Return to Sugarloaf

I returned to local mountain Sugarloaf on a weekday and enjoyed hiking it with fewer crowds. This time, I parked at the East View parking lot, hiked the white trail clockwise, and the then ascended and descended via the orange trail. The parking lots start halfway up the mountain, but the white trail takes you back to the base, allowing you to climb the entire thing. 

The map claims the white trail is 2.2 miles, but my tracker and Footpath both put it at 3.5 - and it certainly felt like the higher number. I don't mind the higher mileage, although it is frustrating when you have to be done by a certain time.

The orange trail is the hardest of the three summit trails, with lots of big boulders to climb. It made for a nice challenge.

Back on the C&O

My longest hike for September was an out-and-back on the C&O - pretty as always, but not noteworthy for difficulty.

I started at Riley's Lock, which I had never been to before, and walked southeast five miles. Less than a mile from the start is the next parking area, where I had been before, so most of it was known territory. There is some pretty territory with "cliffs" made in building the canal, and a good mile of the Potomac River is filled with rocks and rapids. I saw a lot of birds on this section, too.