20 Jun A Trip In The Gator

This past week I had a chance to explore a larger stretch of the C&O Canal Great Falls, MD section… this time in a Gator. For those of you who do not know what a Gator is, it is basically an ATV used primarily on large plots of land. This city girl had never been on a Gator so the bumpy, dusty ride was one for the books.

As we drove along the towpath–south towards Georgetown–one of the permanent staff members stopped at various places to show us the various features on the C&O Canal. We hiked a portion of the infamous Billy Goat Trail A (where I stepped in a dirty puddle of water), looked out over the gorge, enforced the no dog off leash rule, watched a couple of experienced climbers scale a rock formation, and checked out the Marsden Tract camp site. Having the opportunity to the see the different ways visitors come to the park to recreate was helpful because I am now better able to share the various activities our park has to offer to visitors. This experiential learning is very valuable to the Latinx Heritage Internship Program because it helps us, as stewards of the park, better understand the natural and cultural resources in order to transfer that information to the public.