Billy Goat Trail Section A

Date:  06/19/2010

Distance: 4 miles

Start Time: 1:20 End Time: 3:20

 The Billy Goat trail section A is by far one of my fav's!  It was rough going so late in the day though being so hot!  Just glad I brought alot of water, I am actually amazed at how many people starting at the same time as me and doing the whole thing without any water or very little, I wouldnt of been able to make it!  I dont know that i have actually completed the entire section of trail before today.  I didnt make the Goldmine portion, cause I followed the trail from the south to the north and got mixed up, where the goldmine part of the trail is from north to south, no biggy though, just means I'll have to go back and do it again as I was planning anyway for somepoint in the future.  The river you have to trasnverse cause the bridge being out was higher today then when me and Kip did a small part of this trail, so it was harder to cross and my foot kinda went in :-)

The scenery and trail itself cant be beat in my opinion, even the C&O is full of scenery and turtles.  There are also a number of blue tailed lizards all along the trail and the rocks are great fun.  There is also a really neat mix of people who use the trail and though the parking is quite crowded was over all a very pleasent day.   

Side Note: Downtown Frederick - Carroll Creek Park

Date: 06/16/2010

Distance: Minimal 

Start Time: 10:20am End Time: 10:35am

 Carroll Creek Park is a neat area to walk the next time you are in Downtown Frederick, it is basically a brick walkway with a canal running down the middle of it with coffee and eating places along it with apartments, art schools and a library.  Downtown Frederick in itself is a neat area to walk around, but I enjoy Carroll Creek Park when I am in Frederick for work and have some extra time.  They have a really cool bridge which was painted by an artist to look 3d and was a task in itself the plackerd said something like a year or two of collecting ideas from area residences and online.

Susquehanna State Park

Date:  6/12/2010

Distance: +/- 9 miles 

Start Time: 11 am   End Time: 2:30pm

Susquehanna was a great place to hike, I dont believe I ever been.  Started at the Mill Parking lot and then took the Orange Trail to a large number of other trails through the Woods, Farmland and by the river.  It was a nice mixture of hills (up and down) and flat land.  The trail is shared by hoarses, and from the evidence ALOT of them so it is advisable to watch your step!  As at patapsaco there were some neat old, half falling down building and a really awesome tree! 

I went off the path numerous times and had to back track lol, the trails werent always evident and the

which were all together very easy to follow (and thankfully got me back to the car!) also got me concerned about following trails at times to the left (it said follow Green > Not To Left) so I ended up taking a wrong spur that ended up at a road or picnic area just to have to hike back up to the trail and continue on, but overall things were well, the last mile or so was walking on the road (which if you have ever been to Susquehanna you know isnt the widest thing in the world).  But over all it was a nice hike.  I was glad that the person who put together this combination of trails wasnt playing some kinda joke and put you somewhere way far away (thought poped in my head about half-way/3/4 of the way through the hike).

Also, good it wasnt much longer, think I will have a ways to go to make more than 9 miles in one hike, and would deffinately help if I quit smoking!!!

Pre-Hiking Trips

05-15-10, Billy Goat Section A - partial hike: Kip and I hiked a portion of the Billy Goat Trail - Section A.  After slightly starting on a wrong path (it has been easily 10 years since we came here) and came back up a erosion path, behind a trail closed fence we found the correct location.  Though the Bridge was washed out and we had to cross the stream.  Once through the path and onto we got to the rockier areas where once we climbed up we got some excellent views. 

 

After the hike, we got crabs and ate them with my sis and her hubby.

05-22-10, Patapsaco - After the Billy Goat experience the following weekend, somehow I convinced Kip to hike Patapsaco St. Park off landing rd, where there are some really nice bike trails maintained by the bikers, its been about 10 years since we've been there as well.  We started off on the blue trail, then to the Yellow trail, hitched the red for a brief stay and then back to yellow...after 2 hours I told kip I thought we could keep going but wasnt sure and the only way certian to get back would be the 2 hour trip back the way we came.  We did see some deer and cool, old, falling down stone buildings.  He was a trooper and we went all the way on and came back where I thought we would (he hasn't came hiking with me again yet! lol)

5-29-10, Patapsaco Reverse Hike Solo:  I hiked the reverse route that Kip and I hiked the previous weekend, though cut my hike short as it appeared it was about to storm and I wasnt set to get soaked.

There were these really neat old falling down houses and some old stone buildings in the woods that looked like old bath houses.

6-5-2010, Patapsaco other side of landing road (powerlines): On another day of patapsaco, Solo, this time I got there at 9 and hiked til 10:30 covering a pretty decent section of trail came across a neat area of woods and some deer which was cool.