We are at the tail end of our stay in Washington. And strongly recommended to us as a must-visit is The Great Falls Park, one of Washington D.C.’s most spectacular landmarks. A mildly bruised sky holds up tufts of cotton smudged

grey in places. A thwarted sun makes every effort to show off his fiery beams, erupting in bright bursts every now and then. We wonder if the rain gods would play spoilsport to ruin our planned trip to the Falls. After deliberating a little, we decide to make a go for it, not to the Virginia side of it but to Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park, the Maryland side of the Great Falls that is close to Krishna’s place.
We walk a long verdant stretch of tree-laden path, catching glimpses of the serpentine flow of the C&O Canal between the trees. The ambient sounds from creatures inhabiting the woods get drowned by the thunderous roar of chocolaty white froth, ferociously crashing over boulders. The rising, muddy water, we are told, is sign of danger. It is an indication to swimmers, waders and rock hoppers not to jump into the deceptively tranquil river which could swell to lethal proportions within minutes, barely giving them a chance for survival!
Big blobs of water rain down upon us as we near the entrance. But the pull of the gurgling, thrashing water is irresistible. We brave the aqueous showers from the heavens and walk over a small bridge to savour the sight of the raging avalanche. Unmindful of the downpour that is gathering momentum by the minute, I stand mesmerised. I am shaken out of my reverie by my young nephew who suggests we get back home because we are soaking wet with the rain.
Sensing my disappointment, my brother promises to drive me down to the Virginia side of the Falls on Sunday. The urge to visit the other side becomes greater as he narrates the history of the Great Falls and the C&O Canal that dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Canal, a system with about seventy four locks, runs parallel to the famous Potomac River which originates as a small spring near Fairfax Stone in West Virginia and travels approximately 575 km to Chesapeake Bay, snaking its way through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland Virginia, the District of Columbia. It drops 76 feet through several cascading rapids into the Mather Gorge, a canyon, when it reaches the Great Falls, which is the steepest and most scintillating fall line rapids of any eastern river. The canal was created to transport goods between Cumberland, a manufacturing centre of timber, whiskey, furs and other products and Chesapeake Bay. The presence of the Great and Little Falls obstructed the Potomac from being navigable. However, US President George Washington’s obsession with making the river navigable led to the construction of the canal system, considered the most significant engineering feat of 18th century America.
We have a clear blue sky and the drive to the Park is picturesque. We walk a short distance to the Visitor Center. Here we watch the 10-minute slide programme and see the 3D model of the Great Falls and Patowmack Canal.
History and nature come alive in the sprawling 800 acre Great Falls Park, which is home to a wide species of little and large animals.
The park is well laid out with trails to suit all kinds of leisure-seekers. There are trails along the Potomac itself and also in the adjacent woods, for walkers, bikers and horse riders. The Park is alive and active with joggers and walkers of all ages and shapes, several of them accompanied by their canines — leashed and unleashed, out for their morning constitutional.
Rafters are already there having a whale of a time, weaving their way beneath the white fluff, bobbing, flouncing and disappearing from sight as well. While rock climbers are having their share of fun, other picnickers are already attending to the call of their rumbling tummies at the cooksites, dishing up delicacies on their own grills.
Fettered as we are by time, we satisfy ourselves with views of the susurrant rush of foaming water from all three viewpoints and as a dedicated shutterbug, I complete the compelling rituals with my digital companion.

The writer is a travel enthusiast