This week's adventure took us to the Catoctin Mountains in Frederick County, Maryland. The autumn colors were near peak in their beauty as we wound up Rt 77 from Smithsburg to our destination. Things got interesting real fast as we were greeted by numerous rescue squads and fire trucks along the road as we entered the park. When we finally got the the parking area, there were more emergency vehicles clogging the place up. We never found out what happened, but after reaching the Cunningham Falls, we concluded that one or more of the hundreds of people climbing the rocks must have fallen. The presence of the emergency vehicles did not seem to deter the climbers in the least.
We finally found a place to park and when we got to the trail, we were faced with a choice. The short, easier, flatter trail to the right or the more difficult, steeper, longer trail to the left. A kid smoking in front of us went right so, of course, we went left, straight up the rocky path. The tougher path was much less traveled but when we got to the falls, we found the crowd. Minus all the people, it was a beautiful sight, the fall colors, the bright blue sky and the cascading waterfall. We hung around for a few minutes, snapping some pictures then headed off to find a less crowded part of the park. We took the easier, quicker path back to the parking lot and headed to the other side to try out Old Misery Trail and make the climb to Cat Rock.
It was listed as strenuous in the brochure but that didn't scare us off, and again, we headed straight up the incline. The first 1/2 mile was the harderst, steepest, rockiest part of the hike and once we got on top, it was smooth sailing. There were numerous spots with scenic views and places to sit for a spell and rest my weary knees and hips, and of course, snap a couple pics! Old Misery Trail lived up to it's name on this day, especially for this 53 year old man.
When we finally reached the end of our journey, we were greeted with the amazing rock formation known as Cat Rock. We climbed up Cat Rock and the vistas were fantastic. The perfectly sunny day was giving way to the incoming clouds and the cool wind was biting on the ears, but the view from Cat Rocks was worth it. Again, we spent about 15 minutes resting, enjoying the peacefulness and snapping pictures before we started our descent. About 45 minutes later, we were back on level ground, then in our vehicle and headed off to find a good place to eat. It was a great afternoon in the Catoctin Mountains and after having endured the rescue squads and Old Misery Trail, we headed on home.
This week's adventure took us to the Catoctin Mountains in Frederick County, Maryland. The autumn colors were near peak in their beauty as we wound up Rt 77 from Smithsburg to our destination. Things got interesting real fast as we were greeted by numerous rescue squads and fire trucks along the road as we entered the park. When we finally got the the parking area, there were more emergency vehicles clogging the place up. We never found out what happened, but after reaching the Cunningham Falls, we concluded that one or more of the hundreds of people climbing the rocks must have fallen. The presence of the emergency vehicles did not seem to deter the climbers in the least.
We finally found a place to park and when we got to the trail, we were faced with a choice. The short, easier, flatter trail to the right or the more difficult, steeper, longer trail to the left. A kid smoking in front of us went right so, of course, we went left, straight up the rocky path. The tougher path was much less traveled but when we got to the falls, we found the crowd. Minus all the people, it was a beautiful sight, the fall colors, the bright blue sky and the cascading waterfall. We hung around for a few minutes, snapping some pictures then headed off to find a less crowded part of the park. We took the easier, quicker path back to the parking lot and headed to the other side to try out Old Misery Trail and make the climb to Cat Rock.
It was listed as strenuous in the brochure but that didn't scare us off, and again, we headed straight up the incline. The first 1/2 mile was the harderst, steepest, rockiest part of the hike and once we got on top, it was smooth sailing. There were numerous spots with scenic views and places to sit for a spell and rest my weary knees and hips, and of course, snap a couple pics! Old Misery Trail lived up to it's name on this day, especially for this 53 year old man.
When we finally reached the end of our journey, we were greeted with the amazing rock formation known as Cat Rock. We climbed up Cat Rock and the vistas were fantastic. The perfectly sunny day was giving way to the incoming clouds and the cool wind was biting on the ears, but the view from Cat Rocks was worth it. Again, we spent about 15 minutes resting, enjoying the peacefulness and snapping pictures before we started our descent. About 45 minutes later, we were back on level ground, then in our vehicle and headed off to find a good place to eat. It was a great afternoon in the Catoctin Mountains and after having endured the rescue squads and Old Misery Trail, we headed on home. 
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