November 21 2010 Appalachian Trail, Greenbrier State Park to Annapolis and Black Rocks, Md.

My sister and are re-starting out hiking adventures again--the last one was on the A-Trail in Md. from Washington Monument State Park to Greenbrier State Park and return.

So we drove to Greenbrier State Park just outside of Boonsboro, Md., off of US Rt 40, the old National Pike. It was a nice day for November:  low 50's at the height of the day with winds along the ridge and little wind down below. Link to description of the features of the Greenbrier State Park

The Visitor Center had just opened, and we were able to talk to the ranger there about the trails and pick up a map. We started the trip hiking up the steep Bartram Hill Trail connector to the A-Trail. The Bartram is well blazed but completely filled with leaves, which hid the trail.

From this sign, we could see that we were somewhere close to the middle of the A-Trail. 40 miles of it runs through Md.

My sister Amy

We had two destinations as we headed north:  a local attraction called the Annapolis Rock and then a little further, Black Rock. The total round trip distance for our hiking was 9.25 miles--quite a nice hike!

View of covered path over I-70

 The general area we were hiking on was generally called South Mountain.

The National Road crossed over I-70 and also provided an alternate trail head to begin the hike:

The trail is wide and well maintained. We encountered several Boy Scout groups and a number of families. A number of happy dogs were also out and about. The most interesting one was a young pit bull, who carried an 8' log in her mouth as she went up the trail. At her owner's request, she willingly dropped it as she approached us.

When we got to Annapolis Rock, several people were setting up their ropes to repel down.

Nice view of the rock out croppings

While this location provided a view of both Greenbrier State Park (and its lake) plus the Cumberland Valley to the west, the skies were hazy:

A mile beyond Annapolis Rock to the north, we came to Black Rock. This was a great place to have our lunch.

After lunch, we hiked back to our car without a break, traveling just over 4.5 miles in two hours. Going south was mostly downhill, so it was easier.

Next spring we are thinking about hiking from Gathland State Park just to the south to Weverton Cliffs, a setting just prior to descending down to Harper's Ferry, WV.

Horizon Team Hike to Marys Rock--A-Trail--April 17, 2009

The Horizon Software Development Team held its 2nd annual team building event: a 7.2 mile hike along the Appalachian Trail, from Pinnacle Picnic Ground to the top of Marys Rock, in the Shenandoah National Park.

The temperature was in the 60's for most of the hike; light wind except at Marys Rock, where the winds were stronger. We had the trail to ourselves, encountering as many as a half dozen hikers along the way. Saw many turkey vultures, a few black vultures, an American Redstart (warbler), some Cabbage White butterflies, along with some yellow and black swallowtails.

Total hiking time, including a lunch break on Mary's Rock, was five hours.

Note: at the bottom of the posting, there is a video of two athletic team members scrambling down the rocks at Mary's Rock.

Getting ready to depart Pinnacles Picnic Ground

Starting up the trail; the Pinnacle is ahead.
Taking a well deserved break


First challenging rock on the Pinnacle

Destination is Marys Rock, a "blip" on the peak in middle of picture.

An American Redstart stayed long enough to have its picture taken.

Byrd's Nest #3 Shelter, for A-Trail through hikers

The destination is in sight

Time for lunch on Marys Rock

Interesting plant growth in the crevices

I wonder how steep it is, over the side...

Very steep!

Magnificent view

Time to return

Departing Marys Rock

Interesting rock outcropping

Nice view

New Market Gap in the Massanutten Mountain, to the west.

One of many deer seen near the picnic ground

Rock scramble by Jim and Stephenie

Nov 17 2007 Appalachian Trail Washington Monument State Park Northwards

My sister Amy and I have been planning a hike on the A-Trail for some time, and it finally occurred. We drove across the Potomac River at Brunswick and headed up to Boonsboro, Md., going along Highway 67. This part of the drive was highlighted by the mountains to the east, whose view started out red at the base and turned progressively more orange then yellow at the crest.

Our destination, just east of Boonsboro, was the Washington Monument State Park--a location that my Dad and I and friends had backpacked along over 30 years ago.

The weather was typical November: in the 40's, moderate breeze, and partly cloudy. We hiked about 7.5 miles; out destination was Greenbrier State Park, a man-made lake from CCC days. We ate our lunch there under a gazebo.

This monument was the country's first for George Washington--1827.




Trailhead Marker:
John at Trailhead. Shortly afterwards, we heard and then saw a pileated woodpecker fly overhead.
Amy on the Trail:

Rock outcroppings near the Monument
Gorgeous colors!
Several ferns growing by the trail
An odd colorful leaf just attached (by the wind?)
More brilliant colors

Unusual bug casings and carcass
Field of ferns prior to Greenbrier State Park


Lake at Greenbrier State Park. We ate our lunch under the cover of the Gazebo.
Views from the sides of the Gazebo:

Bufflehead Ducks at a distance
Above the lake appeared some rocky cliffs

View of the beach front

Canadian Goose prints disappearing into the water
We found this sign at the closed rest room very helpful; the porta-potty was not visible from here. We had to walk over a slight rise [to the north] to find the porta-potty.
View from the porta-potty.

An unusual sight: Witch Hazel blooming in November. In Springfield, we see it bloom in March, after the Skunk Cabbage blooms.

Brilliant autumnal foliage!
At the end of the hike, we climbed a darkened stone stair case to the top of the monument and were rewarded with this view, looking down towards Boonsboro and Sharpsburg/Antietam to the left.

John at top of the observatory
Our next hike will either start at Greenbrier Park and head towards Annapolis Rock [about 3 miles away] or start at Gathland State Park and head south towards Weverton Cliffs just above Harpers Ferry.