I took a quick walk on the first mile and a half of the Cross County Trail, following Difficult Run down to the beach at the Potomac River. The track was quite muddy in a few places, thanks to this weekend’s rain. This section of the trail lies mostly in Great Falls National Park, and is not posted or blazed save for one sign, but the way is easy to find (just follow the run downstream, how hard is that?). Far from a midwinter chill, the air was quite mild and most of the time I didn’t need my gloves. A smattering of Christmas Eve strollers, a pair on horseback. Still, it’s generally a popular spot, and I saw more trash than I like to see.