SATURDAY BREAKFAST TRAIL RUN
Hey There Trail Doggies,
Yep, you read that right. Trail running and breakfast together for the price of one. It’s a Bonafide two-fer and you don’t even need a coupon (Pssst, There are no Muddy Shoes coupons. Whaddya think we are? REI?). Anyways, we’ll be hitting the Lower OCK Creek Trails but starting from a different location. Shannon and Rob have offered up the use of their humble abode as a base for our run and then we can gather there for a post-run breakfast. We’ll be stepping up our game and having more goodies than the usual pickle chips, fruit-pies and mini-cokes. It’s a great concept – run, eat and mingle. We’ll also have some grown-up beverages. Feel free to bring a dish to pass but there will be nom-noms provided by Rob and Shannon and Muddy Shoes. C’mon out and join us!
OK, announcements, then run details:
Muddy Shoes swag is still available! We got Hats ($15), Buffs ($10) and Re-usable Cups ($5). See Coach Phil.
Mark your calendars! The 8th Annual Muddy Shoes Summer Fatass is on the books! Join us Saturday July 12th in Seneca Creek State Park for a great trail event and pot-luck after-party hosted by Coach Mike Chau. Muddy Shoes will be supplying beverages, proteins and condiments. It’s free (maybe shove a couple of bucks in the donation box if you can). Please sign up here so we can plan: https://www.facebook.com/events/1442752650470959/?notif_id=1748314199437866¬if_t=plan_admin_added&ref=notif](https://www.facebook.com/events/1442752650470959/?notif_id=1748314199437866¬if_t=plan_admin_added&ref=notif
Now for the run details…
Location: Lower Rock Creek from Rob and Shannon’s Casa
Address: 1724 Tamarack St NW, Washington D.C.
Parking: It’s a neighborhood. Park along street. Plenty of room.
Date: 21 June 2025
Time: 0730
Course: Run starts out with 0.7 miles on neighborhood streets down to the trailhead at West Beach Road. Taking a right (west) onto the trail, it’s a 0.7 mile jaunt along the north side of Rock Creek before heading south, crossing Rock Creek and Beach Drive to head south on the Western Ridge Trail.
Both 7-mile loop and 12-mile loop take this Western Ridge Trail (west side of the creek) for the outbound, returning northbound on the Valley Trail (east side of the creek). For the longer loop, you’ll cross over Military Road (still on Western Ridge), while the shorter loop cuts down to Rock Creek by the Fort DeRussy monument.
The 7-mile loop heads down past the DeRussy monument to the creek, then turns north for a short bit before crossing the creek on a Beach Drive bridge, then joining Valley Trail to return north.
Note that the Western Ridge Trail has numerous side trails, several of which head left (eastward), down to the creek, allowing you to shorten your loop. If you’re misoriented, just cross the creek to the east side and head back north on the Valley Trail.
For the 12-mile loop, after crossing Military Road, you’ll pass by the Nature Center and parallel several park roads. Eventually dropping down to the creek, it passes by Peirce Mill Visitor Center & several picnic areas and crosses the creek at the paved bike trail. On the east side, take the Valley Trail northward to return.
Note: as both loops return north on Valley Trail, there’s a section of the trail damaged several months ago due to a treefall. There is an ominous warning sign; however, the trail past the area has a safety fence and is well-used by all (see photo), posing less of a hazard than our typical trail.
Caltopo 7 miler: https://caltopo.com/m/T795DP0
Caltopo 12 miler: https://caltopo.com/m/F3G2QSN
Pace: Fast, slow and in-between
Vibe: Chill…very chill but getting warmer!
Hope to C U there cuz THESE TRAILS AIN’T GONNA RUN THEMSELVES!
Namaste,
Muddy Shoes