Busy Beavers and a Stubborn Maple

     Hiking yesterday I encountered two things of interest; a beaver lodge at Meadowbrook Park in
     Howard County and a stubbornly green maple among the naked trees along the Patapsco River
     Valley in the Daniels sections of Howard County.

Easter on the Patapsco

Hiked the river at Daniels early this morning.

Waiting for summer.

High Trail from Brice Run Over and Around the Dorsey Tunnel

Hiked this afternoon along Alberton Road, past the dam and around to where Brice Run goes under the Old Main Line and into the Patapsco. Just past Brice run, heading west is a high through trail that goes up, over and around the Dorsey tunnel. I took it as far as the electric high power lines right of way that crosses the river at the eastern end of the Eureka Bridge on the approach to the Davis tunnel. I took the low trail on the return trip. I figure about six miles round trip.

           Looking back to the east from the ascent on the trail to bypass the Dorsey tunnel.

This fireplace was about 20 yards off the trail on the highest ridge maybe a half mile west of Brice Run. It would be easy to miss in the green season. No sign of a building foundation, and it is situated on slightly sloping ground. Odd even for a hunting cabin, if that was what the fireplace was for. Some nice pink granite granite is prominent just below the mantel shelf. Also saw two deer and three deer hunting tree stands in this area, which borders on private property adjacent to the Patapsco Valley State Park.

                                                Electric right of way, looking north.

                       Electric right of way looking south and across the river at the Eureka Bridge.

                       Two views looking east along the tracks and the river on the return hike.

                    And the closest thing to flowers you will see in the valley at this time of year.

Autumn Afternoon on the Patapsco

Hike the High Ground - Woodstock - Howard County Side - Patapsco Valley State Park

It is hard to believe how much natural beauty can be found so close to home along the Patapsco Valley and how so many miss most of it because they never hike the trails up the slopes above the valley floor. Today I hiked for four hours, covered about 10 miles and never saw another person. Only the horse shoe tracks along the bridle paths indicated anyone else travels there. But I didn't see a single rider either. All the local horsewomen must have been on the other side of the river.

  The high ground fields in the photo above and below have been planted with hardwood, broad-leaf trees protected from foraging deer by plastic tubes.

     The barn below is one of several ruined outbuildings of the farm to which the fields above once belonged.

                                       Below is a pipeline right of way, looking north.

More photos from today's hike can be seen at this link.

Woodstock Section - Patapsco Valley State Park

On Saturday July 5th I hiked a 9 mile loop of the Baltimore County side of the Patapsco Valley State Park Woodstock Section. From Old Court Road I followed the Patapsco River up to the confluence where the north and south branches form the main stream of the river. From there I circled to the right and back around to the my starting point. It was about a three and a half hour hike, mostly in the shade, over variable terrain on dirt trails that are also bridle paths. Very pretty and peaceful. Saw deer and an old granite quarry filled with water to form a lake, among other sights. The hike was so pleasant I did it again the following day with my brother Chris. The Woodstock Inn is nearby the trailhead and a great place for refreshments after a good stroll in the forest.

More photos can be seen at this link.

East of Elkridge

Yesterday I hiked along the Patapsco river headed east from Elkridge. Elkridge may not be paradise, but when you're headed torward industrial Baltimore it might seem that way looking over your shoulder. From Elkridge to Westport the Patapsco Valley State Park is a narrow strip of green (brown in winter) between the river and I-895, the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Throughway. I went as far as Halethorpe on this jaunt. More photos can be seen at this link.

Camel's Den Cave

This small cave is just off Daniels Road on the left, less than fifty yards from the gate to the dirt access road, before you get to the first parking area inside this section of the Patapsco Valley State Park. It is worth a visit if you are in that section of the park.

This little falls on the creek is just a few yards upstream from the cave

2014 - Year of the Snake

Well, New Year's Day 2014 anyway. This garter snake was sunning itself by a tributary stream of the Patapsco river on 1/1/2014 in the Daniels area of the Patapsco Valley State Park. Two days later there was snow on the ground and it was 8 degrees outside.

Garnet - The Stone Cold Bleeding Heart of Schist

Sometimes schist happens when you aren't expecting it. I was hiking along the Baltimore County side Patapsco river yesterday. I saw outcropping ledge of stone high above the ruins of of the old mill town of Daniels, aka Alberton and Elysville. I climbed up to investigate what I thought might be a nice place of shelter or hibernation for wildlife. As I was getting ready to descend, at the end of the rock I noticed a different smaller stone formation that looked like schist and also looked like it was bleeding. At first I though maybe an animal had been eating berries or a bird had made a deposit on the stone.But closer inspection revealed small red-brown crystals imbedded in the white-gray schist. Where is your rock hammer when you need it? In the trunk of your car two miles away, of course! I wasn't looking for schist or garnets and certainly did not expect to stumble on any. But I did have my cameras. So I captured some slow moving specimens of rock on digital media. My geology guru, Ira, a professional geologist confirmed the garnet schist identification.

My brother Chris, like Old Sparky whispering in my ear suggested: "Quick, buy up the land. We'll mine it, declare bankruptcy....get a bailout and run off with the money! It's the new American capitalism." I'm thinking. It's not the mother load. It's a load of schist. But we could spread stock around like manure. Don't tempt me.

The first photo, above, is of a broken off vein of schist. The piece probably fell long ago, since it is securely planted in the ground and tree is growing next to it. It was likely once a section of a horizonat ledge seen in the third photo.It looks like it's bleeding. The photo below is cropped emlargement focused on one red section.

Below is a close up of an intact horizontal vein of schist showin a few garnet cystals if you look closely.

And finally below is a photo of a small section from the vein above, which I removed. It show a nice garnet gembedded in the schist.

A Doable Dorsey Tunnel Walk Around

Today was the first time since July 4th that I had a few free hours. So I hiked the Alberton Road trail on the Baltimore County side of the Patapsco River, heading west past the the Dam at Daniels and up to the eastern portal of the Dorsey tunnel. Back on May 19th I had attempted to find a feasible walk-around of the tunnel between the tunnel and the river. I found only a trace fit for deer and mountain goats, to steep and unsafe. Today I found a decent trail over and around the tunnel on the high side of the tracks. It can be accessed at the 19 mile maker. Enter the woods on the right side of the tracks,  and then look for the trail on your left that slopes up the side of the hill. It will take you to the far (western) side of the tunnel.

While I was on the trail I saw two mature deer hightailing it away from me with their while flags flying. But then I ran into this little fawn grazing beside the trail. It did not bolt. We studied each other quietly as I approached and was able to snap a few pictures,

A Cup of Coffee

This afternoon I walked to Ellicott City for a cup of coffee at the Bean Hollow. My stroll took only four hours, with time for the coffee and some photography. I started at the Union Dam tunnel beneath the Rt. 40 bridges over the Patapsco river in the Hollofield Section of the Patapsco Valley State Park, and walked south along the river and the rails of the CSX / B&O Railroad Old Main Line. After a nice stop stopover at the Bean Hollow I walked back. I started at 1:45 and finished at 5:35, just in time to drive home for dinner. A beautiful day for a walk. In the photo above you can see the Ellicott City B&O Railroad Museum in the center, with the low sloping roof, just to the right of the rails. Here's a nice little map.

Not So Scenic Overlook

When is a scenic overlook not scenic? When it's Buzzards Rock in the Patapsco Valley State Park, directly over the western opening of the Ilchester tunnel. Unless you have rock climbing and rappelling gear you have no chance of seeing anything resembling a scenic view. And even with that equipment it would not be all that great.The view is completely obstructed by trees, even in winter without any foliage. Imagine the above view in summer with the trees in full leaf. You would see nothing but trunks and leaves. The Patapsco river in the center of the photo curves counter clockwise just to the right of the view to again parallel the train track as seen in the upper right corner. But that view of the river is also obstructed. If you are absolutely committed to visiting Buzzards Rock take the short, easy, almost level walk from the Hilltop Road parking area and skip the steep heart pounding cardio workout climb from the river path that starts at Bloede's dam. Unless you just want the exercise. Or leave Buzzards Rock to the buzzards. You won't miss much.

American Gothic

Church ruins in a forest. The ruins of a Catholic Church, St. Stanislaus Kostka, once serviced by the Jesuits of Woodstock. It is located on a hill overlooking the Patapsco river near what was once the mill town of Daniels (Alberton) Maryland. The land is now part of the Patapsco Valley State Park. Local history says that when the river was frozen over in winter, a Jesuit would ice skate down the river from Woodstock to Daniels to say Mass then skate back upriver to Woodstock. The church, built in 1879, was struck by lightning and destroyed by fire in 1926.

To put the general location in popular context: Woodstock was the location of a Jesuit school of theology. In the movie, The Excorcist, there is a brief scene where a young Jesuit runs to find and summon the exorcist, Father Merrin, who is found walking on a path along a wooded slope. That scene was filmed at Woodstock.