooth horizontal rocks. They climbed it first, and I followed after.
No, that is not the whole rock. There is more to it, but I could not get it with my camera. The rock goes all the way down to the river--big rock. There's an awesome view of the river from the top, but I was out of film.
~~~~~~~~~~
Kate and Leafy had touched the water earlier, but Emily and I wanted to. After getting off the big rock, there was a way down to the river's edge from one of the ledges, as well as a way from where we originally put down all our stuff to climb onto the big rock. My mother's cell phone dropped out of my pocket, which basically told me I had to take the ledge route. I retrieved the cell phone (it only has a little crack and a few scratches on it... so far I'm not in trouble for it) and started to go down to the river, but I decided otherwise and went up to everyone else, following Kate down through the rocks and trees. At a part she stopped for a minute and I went past her, making sure it was safe. Only Emily and I actually went down to the water's edge, and I got there first. I dipped my hand in--it felt nice!
~~~~~~~~~~
It started to rain as we made our way back up. Kate said that it wouldn't start to thunderstorm, though. It was around three forty-five, so Emily, Jon, Joe, and I had to head back to the visitor's center. Kate and Leafy went on, since they had another two hours to spare. According to Kate, they found a cave. I don't know much more about that.
~~~~~~~~~~
Emily, Jon, Joe, and I headed back to the visitor's center. We had no map and we didn't know the way, but Jon remembered it. We were drenched and Joe was panicking, but we made it back fine, and before four. It was quite and adventure getting there, though. And the rain cooled us off. I'm sure most people wouldn't like it, but I did. I'm weird like that.
~~~~~~~~~~
And that was that. That was the end of our DC Sheroes Meet-Up, or at least for me. It was fun, and it ranks in the four times when I have truely enjoyed myself.
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Knight Kate, or Kate, got there at noon, as did I, but we were the only ones there. Rampaging_Cow, or Emily, got there thirty-five minutes late, and Autumnleaf, or Leafy, was almost an hour late. We had given up on her and gone to look at the falls when she called my name--either she saw the cowboy hat in Kate's hand or she recognized me.
~~~~~~~~~~
I got my father to take a group picture.
*
Top: Me (Dev), Leafy
Bottom: Kate, Emily
~~~~~~~~~~
After the picture was taken, we arranged to meet with my father and Emily's family at three and headed off to see the falls.
They were really pretty. Either that, or I just have a thing for falling water.
~~~~~~~~~~
After looking at the falls for a while, we went and sat down at a picnic table. Kate and I had already eaten, but Emily and Leafy hadn't. We sat there while they ate, and we all talked--people programed in cell phones, moving (I have Leafy beaten for number of moves but she's lived more places), and of course, Sheroes. There may have been other topics, too, but I don't remember them.
~~~~~~~~~~
We left the picnic tables and went to see the wooden marker that showed how high the water had risen and when. Jeez, it was taller than I was! Much taller... those must have been some pretty big storms! I know that one of them (1972? something like that) brought down the bridge between the Virginia and Maryland sides of the park, and it was never replaced. That time was on marker. (Sorry, forgot to take a picture.)
~~~~~~~~~~
We walked off by the river, climbing rocks and trying to get good views, and as close as possible. We found a couple of places where the water ran off between the rocks, and we found a pond. We could see the river the whole time, but we couldn't get close. I mean, who's foolish enough to try to get near the Patomic River near the waterfalls?
~~~~~~~~~~
We left the river and went to climb rocks. We were still near it, but we lost sight of it at times. It was some roughish climbing, but we could all do it. The rocks were big, and we all had shoes that gripped the rocks well enough that we didn't fall too much.
~~~~~~~~~~
We finally got to a place where we could go down by the river, though I don't think we were officially supposed to be there. We slid down a smooth rock that was about eight feet or maybe a little more, and then jumped down from it. The next part was almost vertical and about ten feet (estimate, in no way accurate), with very few places to hold on. (Picture is from an angle, very good zoom.)
Emily and I refused to go down there, but Kate and Leafy did. They touched the water! (Overhead picture, very good zoom.)
Getting back up was a problem. The rock was smooth, so there were no footholds. Remember, it was also about eight feet. (Picture from an angle.)
We got Leafy up, but when it came my turn we had a problem. I couldn't get up! Kate and Emily gave me a boost and Leafy reached out her hand, but I couldn't get up! I ended up finding an alternate route--the ground sloped up at the side and I twisted around a tree and was on the rock about half way up, and could get up from there. Emily and Kate followed my way, I got hit by a shoe, and we were fine.
~~~~~~~~~~
By then it was two-thirty, give or take a few minutes, and we had to get back to the visitor's center. The only problem was that we lost the route that we took and had to find another--and harder--way back. Once Emily tripped when we were going over two small vertical rocks, and I took a wrong turn and ended up in the marsh, but that was it. Until we got to a big rock, probably six foot or so (the cause of my wrong turn was trying to avoid it.) I knew that we hadn't gone that way in the first place, and I wasn't sure that I could get up it. In the end I watched Kate straddle it and get over it, and I threw my water bottle over for Kate to catch. I threw wrong (yeah, I know I have no aim) and she didn't catch it--it bounced and fell apart--the plastic part on the rock and the rest of the bottle in a tree. I got over the rock thanks to a foothole and reached into the tree and got the bottle--not so hard. The problem is that the water bottle was brand new before the meet-up. It's not new now! Note the crack.
~~~~~~~~~~
We made it back to the visitor's center fifteen minutes early. We sat down at a picnic table and spread out maps, since Kate and Leafy were going to be there until six. We saw something of interest on there--Matildaville Ruins. We all wanted to go see the ruins, me especially! After quite a bit of argueing/whining, I got my father to let me go and Emily got her mother to let her go, as long as we were back by four. We couldn't go without Jon (Emily's brother) and unfortunately Joe (my brother) tagging along, though.
Side note: Jon is so much better behaved than Joe!
~~~~~~~~~~
We got to the ruins with most of Joe's comments shut up by the various girls, thank you to them. At each one someone read off what it was and a little history behind it. Basically, the ruins were lame. They did make for a good picture or two, though. I got one of Leafy with one ruin
and one of just the ruin and the stone wall (also a ruin) that was near it.
~~~~~~~~~~
The ruins that were actually interesting were the canal locks. There used to be a canal that ran through Matildaville, and the locks are still there. I actually got to learn how locks work! No, I did not know that before. They're really cool locks, too. Really cool locks.
~~~~~~~~~~
We left the ruins after we saw the lock, and we headed back towards the Patomic. We saw a series of rock ledges that lead up to a huge rock, after going across a few smooth horizontal rocks. They climbed it first, and I followed after.
No, that is not the whole rock. There is more to it, but I could not get it with my camera. The rock goes all the way down to the river--big rock. There's an awesome view of the river from the top, but I was out of film.
~~~~~~~~~~
Kate and Leafy had touched the water earlier, but Emily and I wanted to. After getting off the big rock, there was a way down to the river's edge from one of the ledges, as well as a way from where we originally put down all our stuff to climb onto the big rock. My mother's cell phone dropped out of my pocket, which basically told me I had to take the ledge route. I retrieved the cell phone (it only has a little crack and a few scratches on it... so far I'm not in trouble for it) and started to go down to the river, but I decided otherwise and went up to everyone else, following Kate down through the rocks and trees. At a part she stopped for a minute and I went past her, making sure it was safe. Only Emily and I actually went down to the water's edge, and I got there first. I dipped my hand in--it felt nice!
~~~~~~~~~~
It started to rain as we made our way back up. Kate said that it wouldn't start to thunderstorm, though. It was around three forty-five, so Emily, Jon, Joe, and I had to head back to the visitor's center. Kate and Leafy went on, since they had another two hours to spare. According to Kate, they found a cave. I don't know much more about that.
~~~~~~~~~~
Emily, Jon, Joe, and I headed back to the visitor's center. We had no map and we didn't know the way, but Jon remembered it. We were drenched and Joe was panicking, but we made it back fine, and before four. It was quite and adventure getting there, though. And the rain cooled us off. I'm sure most people wouldn't like it, but I did. I'm weird like that.
~~~~~~~~~~
And that was that. That was the end of our DC Sheroes Meet-Up, or at least for me. It was fun, and it ranks in the four times when I have truely enjoyed myself.
Back to Photos