Cool Springs Run loops

I'm slowly getting to know all the trails in Black Hill Regional Park. The eastern portion is right on the edges of neighborhoods, with lots of entrances; the center has a lot of park infrastructure, like picnic pavilions and boat rentals. The western section has only natural-surface paths and a more remote in feeling than some of the other parts of the park.

The Cool Spring Run section is in the northwest corner. From the parking by the side of the road, the trail heads downhill towards the lake, and from there roughly follows the shore all the way the the southern end of the lake. Along the way, though, there are several loop trails. While Cool Spring Run is used more by cyclists than pedestrians, some of the loops see very little traffic. This was made immediately clear by how crunchy with leaves various segments were!

My most recent hike was 7.5 miles, and while there are no big hills, total elevation gain was close to 900 feet. I started pretty early in the morning, while fog was still rising off the lake. It had cleared off by the time I returned to my car.

Into the Paw Paw Tunnel

As part of the Hike with PATC 2023 challenge, we visited a rather distinctive part of the C&O Canal - the recently reopened Paw Paw Tunnel.

This tunnel was built in a spot where the Potomac is quite sinuous and the hills are tall, so it was easier to tunnel through than going around. The NPS had closed this tunnel for some repairs, but it re-opened this fall.

We hiked from the nearest parking lot, through the tunnel to a campsite by the river, and back. There are alternative overland trails, if you prefer not to double back. As we did it, the hike was relatively short, and very flat.

Another loop in Little Bennett Park

I returned to Little Bennett Park to the second loop from the PATC Part A book, one that focuses on the southern portion of the park. It first does a loop east of Clarksburg Road, then a loop to the west. The eastern loop was more interesting, in my opinion, but it's solid exercise in both halves - 8.5 miles with 1,000 feet of elevation.

The schoolhouse, which is pretty close to the road, is one of the highlights.

A short section near the campground was set up as a Halloween attraction.

The easiest peak in the Adirondacks

After Cranberry Lake, we wanted an easy hike, and T has been wanting to visit a fire tower. So we took in New York's easiest fire tower - Belfy. While it is uphill, round-trip it is less than a mile.

Views were great, aside from a little smoke from the Canadian wildfires.

Attempting the Cranberry Lake 50

At the end of September, T and I headed up to the Adirondacks to try to do the Cranberry Lake 50. Our plan was to start in Wanakena and head clockwise, taking five days. We ended up bailing out after four days, at Chair Rock Flow, due to a combination of issues with untested gear, as well as (if I'm being honest) fatigue on my part from not being in shape.

However, the trail was beautiful! The temperatures were perfect, and the leaves were beginning to turn. We really want to come back next year and finish it.

The first night, we stayed at Birch's Lakeside. The general store also has a campground, which is primarily used for RVs that stay for the season, but they have a few (paid) tent spots, which you need to reserve in advance. 

The second night, we stayed at the Cranberry Lake Campground. It's a ways off the trail (definitely farther than the maps say), and again requires payment.

Our third night, we stayed at Curtis Pond. This gorgeous site barely fit our tent. If you're a hammock camper, I don't think there are trees here that work. We were really very relieved to get there and find no one already camped, since we didn't have the energy or daylight to make the next site - or to go back to the previous. 

Our fourth and final night was spent at Chair Rock Flow. There is room here for quite a few tents, and it's also the last place the water taxi can pick you up. Luckily, it was the rare spot with internet, and we decided to call for a ride out. 

At that point, we were ¾ of the way around the lake, but about 30 out of 50 miles complete - the last section takes the long way around the lake.

People talk about this hike being "flat," but it's only flat relative to the eastern Adirondacks and real mountains. It's not flat like the Batona Trail! While we did that in four days, I would want five or six for Cranberry Lake, at least at my current fitness level.

It is beautiful, however. There are not as many lake views as you might assume from the name - you're often far from the shore - but there are beautiful ponds and nice woods.

Next year, part two!