January 31, 2012
Today’s weather is absolutely beautiful. I have to go out and take a walk. With the help of my GPS, I am determined to find the Monticello Park that is so loved by some of the locals. I found out this park through internet. It was these words that caught my attention:
“Monticello Park, a stream valley with steep, wooded slopes, sits in the middle of a residential neighborhood in the heart of Alexandria. It is tiny, not much of a park ….yet, this park is, to the many of us who get it, a treasured place. We’re able to see much natural beauty still there.”
I have to admit that walking can become an addiction. Having stayed inside for the past three days, I feel liberated the instant I start walking. Few minutes to my walk, I begin to realize that my neighborhood is quite hilly. Many streets are short but with steep climbing slope. 
The incline of one street is so abrupt that it is named the “Canyon Drive”. I love the sound of it already; perhaps before this neighborhood was build, this area was indeed a steep canyon.
It takes me less than fifteen minutes to locate the park. By the entrance, there is an old post explaining this place is actually a “dog park”. Locals use this wooded area to walk their dogs. Immediately after the entrance, an old bridge becomes visible. A small stream is flowing underneath. In some areas, the water surface is covered with foam. I wish it was the crystal clear mountain stream water, just like the Stahahe brook in Harriman State Park. (See! I miss NY already)
In spite of this distressing sight, I find the park is rather inviting. First it is the natural trail which twists and turns heading deep into the wood. The surrounding has an eerie feeling that makes me hesitate a few seconds before entering to the wood. (For a moment, I 
forget I am no longer in NY, the fear is just an instant reflect). Secondly, the forest is very quiet and the silent is interrupted only by the rustling noise of the dried maple leaves underneath my shoes. I can actually hear myself think.
"you never quite learn for instance that one of the riches a wilderness has to offer is prolonged and absolute silence." - Colin Fletcher
It is noon, everyone is still at work. I have the whole place for myself.
The trail goes up and down making many unexpected sharp turns. At one point, I find myself standing on the top of a hill looking down to the stream. Next minute, I am down on the bottom of a “canyon” floor greeting by a small purple flower. The weather has been so warm lately that it confuses this little plant. I wonder what it is going to do when the actual Spring comes?
As a matter of fact when Spring comes with the April shower, this place can transform into a charming oasis. I go on with more exploration, hoping that something will surprise me at the end of the wood, and it does!
At the end of the trail, it is a big fence; a backyard with children’s toys! The park indeed is very small. It takes only ten minutes to walk through the area. I am disappointed. I turn around and go back to the wood, pretending that I am hiking on the RD trail of the Harriman State Park. An idea comes to me on my way back to the entrance. With the help of these up and down slopes, I can use this place to train for the 26-mile hike. Next time when I return, I will definitely carry my heavy backpack.
I enjoy this walk, the dirt path reminds me of the hiking trail I walked on thousands of times with my friends in Harriman….
I hope my NY friends miss me, as I sure miss them!
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