This is one of the Lost Dogs favorite parks. The trail that goes
through this park starts in Zachary Taylor Park and goes all the
way down to the Potomac Heritage Trail along the Potomac. This land
has gone through a lot of changes over the history of the
Washington D.C. area. At first it was very rural farm land, removed
from Washington DC. During the Civil War numerous forts protected
the Capital City and the land was all but deforested. Military Road
was added as the area's first "Beltway" providing the first major
road to come through this area and cross the river. In time the
trees returned, but then the suburbs came, largely as a result of
the post-World War II boom. The Donaldson Run Parks hold testament
to the history of this land (Donaldson Run Regional Park has
excellent nature center with information about the Native Americans
who once lived here, and the geological history).
This historic trail along Donaldson Run is marked with
curiosities. According to local histories:
Prior to the Civil War, Donaldson Run was the primary
point of access into these parts. The Donaldson family initially
transported their farm produce for sale in Georgetown via the
Potomac River by using this stream. After the Civil War (and the
creation of Military Road), overland transport became more
frequent. In the late 1800s, this stream was both a popular
swimming hole and boat landing. This stream was first named Rock
Run in the early 1800s and after the Civil War it was renamed
Swimming Landing Run. The County map of 1900 shows that the name of
this stream was changed to Donaldson Run, named after the Donaldson
family that populated the land above and east of the stream. If you
walk along the trail next to Donaldson Run, you will see remnants
of a stone wall that was used to dam an area of the stream for
swimming. It is believed that this stone wall was built in the late
1800s. Farther upstream there are also remains of a cement dam and
small bathhouse with pipes for showers fed by stream water believed
to date from the early 1920s.
You are looking for a well camoed Tupperware container about 15
feet off the trail almost in plain view. You do not need to
bushwhack or go up any hills. The GZ is proximate to the trail
in order to avoid erosion or damage to the park. It is placed so
that you can find it but it will not be visible to the
nature-loving Muggles. Please be gentle.
Please stay on the trails and do not cut through any
private property. This cache requires a nice hike. Good parking is
marked. A good trail map of Donaldson Run park can be found
here. Cache available only during park hours. Nearby caches can
be found hiking these trails including caches in Donaldson Run
Regional Park, Marcey Road Park, and Zachary Taylor Park. Please
note that this cache is in an Arlington County park; Donaldson Run
Regional Park (which borders this park to the East) requires
permission in order to place caches; The National Park Service land
to the North only permits Earthcaches by permission.
Congrats to Nemo Consequenstia for FTF. An Assist goes
to GrandmaMoses!