Sunday, March 31, 2013

Buzzard Rock March 2013

One of our favorite loco trails is the hike up to Buzzard Rock from Bloede Dam in the Patapsco State Park. Yesterday, at the trail head on Ilchester Road, the road was lined with cars as locos streamed into the park for the best day of the weekend.

It was a perfect day for a hike, not too cold, not hot.

Buzzards Rock sits atop the Simpkins Mill side of the Ilchester Tunnel and rewards your climb with a nice view of the valley below. It’s also a hangout. Though I don’t particularly care for those who introduce spray paint into an otherwise bucolic setting, I do find some of the art to be oddly compelling.
Perhaps of more concern was the number of people we could see milling about on the CSX rail tracks below. I immediately thought of this video my friend Mickey Gomez shared on Facebook earlier this week.
Train tracks are dangerous places.

On the descent to Bloede Dam, a cyclist passed us on the way up and greeted me by name, breathing hard as he attacked the steep incline. I acknowledged the greeting but I have to admit I did not immediately recognize him in the brief moment we passed. I felt bad but he was wearing a helmet and I was sporting non prescription sunglasses, a bad combination for me on a good day. As I continued down the trail trying to figure out who I just said hello to I turned back and saw him taking a break next to a tree. It’s a very long hill and he was about three quarters of the way up. Who was that guy?
Arriving back at the Grist Mill Trail was like merging on to a pedestrian freeway. Runners, bikers, dog walkers, and all walks in between were out in large numbers getting a much needed dose of medicine for cabin fever.

You can find more Buzzard Rock Trail pictures here

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