Brice Run

         Hiked Alberton Road along the Patapsco River to Brice Run and sat by the little falls there.

             On the return walk I saw these geese on the river. I think they are staying the winter.

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.

Liberty Reservoir - Morgan Run Section

Today I hiked ten miles around this arm of Liberty Reservoir, west of Rt. 32. I didn't intend it to be ten miles, but it turned out that way. I took a few unintended detours. The trail is not poorly marked. It isn't marked at all, and a lot of forks in the trail, often a fire road, can send you on a loop, or down a dead end.
So, if you do hike there, get a good map with detailed directions. GPS wouldn't hurt either. That said, the weather was good and the scenery pleasant and shady. There was one ford across a stream that required wading shin deep. If you hike in boots, carry hiking sandals for that passage. You'll be glad you did.

This view came near the start of the hike.

                   This view of the Rt. 32 bridge, looking east, came near the end of the hike.
                                  More photos from the trail can be seen at this link.