Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland (May 25, 2019)
May 26, 2019 16:11:43 GMT -5
Post by GaliWalker on May 26, 2019 16:11:43 GMT -5
Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland (May 25, 2019)
Rocky vistas and the possibly the prettiest forest understory I've ever seen were the rewards for my hike yesterday, in Maryland's Catoctin Mountain Park. The park is maintained by the National Park Service, possibly because Camp David lies with its boundary, although it is not a National Park. With its relatively close proximity to the Pennsylvania border, and the high density areas of Baltimore and Washington DC, it is an extremely popular spot. On top of that, given that it was the start of the Memorial Day weekend, I was mentally prepared to rub shoulders with the masses.
I left Pittsburgh around 2:00am and was at the trailhead for Chimney Rock about 3.75hrs later. The parking lot was empty at this early time (but would be overflowing on my return). A gentle trail took me steadily up the hillside. As I gained the ridge, I got my first sight of Chimney Rock through the forest, but it was another 0.5mi of hiking before I reached the top, having wrapped my way around the fin to its far side.
Chimney Rock was a jumble of flat topped rocky spurs, riven by deep fissures. The views from the table-top rocks were great. The morning sunshine was quite mellow due to some clouds, which really highlighted the sublime textures of the rock.
After Chimney Rock another 0.5mi of pleasant hiking along the ridge got me to the stunning Wolf Rock formation. The quartzite bench, which was a seabed 550 million years ago, stood high and proud above its surroundings, which had eroded more over the millennia. Deep crevices crisscrossed the large expanse of rock, and I had to carefully picked my way across it to its far end. This was crowned by a rocky spire that the imaginative amongst us thought looked like a wolf, hence the name Wolf Rock.
GaliWalker on Wolf Rock (selfie)
The wolf of Wolf Rock
Looks more like a turtle to me! (selfie)
I continued on my north, on a seemingly manicured trail, through beautiful fern gardens. The Thurmont Overlook was a disappointment, and I didn't even bother with a documentary photo. After that one I dropped down the ridge, and then began a climb up to the next vista, the Blue Ridge Summit Overlook. This was nice. Shortly thereafter - now hiking southwards - was Hog Rock, which was even nicer. Hog Rock sported views across the valley to the ridge I had walked along earlier in the day.
Manicured trail (selfie)
Amazing fern fields (selfie)
Blue Ridge Summit overlook (selfie)
Checking out Chimney Rock from the Hog Rock vista (selfie)
The section from Hog Rock along the ridge top and then down into the valley was through a forest that had the prettiest understory I think I've ever seen. The prettiest wild grass fields you could hope to encounter, stretching far and wide as far as the eye could see. Imagine a forested version of Hobbiton.
The Hobbit (selfie)
Back down in the valley, I crossed Foxville Road, and made my way along the boardwalk to Cunningham Falls. This is where the crowds completely destroyed my mood: I had been hoping to take some photos of the beautiful waterfall, but with people everywhere that was an impossibility. I just walked past the falls and picked up the Cliff Walk Trail. This took me steeply up, past some cliffs, to intersect with the Catoctin Trail.
The Catoctin Trail rollercoastered its way up and down a hill and then began a more significant climb up the flanks of Bob's Hill. At the top of the ridge I decided to forego the Bob's Hill overlook; I cut across the forest on an unmarked trail to join the Cat Rock Trail, where I took a left. This trail would eventually take me back down to my car, but not before I got to enjoy the great views and rock scramble of Cat Rock.
GaliWalker on Cat Rock (selfie)
Hiking/photography stats: 11.2mi, 2,750ft elevation gain, 8hrs
Rocky vistas and the possibly the prettiest forest understory I've ever seen were the rewards for my hike yesterday, in Maryland's Catoctin Mountain Park. The park is maintained by the National Park Service, possibly because Camp David lies with its boundary, although it is not a National Park. With its relatively close proximity to the Pennsylvania border, and the high density areas of Baltimore and Washington DC, it is an extremely popular spot. On top of that, given that it was the start of the Memorial Day weekend, I was mentally prepared to rub shoulders with the masses.
I left Pittsburgh around 2:00am and was at the trailhead for Chimney Rock about 3.75hrs later. The parking lot was empty at this early time (but would be overflowing on my return). A gentle trail took me steadily up the hillside. As I gained the ridge, I got my first sight of Chimney Rock through the forest, but it was another 0.5mi of hiking before I reached the top, having wrapped my way around the fin to its far side.
Chimney Rock was a jumble of flat topped rocky spurs, riven by deep fissures. The views from the table-top rocks were great. The morning sunshine was quite mellow due to some clouds, which really highlighted the sublime textures of the rock.
After Chimney Rock another 0.5mi of pleasant hiking along the ridge got me to the stunning Wolf Rock formation. The quartzite bench, which was a seabed 550 million years ago, stood high and proud above its surroundings, which had eroded more over the millennia. Deep crevices crisscrossed the large expanse of rock, and I had to carefully picked my way across it to its far end. This was crowned by a rocky spire that the imaginative amongst us thought looked like a wolf, hence the name Wolf Rock.
GaliWalker on Wolf Rock (selfie)
The wolf of Wolf Rock
Looks more like a turtle to me! (selfie)
I continued on my north, on a seemingly manicured trail, through beautiful fern gardens. The Thurmont Overlook was a disappointment, and I didn't even bother with a documentary photo. After that one I dropped down the ridge, and then began a climb up to the next vista, the Blue Ridge Summit Overlook. This was nice. Shortly thereafter - now hiking southwards - was Hog Rock, which was even nicer. Hog Rock sported views across the valley to the ridge I had walked along earlier in the day.
Manicured trail (selfie)
Amazing fern fields (selfie)
Blue Ridge Summit overlook (selfie)
Checking out Chimney Rock from the Hog Rock vista (selfie)
The section from Hog Rock along the ridge top and then down into the valley was through a forest that had the prettiest understory I think I've ever seen. The prettiest wild grass fields you could hope to encounter, stretching far and wide as far as the eye could see. Imagine a forested version of Hobbiton.
The Hobbit (selfie)
Back down in the valley, I crossed Foxville Road, and made my way along the boardwalk to Cunningham Falls. This is where the crowds completely destroyed my mood: I had been hoping to take some photos of the beautiful waterfall, but with people everywhere that was an impossibility. I just walked past the falls and picked up the Cliff Walk Trail. This took me steeply up, past some cliffs, to intersect with the Catoctin Trail.
The Catoctin Trail rollercoastered its way up and down a hill and then began a more significant climb up the flanks of Bob's Hill. At the top of the ridge I decided to forego the Bob's Hill overlook; I cut across the forest on an unmarked trail to join the Cat Rock Trail, where I took a left. This trail would eventually take me back down to my car, but not before I got to enjoy the great views and rock scramble of Cat Rock.
GaliWalker on Cat Rock (selfie)
Hiking/photography stats: 11.2mi, 2,750ft elevation gain, 8hrs