Camping at Deep Creek

I have been eager to visit western Maryland, where they have meaningful snow and more dramatic scenery. Finally, we got a chance to go camping at Deep Creek Lake State Park. 

We did not do a lot of rugged hiking during our long weekend. Instead, we visited the Alpine Coaster at Wisp (checking off a bucket list item for me), drove around the lake, and hiked Swallow Falls State Park. We didn't even make it to the fire tower, which was .3 miles from the campsite - although the trail is longer than that.

Swallow Falls State Park was a really nice hike, perhaps my favorite in Maryland so far. It is only a mile, and while it has a lot of rocks and roots, you will want to go slowly anyway. It is also heavily traveled, hardly a backcountry wilderness excursion. But it has four different waterfalls, as well as plenty of cliffy overhangs, and follows scenic creeks and rivers. I would certainly do it again.

I am ready to go back again anyway and see some of the things we didn't have time for on this trip.

Around the lake, almost

We live near a lake, so I've been plotting for some time how to hike around it. My conclusion was that a full circumnavigation wasn't really possible, but that you can get most of the way around.*

Thus I set out one day in August to walk around Little Seneca Lake. I walked counterclockwise, as it made a more sensible path from my starting point, but it could be done either way. 

The hike is a mix of paved trails, dirt trails, and a bit of roadwalking. Some parts are fully in the woods, especially along the western side; others are past houses. The only bit of roadwalking that requires real caution is along Maryland 121; parts of it have almost no shoulder.

At Boyd's there is a market (with a port-a-potty) that marked the end of the walkable portion. From there I called a ride to take me to Long Channel Circle, a residential street about a mile away. After walking past condos, I reentered the park and continue the very few miles back to my starting point. 

Most of the trail is not in view of the lake, but there are many fine lake views along the way. The elevation gain is a little under 100 feet per mile - not flat, but very modest hills.

*About 1 mile at the southeastern end of the lake is off-limits due to the dam. The shortest roadwalk is just over 5 miles, but it uses a busy road with no shoulder where cars regularly exceed 45 mph. And I mean no shoulder. A safer route is over 7 miles, and it takes you a long way from the lake. A more intriguing idea would be to canoe or kayak it.

Gambrill's yellow trail

My plan for this hike was to hike the entire Yellow Poplar trail at Gambrill. This trail forms a big loop, from the well-trodden southern end to the less-used northern end. It started off fine - if very humid - from a major parking lot in the southeastern part of the trail. From there, I headed counterclockwise.

It's a nice trail and a nice park. The trail is pleasant, with stands of laurel, plenty of ferns, and varied terrain. At the North Frederick Overlook, alas, there were a great many spotted lanternflies. But the view was terrific.

I crossed under power lines, followed an old road, and ventured out to the Headless Hollow Trail. I used the road briefly so as to make a loop returning to the main trail.

Along the western side of the loop, the trail crosses Gambrill Park Road. I crossed and headed through the woods, only to stop when I saw a bear cub in front of me, maybe 40 feet away, while the trail curved off the the right. To the baby's left was mama bear. She turned and looked at me, then loped off with baby following.

I booked it back the way I came, figuring that following the trail looked more aggressive, but then I had a choice - a long retrace, or a walk along the road. The road is safe enough with modest attentiveness, but the bears had headed toward the road. After turning the wrong way on it, I turned back around, figuring I would keep to it until I was well past the bear area. 

But as I walked along, I saw the cub again, maybe twenty feet off the road. I walked fast, signing terribly to warn wildlife I was coming. Eventually, I returned to the trail again. But the two encounters had taken enough out of me that I cut my hike short - after all, I hadn't gotten the entire trail anyway.

So, yes, Gambrill, lovely, but next time I will hike with a friend.

Around Monocacy

I do a lot more volunteering at Monocacy NRMA than I do hiking, so I took one morning in July to do a nearly complete circuit of its trails. Starting from the main parking lot near the river, I hiked down Furnace Branch, up Dr. Belt, west along the road, south on the Ridgeline trail, then back out on Furnace Branch. Along Ridgeline, I detoured an out-and-back along the Connector Trail. Just to see the view, I then walked the very short path down to the river. It added up to 6.5 miles, with about 100 feet of elevation gain per mile.

This didn't include the loop to the lime kiln at the end of Furnace Branch, as I've done that before, but otherwise it was every trail in the park.

The park itself has few "major" features - no waterfalls, overlooks, etc. The most interesting view is at the river. Other than that, the Furnace Branch trail, which follows a creek and leads to the lime kiln, is probably the biggest feature. The rest of it is just pleasant woods trail. PATC has put a lot of work in to cleaning up the trail system. Of course, it remains a popular hunting area, so be respectful of hunters during the season.

Cabin John Creek Challenge

July's long hike was the 9.5-mile Cabin John Trail plus a jaunt south to the Potomac, to complete the Cabin John Creek Challenge. I had intended to do it with a group in May, but our local racccoons had other ideas, and I ended up staying close to home to deal with roofers. 

Previously, I had only done a two small parts of the trail, so most of it was new to me. I started at the northern terminus in the morning, trying to beat the heat. It was already incredibly humid - 91%. Fortunately, the Cabin John Trail is almost entirely in the shade; the exceptions, such as passing under powerlines, are mostly short. The exception to the exceptions is the long bit along River Road, which is entirely open. 

The trail itself is rarely completely flat, but it is very gentle inclines. The southern end is the steepest part. Along the way, the trail meanders close to and away from the stream repeatedly. The forest is occasionally varied with a bamboo stand or a rhododendron thicket. The road crossings add variety too, and not too onerous - although I would be more leery during rush hour or poor light. 

The southern terminus of the trail is not the end of the challenge, but the rest of the journey is a little less pleasant in hot weather (and it had gotten well over 90° by then). It involves walking down the sidewalk and across a bridge, then following a steep trail downhill to the C&O Canal. There is a rare path on the north side of the canal it follows for a bit, before crossing it on a bridge. After a brief moment on the C&O, one takes a very overgrown path into the woods to reach the Potomac.

Nearly all of this section is very hot, and the last section in the woods is not particularly pleasant. When I did it, there was a waist-high log I had to clamber over. Upon reaching the Potomac, there is no real sense of finality or grand views, since a couple of small islands block the view of the main channel.

From there, I returned to the southern terminus to catch a ride back to my car. I was definitely ready for a cool-off by then.

I would do this trail again, but I would not be eager to do the add-on at the end.