Wanderlust Close to Home

After physical therapy today, I was hit with a bout of wanderlust. Since we have tickets to see Thor: Love and Thunder tonight, I didn't want to go too far, plus I also am a little shy of needing to get gas since the Camaro requires premium. Since I bought a Maryland State Parks Annual Pass this year, I opted to go to the close-by Patapsco Valley State Park and hike around on some trails I haven't really explored. 

Of course, the first thing I realize is that I wasn't going to have my hiking poles with me, since I left them in the Crosstrek after our trip last weekend. I didn't really want to just go along the paved Grist Mill Trail, so I just figured I could find a long enough stick somewhere along the way. 

Wineberries were prevalent along all of the trails I was on

I started off on the Santee Branch Trail, heading roughly north, and when it met up with the Bull Run Trail, I paused for a moment to admire the bike "shop" that was installed there. It looks like it has tools and a bike pump for mountain bikers who find they need it along the trail. I wonder how many other ones there are in the park?

A combination tool/air pump station for bicyclists

There were quite a few birds, rabbits and squirrels along the trail, and some interesting fungi. I found one cluster of slime molds that was pretty intriguing. 

A cluster of slime mold

I paused by a small stream (Bull Run? Though the maps all say "Bill Run," so I'm not sure which is correct), and saw at least two kinds of crayfish, but couldn't really get a photo. 

It's not Cascade Falls, but it was still pretty

An odd looking rock 

Once I met up with the Soapstone Trail, I followed that in the direction that I thought would be taking me back to the Camaro. Instead, I ended up at the trailhead at Rolling Road. No biggie; I headed down a different way. It was a little traumatic at first, as there was barbed wire next to the trail. This triggered bad memories of a random stretch of barbed wire along the Patapsco River that almost ended my life so many years ago on a 4-H trail ride. 

No idea why there was a barbed wire fence here

I ultimately ended up at the Lower Glen Artney area, where some Civilian Conservation Corps-built shelters are found, just as they are in other areas of the park. 

The CCC built a lot of shelters and other structures at Patapsco Valley State Park

I opted to just follow the road back to where I'd parked, as I was out of water and I was tired. My trail shoes also are worn out, and I'm pretty sure I bruised my right foot when I stepped on a rock. It wasn't a long hike, but there were a lot of steep hills and with the humidity, I was soaked with sweat yet not cooling down. Needless to say, the first thing I did when I got home was shower! 

My Camaro makes me happy

Looking over the trail map for the area when I got home, I see lots more opportunities for hiking, even as the Grist Mill Trail will be closed after Labor Day for about a year to fix the footbridges. I need to print out the trail map and keep it with me! 

I'll leave you with a photo of tiny mushrooms; these were barely an inch tall and the slender stalk looked delicate. 

Larger than life

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