Dolly Sods Hike - Day 3

The fun hike back, its always good to get back to the car have some real food and take a shower. This year we were smarter and planned a return trip that was downhill instead of all uphill death march like last year. The scenery was nice and it was a pretty easy 4+ mile hike.

There was suppose to be a river we would have to ford, but luckily the water was down it was no big issue. I can't imagine how you get across this river if the water was really flowing.

Got back to the parking spot, the car was there which is always a good thing and did the 3+ hour drive home. All in all a great trip.

Dolly Sods Hike - Day 2

Woke up at 7am or so, slept ok. Its hard to sleep well in a small tent on the ground. Sleeping bag was too warm again. I really thought my warm sleeping bag would be in its element in September at this elevation, but I guess it was only in the low 50s at night. Not exactly the types of temperatures you need for a 20 degree bag. Oh well.
We made breakfast and packed everything up and were on the trail by 9am. We wanted to get up to the top before the heat started picking up. Had to start by going up the mountain, probably gaining 600-700 feet. Not too bad when you were fresh. The top was really cool, just plains of blueberries.

The one thing we did notice about this area was the amount of "wetness". Everything was damp it seemed and even though its been a largely drought like summer there was still mud and marsh like areas. I can't even begin to imagine what this place must be like if it was really wet. It must have some natural springs that feed it I would assume. Here is a sinkhole we had to cross...

Got to the second camp shortly after noon, not as nice as the previous site but it would due. Got everything setup and took an hour long nap. After that we headed out to Lions Head which is a rocky outlook a mile away. Some good views, but no pictures right now. Only took my brother's camera. Heading back down Scott fell when he leaned against a rotted tree. Ended up getting himself pinned between two trees and stuck. I thought it was funny as hell, he ended up with a few scratches.

We also caught some crayfish for an appetizer... yum! A little small but tasty.

Scott of course had his one match test that he was determined to pass. He spent a long time getting this ready

And how did it go? Well he says it was one match, I say it went out. You make the decision... (sorry its a little dark but the audio is worth it).

Dolly Sods Hike - Day 1

Scott (my brother) and I drove out to the Dolly Sods Wilderness area on Friday and got there around 12:03pm. We were greeted by a new "Bear Alert" sign on the main signpost.

Once I convinced Scott that it was only "recommended" to not tent camp we head on our way. To be fair, Scott fears bears like I fear sharks and vice versa. If there was a shark warning sign in water you couldn't drag me into it where Scott would be swimming w/o thinking about it.

It was pretty warm for being September in the mountains and both of us were feeling the heat and the 40+ pound bags we were carrying around with us. Scott's bag especially felt heavy, not sure how those rocks got there.



The trail was easy to follow and where it got rocky and the trail was less obvious plenty of cairns were created to help out.



We decided to go an extra 1 1/2 miles to the further campsites to make Saturday a little shorter. We found a campsite at the forks shortly before 5pm. It was a great camp site right on the water with a fire ring, chair furniture and a table.




Had dinner and did some exploring before the sun started to go down and it got a little chilly. Time for some lemonade and whiskey... Scott got the one match challenge of trying to light the fire with one match. The first night didn't go real well since he couldn't light a match... I found it absolutely hilarious.



He finally got a match lit, but failed the test. Retry on Saturday.



Hung around the fire for a few hours and enjoyed the area. The moon was out so it was pretty light but it did make it so the stars couldn't be seen as well. No bear today or this night.

Day 2 later...

Sugarloaf with the kids

This past weekend the family went hiking on Sugarloaf Mountain. I always like to go there, nice and rocky close to home and the kids have a blast. It's no Old Rag or other popular hiking spots but being 20 minutes away is hard to beat. This year the place was loaded with acorns, it was kind of funny since Nick wanted to pick each one up and hand it to me. Couldn't explain to him that there were millions of them!

Hike with the kids... long ride tomorrow

Lynn had a baby shower today in Baltimore which basically means she's going to be gone the entire time and I would have the kids. It's beautiful out and I figure if I can wear them out they will take a good nap. Went to Sugarloaf Mountain and parked in the West parking lot this time. Green -> Red -> Blue to the parking lot. Kids did really good. Angie walked the whole thing and Nick made it except for the last 1/2 of the blue. Nick fell asleep in the car... Angie just decided she was tired. Fun trip with lots of rocks. Lots of climbers, got to give that a try one day.

Tomorrow the road bike comes out... 77 miles and 7000 feet of climbing around Thurmont. It will be the furthest I have gone on the bike by 22 miles or so. Hopefully I don't die on the road somewhere.