Autumn Light

Soldiers Delight - Eastern Loop Trails

This morning I hiked about three miles on the eastern side of Soldiers Delight along the Choate Mine, Red Run and Dolefield trails. The temperature  was in the 40s with a northwest wind about 15 mph, a little chilly but ok because I was on the move. Red Run was pretty.and the Dolefield was mostly forested.

Some areas were completely taken over by chest high briars. In those places you couldn't leave the trail even if you wanted. Lots of deer tracks, but didn't see a single animal other than birds.

More photos here.

Soldiers Delight is Delightful

A unique serpentine barrens landscape on a beautiful day, temperatures in the 50s. Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area, near Owings Mills in Baltimore County, is a place worthy of return visits.I hiked a 2.5 mile loop on the Serpentine Trail with vistas like the one below.

There is also an attractive Visitor Center, and today, after my initial hike, I went on an excellent guided informational group tour on the history of chromite mining at Soldiers Delight. The Choate mine is on the Choate Mine Trail. More photos from my hike can be seen here.

Baltimore Rocks!

Yes, Baltimore does rock, but there is no verb in the title. Talking about geology here. Went this evening to a talk by geologist Ira May at the Loch Raven Branch of the Baltimore County Library. It was an excellent presentation about geology and the history of mining in Baltimore County. Learned a lot about copper mining in Mount Washington (Bare Hills) under Smith Avenue, chromium mining at Soldiers Delight (those stunted scrub oak and pine trees are because of magnesium in the soil). and limestone mining at Cockeysville, aka Texas, Maryland. And who knew that Leakin Park has an outcropping of schist (often associated with granite) that is studded with visible red garnets. Hey, schist happens. Isaac Tyson, Jr., of Baltimore held a virtual world monopoly on chromium in the nineteenth century thanks to his chromium mines at Soldiers Delight in Baltimore County and other mines in Pennsylvania. Motivation for several hikes and photo opportunities, which I will document here in the future.