The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Discover the D.C. area, one step at a time
Back when Beth Homicz was a tour guide in Washington, she developed her own fitness plan: Lead groups through Arlington National Cemetery twice a day. “It’s a good way to drop 10 pounds in a week,” Homicz says.
Exploring places on foot is better exercise than most people realize, she adds, because they’re distracted by the scenery. In the Washington region, that’s a smorgasbord.
“There’s flora and fauna, geology, battlefields, beaches, rolling plains and meadows, all within easy reach,” says Homicz, who cowrote the new revision of “AMC’s Best Day Hikes Near Washington, D.C.” It features detailed instructions for tackling 50 routes, ranging in distance, terrain and vibe.
Also debuting this spring is National Geographic’s “Walking Washington, D.C.,” by Barbara Noe Kennedy, a travel guidebook devoted to strolling in the city. In addition to neighborhood tours, Kennedy put together “whirlwind” options that crisscross the capital, highlighting themes such as African-American heritage and kid-friendly spots.
Although both writers are longtime area residents who’ve logged countless miles on foot over the years , researching the books was an eye-opening experience.
“I’ve been to Georgetown a billion-gazillon times,” Kennedy says of the upscale Washington neighborhood. But the shocker for her was the Dumbarton Oaks Museum, with its gem of a Byzantine art collection. She’d spent time in the adjacent gardens, “but I never made the time or effort to go.”
Homicz made sure to highlight lesser-known details when she developed a hike that takes readers around the Mall. Stops include a brick springhouse on Capitol Hill, a series of tuckedaway gardens, and a gate in the World War II Memorial where you can hunt for a long-nosed cartoon character named Kilroy.
For Homicz, the biggest surprises came on her first visit to Watkins Regional Park in Largo. She hadn’t been expecting such delightful nature trails and a “Wizard of Oz”-themed playground — or the bloodcurdling shriek that stopped her in her tracks. “It scared the bejesus out of me,” Homicz says, although she soon realized it was just one of the on-site farm’s resident peacocks saying hello.
A lot of walking happened in preparation for these books. Homicz and her co-author, Annie Eddy, scoped out every step of each hike so readers would know what to expect, whether it be noisy peacocks, tight switchbacks or slippery surfaces.
Kennedy’s approach was to sketch out her routes ahead of time and then hit the streets to test them out. If a certain stretch felt too boring or too long, she tweaked it. What she learned from this methodical approach — beyond the time and distance approximations that are listed on each map — is that keeping your eyes open between sights offers its own rewards.
There are pocket parks, local hangouts and other discoveries to make, says Kennedy, who created a two-page spread featuring her favorite “secret statues,” including the Albert Einstein Memorial on Constitution Avenue. On her Embassy Row tour, she adds, it’s the route itself that’s the draw — you’re not necessarily visiting any specific buildings but just appreciating the mix of Gilded Age and modern architecture.
These types of urban adventures qualify as hikes to Homicz, who says today’s outdoor enthusiasts appreciate a mix of experiences and are looking for new ways to get out of their regular routine. That’s why the revised edition of her book features routes through the Colonial history of downtown Annapolis and along the Baltimore Waterfront Promenade.
Probably the most unexpected option is a 2½ -mile loop around Gwynns Falls and Leakin Park. That’s bound to sound familiar -and maybe unnerving -- to anyone who listened to the first season of the “Serial” podcast. But despite its ties to the occasional killing, Baltimore’s largest green space is “a charming hodgepodge of historic remains, modern art, and plant life in a wild setting,” according to the book’s description.
There are also plenty of more typical hiking routes, including the Billy Goat Trail, Old Rag and lesser-known options. Homicz says a new “extreme” addition to the book is Signal Knob in Fort Valley, Va. The nearly 11-mile trek features sections that require folks to leap between rocks and is estimated to take at least seven hours.
No matter the kind of hike, Homicz says, her goal is always to showcase natural and human history. Some details about local flora, fauna and other points of interest are always scattered among the trail descriptions. A handful of essays go more in depth, tackling topics readers can think about as they’re covering new terrain -- how bald eagles were saved from extinction, the story of the Piscataway people, why Japan donated to the National Arboretum a bonsai that survived a nuclear blast.
There’s a lot to learn. So you’d better start walking.