Monday, January 20, 2014

A Stroll Through History: Spotsylvania Battlefield Loop

This morning, Shira, David, Maryn and Myself took advantage of our day off from work to do a little exploring. We headed out to Fredericksburg to do a hike around the Spotsylvania Battlefield. The hike turned out to be more of a walk, but the history and weather did not disappoint in the least.

I knew zilch about the battle at Spotsylvania before we left our house, but I did some quick studying on the way. In short, the battle was absolutely gruesome, and even though Grant should have handily won, Lee managed to eek out a victory. (The old saying applies: he won the battle, but lost the war.)

While hiking, I noticed a curious looking plant which Maryn identified as Lambs Ear. Besides being super cuddly, the plant is apparently also a good improvised bandage and some even suggest you can make a tea from it. Who knew?

If you're in the DC area, this is definitely a hike worth taking. The loop is about 5 miles long, and there's not a lot of cover, so this one is best avoided on a hot summer day. Unless of course, you want to feel what soldiers of the Civil War felt. In which case, hike in the heat and of course, wear your wool everything.

View All Photos

No comments:

Post a Comment