Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Adventures in Hiking

Over this past weekend Kevin and I had the opportunity to visit my Mom and Dad in Western Maryland.  I had an absolutely terrific time and was so, so very happy to get to see them since I hadn't been able to see them since Fall of 2010.  One of our long time family friends was visiting also so that was great to see her too.  Both days Kevin and I went hiking with her.  It was both fun and exhilarating.  Needless to say neither Kevin or I had hiked that far in some time.  Here are some pictures from our hike at New Germany State Park in MD.  The first day we ended up walking around 3 miles.  Boy were we hot and a wee bit tired by the end.

This is a pic of the beginning of the trail

Here is a picture of a stream along our route






The second day we hiked to Cascade Falls with my Dad, our friend, and her kiddos. This was a little bit of an adventure since the hiking trail wasn't marked as clearly as it could have been due to the winter weather wear and tear on the signage.  We followed a trail or what we thought was a trail. Then we ended up back on the road. After following the road for a little bit we then found a sign that said Cascade Falls this way, this led us to yet another trail but since the trail wasn't marked very well we ended up running into some rather large size rocks so I began thinking to myself this cannot possibly be the correct way.  Needless to say we had walked a little bit too far and missed the turnoff.  Thankfully we weren't that far off the beaten path.  Here are some pictures from our second hike to Cascade Falls in MD.








The stairs were blocked off for safety concerns but since we were determined to take advantage of the waterfall all of us were very careful in our descent to the bottom.  








We had a great time!! I look forward to hiking again soon. 

12 comments:

Opus #6 said...

That looks peaceful and gorgeous. I think we need more time to get back with nature.

The Born Again American said...

I didn't see any ADA ramps or lifts... Just kidding, but you know there's some jerk in a wheelchair out there that would selfishly ruin all this beauty under the guise of that it's his right to have access... Thanks for sharing, it's beautiful... We've got beaches in Florida, but nothing like that...

Woodsterman (Odie) said...

Pretty place Teresa. Now get out there and walk every day. It will help a great deal with hiking trails.

Crop that photo for your avatar you wanted to replace. No glasses with men in them though.

Most Rev. Gregori said...

That is beautiful scenery. It looks just like to of the parks we have here in NY. one is Stony Brook Park and the other is Letchworth State Park. Both have fantastic hiking trails. I used to take my sons to both places for camping and hiking trips.

Trekkie4Ever said...

Absolutely breathtaking! And is that your husband? That is one tall fellow. I know you feel pretty safe when he is around.

Seriously, glad you had a great visit with your parents. I am in the process of making plans to visit my mom sometime this year.

Teresa said...

Opie,

We definitely need more time to get back with nature. Unfortunately, it seems like many of us lead such busy lives which makes it hard for us to take the time out to relax.

Teresa said...

Born Again,

I don't think that even the stairs were "Park approved" so .... considering we had to go around some of them to make it down to the Falls safely. This is sort of a remote place. I think Swallow Falls has a ramp though.

Your right but... Garrett County, MD is pretty conservative so they'd fight it... But it really does need to be redone anyways so why not add a ramp?

Teresa said...

Odie,

Kevin and I will have to settle for one of our nice little parks in Pittsburgh. It is really too bad that this is about 3 hours from where we live, but it's a wonderful place to visit. I would love to move there.

Teresa said...

Most Rev. Gregori,

I just looked at some pics from Stony Brook Park, it looks beautiful and like a cool place to visit.

Teresa said...

Leticia,

Yes, that is my hubby. I do feel sooo much safer when I have him by my side. I hope you get to visit your mom soon.

WomanHonorThyself said...

woohoo u guys look awesome..glad u had a ball!..sore yet?...lol

Maggie@MaggiesNotebook said...

WOW! Such beautiful photos Teresa! Maryland is a truly beautiful state.