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I've signed up for a four-mile hike at SUUSI which is described in the catalog as "invigorating" and "strenuous." At the time that I sent in my registration, I was so very much not physically prepared for anything of the kind... but I wanted to be, and I figured that being registered for a group hike on a particular date would be good motivation to regain some hiking skills.
What with one thing, and another, and a whole lot of others, I haven't prepared much beyond walking to work a couple of times a week, which is about a mile and a half over mostly-level sidewalks, or pushing Alex's stroller about 3/4 of a mile (I think) to nursery school. When we visited my parents over Memorial Day weekend, I did a three-mile trail walk with my father and his dog; again, over mostly flat ground. That one had me fairly tired by the end of it. With three weeks left until SUUSI, I decided that this weekend I had to get some strenuous hill hiking in.
Patapsco valley State Park is my closest hiking option - a twenty-minute drive from my house downtown. None of its trails are very long, but they interconnect in such a way that you can piece together a satisfying loop. I decided to combine the hiking-only portion of the Buzzard's Rock trail with the Sawmill Branch trail, which makes about a two-mile loop - very steep, but very scenic. This used to be one of my favorite hikes. I used to access it from a remote parking lot off a rural residential area, which always felt a little creepy - this time, I realized that I could get there from a more well-traveled part of the park if I added an extra 0.4 miles each way on a paved trail.
That way, I also got to start and end my trip by crossing a swinging suspension bridge high above the Patapsco River.
( read more illustrated travelogue )
What with one thing, and another, and a whole lot of others, I haven't prepared much beyond walking to work a couple of times a week, which is about a mile and a half over mostly-level sidewalks, or pushing Alex's stroller about 3/4 of a mile (I think) to nursery school. When we visited my parents over Memorial Day weekend, I did a three-mile trail walk with my father and his dog; again, over mostly flat ground. That one had me fairly tired by the end of it. With three weeks left until SUUSI, I decided that this weekend I had to get some strenuous hill hiking in.
Patapsco valley State Park is my closest hiking option - a twenty-minute drive from my house downtown. None of its trails are very long, but they interconnect in such a way that you can piece together a satisfying loop. I decided to combine the hiking-only portion of the Buzzard's Rock trail with the Sawmill Branch trail, which makes about a two-mile loop - very steep, but very scenic. This used to be one of my favorite hikes. I used to access it from a remote parking lot off a rural residential area, which always felt a little creepy - this time, I realized that I could get there from a more well-traveled part of the park if I added an extra 0.4 miles each way on a paved trail.
That way, I also got to start and end my trip by crossing a swinging suspension bridge high above the Patapsco River.
( read more illustrated travelogue )
