Standing Stone Trail, section 2

I was sore from section 1, but set off to do section 2 the next day anyway. Once again, we started our morning by setting up the car shuttle. The morning was already hottier and muggier than the previous day, thanks in part to the rain overnight.

After a brief roadwalk, we crossed a stream into private property that consisted of unmown fields. The tall, wet grass was not a pleasure, and we had occasional difficulty finding the next blaze. A stile over a fence was overgrown, rendering the ladder on one side hard to use.

But we passed from there into the game lands forest. Once again we were headed uphill, albeit more gently than the previous day. There were impressive talus slopes next to parts of the trail, but no views on the way.

Of course, we had to take the .2-mile side trip to Monument Rock, aka the Standing Stone, aka The Thing The Trail Is Named For. There we posed for pictures at the rock, looked out at the best view yet, and enjoyed a cool breeze hitting the top of Blacklog Mountain.

We still a bit more elevation gain to go. Once we had finished that, I was grateful to stop for lunch along the ridgetop to let my legs recover.

The next few miles did have a few small ups and downs, lots of ferns, and more downed trees than we had seen in section 1. (Perhaps not surprising - we saw no other trail users all day.) Finally we began our descent. It was steep in places, and the trail crossed power lines three times. Once again we found many grassy sections and blessed our permethrin.

Then we reached our car at the end of section 2, right where the trail turns into a roadwalk. My friends headed north to New York, and I set off south to Maryland. The section, including Monument Rock, was 10.25 miles and 1,580 feet of elevation gain.

Standing Stone Trail, section 1

The Standing Stone is one of many shorter long-distance trails in Pennsylvania. It is 85 rugged miles in south-central PA and can be done as a backpack or a series of day hikes. I've been eyeing it with interest for some time now, and it turns out that one of my friends in the New York Ramblers had been as well. So he put together a weekend trip to do the southernmost two (of nine) sections.

We stayed in a cabin at Cowan's Gap. This was my second stay there, and I can heartily recommend the cabins. They are reasonably priced and comfortable, accommodating up to four people or a family group (if larger). The southern terminus of the trail is in the park, within walking distance of the camping area.

After our arrival on Friday, we walked from our cabin around the lake. In doing so, we covered the first and easiest half mile of section 1.

On Saturday morning, the real work began. First we set up a car shuttle. Then we headed out from our cabin, picking up the trail where it touches the road. From there it is a mile-long uphill. I had done this part previously and knew what to expect; while it's a climb, it's an old road and thus offers smooth terrain.

At the overlook, which was where I had turned around previously, I was pleased to see that the vegetation had been trimmed back to allow a view.

Not too long after, the trail reached the ridge and the end of the old road. The trail follows the ridge on top of Cove Mountain. So the trail was "flat" for a while in the sense of no major elevation changes, but it was very rocky and bouldery. It required attentive hiking. The day was also starting to get warmer, but luckily there was a nice breeze at the top. There were also many views along the way.

Our descent was more gradual, with occasional overgrown areas. Vanderbilt's Folly amused me, and I had to get a picture.

The final stretch was badly overgrown fields - although to be sure I think keeping them clear would be a full-time job.

From our cabin to our car was 9.75 miles and 1,200 feet of elevation gain, although 1,000 of that was in the first big hill. And we got done and back to our cabin before the wind and rainstorm blew in!

Training on Bob's Hill Overlook

I have wanted to see more of Cunningham Falls, and I also needed a hike that had a similar elevation profile to section 1 of the Standing Stone trail. Thus I plotted a hike that started at the lake, headed up to the Bob's Hill Overlook on the Catoctin Trail, and then retraced that route back to my car. Most folks going to the overlook come up from the shorter approach from the Manor Area to the east, and I was surprised to encounter only three hikers en route to the top.

This was a really nice hike, and I hit it at the perfect time. At lower elevations, there were so many ferns. Fields of ferns! Seas of ferns! At higher elevation, there was mountain laurel, and it was in bloom. 

The hike started off going steadily uphill, with about 1,000 feet of elevation gain. There was one stream crossing that required caution, but otherwise there were few obstacles. Eventually, the trail flattened out at the ridge top. Here, the trail was rocky - think football-sized rocks in the trail. I passed the trail to Cat Rocks to reach the north and south overlooks.

The north overlook was overgrown; it might provide nice views in the winter. The south overlook had better views. I could see as far as Sugarloaf in the distance, at the other end of Frederick County.

I would return here. Although it would be hard to beat the laurel bloom for timing, it would also be nice to visit once the leaves are off.

Overall, this was 9 miles round-trip, with about 1,250 feet of elevation gain. (It did turn out to be much less rocky than the Standing Stone section to follow, however, but that's another story.)

A short hike in Ohio

T and I travelled to Cincinnati recently for a family occasion. We did not have much time for non-family activities, but we did stop at Newlin Falls on our way home for a little hike.

It's short - we saw both falls in a mile of walking. The falls themselves are small; we saw them at what was probably their best, after days of rain that had led to flood advisories. But it sure made a nice change from driving on the interstate!

Schaeffer Farms white trail

Even though it is very close by, I have spent virtually no time in the Schaeffer Farms area of Seneca Creek State Park, as it is designed with bikes in mind. (Albeit open to hikers.) So I set out to do a straightforward loop on the white trail - it's one of those areas with trails simply named for the blaze color.

It wasn't a long hike. I did add on a bit of mileage by detouring down the Seneca Ridge Trail to Black Rock, which added elevation gain on the return. 

The entire area is "just woods," as in, no real viewpoints, streams, etc. It does pass some farmland, and there are modest elevation gain changes. Overall, it is a trail that is convenient and a change of pace, but not a real destination in and of itself.

Long Draught Trail

A cold knocked me out for a week and a half, so my return to hiking was a mild effort: Picking up a stray bit of the Long Draught trail in Seneca Creek State Park. This bit of the trail, east of Riffle Ford Ford, connects the Greenway and the Seneca Ridge Trail.

It was not a long section, but it was pleasant enough.

Seneca Creek Greenway and Ridge Trails

For my first long hike of the year - yes, it took until March! - I headed out to the Seneca Greenway to do a loop. Starting at the Black Rock parking lot, I headed north, which in that section is west, to Riffle Ford Road. From there I did a very short road walk to the Seneca Ridge trail, returning to my car.

The first bit of the greenway is a very nice section, well shaded and partially along the creek. After crossing Germantown Road, it is much more open. While it still follows the creek, and was fine in the 60-something weather, it can get hot in the summer. 

The return was my first time on the Seneca Ridge trail; unlike the parallel greenway, it is open to bicycles. This section is nicely maintained and reasonably pretty. It's not as close to the creek, but there are a few nice views of it from above. (Hence the name Senece Ridge, I suppose.)

The loop added up to 11.5 miles. The elevation was 71 feet per mile, pretty standard for this area.

Ranger-led hike at Seneca Creek

Each month, Seneca Creek offers a ranger-led hike of about four miles. I joined March's hike for the first time. It was a relaxed pace.

Plus, there is a "frequent hiker" punchcard that leads to a sticker!

Wampum section of the North Country Trail

We saw that the Wampum Chapter of the North Country Trail was doing a St. Paddy's day hike and giving out the first of four patches celebrating trail towns. So we hauled up to the Pittsburgh area for a short (under four mile) hike. And then we drove back.

That much driving was terrible, but the hike was nice. It featured a brand-new section of trail that moved the trail off of a busy road. (There was still a tiny bit of roadwalk, but on a very slow road - very little danger.) The trail goes over an underground storage facility and passes a very nicely maintained shelter.

It was also somehow a Sasquatch hike, as a cutout of a sasquatch on the hill demonstrated.

Gambrill in the fog

T and I met up with a friend and headed to Gambrill State Park on what was supposed to be a warm and sunny day. However, it was foggy during our drive up, and the fog never lifted. Even as we drove away, down into the sunshine, the ridge Gambrill is on remained shrouded.

That meant no views from the overlooks, which I had planned a route around. We detoured from our original plan a little bit, since hitting every overlook no longer seemed so imperative.

It was still a nice hike, though, walking through the mist.

Seneca Creek hike

It took me a full two months of 2026 before I managed to get in a hike of more than five miles. But on the last day of February, T needed more than six miles to finish a 60-miles-in-60-days challenge. We figured we might as well do a state park to get in our Miles for Maryland. Thus we headed to our nearest state park, Seneca Creek, and did what could be described as a wide loop around the lake, with a few spurs. 

We started at Quail Ridge, on the south side of the lake. This is the only picnic parking area open in winter, beyond the parking areas on the north side. It's also the only other open restroom, and not too far from the lake. (Good to know if you are walking around the lake, which is the most popular hike in the park.)

We followed Mink Hollow east to join the lake trail, then headed counterclockwise. Near the intersection with the greenway, we followed a side road to the picnic area and back to get some easy mileage. Once we returned to the south side of the lake, we followed the road over the highway to check out the disc golf course. The greenway passes pretty close by, but it really is a separate area from the main body of the park.

p>Our hike was 6.5 miles total, with 472 miles of elevation gain. 

It's name is Rio

Getting a little desperate to walk somewhere other than the neighborhood, without fighting through slush, we went down to the outdoor Rio mall in Gaithersburg. It has a (human-built, of course) lake with a trail around it that had been plowed out.

It's not exactly wild, but it was a nice diversion.

January snowstorm

In mid-January, we had a big snowstorm that is taking more than a month to melt out. It was nice the first day, anyway. I got to use my snowshoes, which made me miss the Catskills.

First time at Patuxent River State Park

Even though it is less than a half hour away, I had never been to Patuxent River State Park. It's a long, thin park that surrounds the Patuxent River, which is also the border between Montgomery and Howard counties.

Apparently it has a network of social trails, but there are two developed areas in the south and central sections. I went to the southern section, where the nature center is. (Important: It has a restroom, but no merch.)

My hike comprised a loop of the yellow-blazed Free Flowing and red-blazed Cemetery trails. With a few side jaunts, it totaled five miles. River views were mostly confined to the Free Flowing trail, and they are likely most visible in winter.

I would return here again; it's pleasant and has the plus point of novelty.

First day hike, 2026

T and I were just two of many people who headed out to Seneca Creek State Park for one of Maryland's first day hikes.

We hiked partway around the lake and got stickers.