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I still hope to share with you pretty pics from my trip to NC at the end of March, and the beauty of the lake here I got to enjoy from April through June. Of late the foliage around the lake has been quite parched, and I didn't even venture out there in the severe heat of this week. The parks service trims back the lushness of the foliage around the lake at the beginning of July each year before the fireworks, but this year they gave it such a severe crew cut, and with this drought, I have doubts the lushness will come back by September. So it's been a little depressing to walk around this month. I've had a hungering to see some moving water and get to the beach, but I've been holding off on that 2 1/2 hour drive with hopes the gas prices will drop at some point. But google was my friend, and I found that not more than a 30 minute drive away there was a park with waterfalls I had not been to yet.
Last Sunday I headed out there and I'm still on a happy from that hike. So here's a little late offering for Froday, as I think these are the kinds of woods and little rivers Master Baggins would enjoy roaming about. I'm in love with my little corner of the world again.
As this was a scouting mission, I did not bring the hobbit dolls, but they'll be coming next time, because what a place full of tree boles for a hobbit to hide under from Black Riders, and waterfalls to hike past crossing the Shire, and ferns and mosses, boulders, and of course mushrooms!!! Patapsco Valley State Park runs just south west of Baltimore and Cascade Falls is in the southernmost part, and here's what I saw--please click on the pics to embiggen.
It was plenty beautiful as is, but I'm really looking forward to a future hike when the water tables have recovered and it will look more like this.
Before you enter the Cascade Falls Trail, you'll find the Patapsco River is running next to the road, and right by the parking lot is a path to a swinging bridge, a grand place to practice your Captain Jack Sparrow walk.
The river is a good width but pretty shallow right there and some people were wading in the clear waters just beyond--something I plan to do next visit. Right across the bridge are the ruins of an old mill by the railroad tracks, a pretty nice place for hobbit dolls to do Amon Hen recreations. The forest here really reminded me of that shooting spot, especially the lichen spotted boulders, which I'll show you soon.
It's only a couple of minutes hike along the Cascade Falls Trail before you come to the cleft in the stream leading to the bottom part of the falls. The odd shapes in the foreground here are parts of a big old log catching the sunlight.
And back along the stream are many fine boulders among the low gentle, for now, stream. As I mentioned I'm looking forward to what this stream looks like when it's corners have been filled up.
You just don't get much more hobbity than lush moss covered rocks with ferns growing among them. I just love these colors. I've enhanced the color a little with my iphoto program on all the pics to make them look more like what I saw. The heightened colors better approximate the glitter and glow of moving light, water, and air, along with your breathing, shifting self on this moving planet that still photos can only catch one pane of, and films at the current time, are too slow to capture. I've also blurred the corners to give a greater sense of depth to some of the pics. That's closer to what my mind's eye framed as I focused in on what was before me, and of which I hope to show you a little in this journal.
Here's another stand of the falls a further climb up the boulders along the stream. All the shapes, textures, and colors among the rocks and flora were breathtaking.
And if moss covered rocks with ferns fanning out among them is a thing of hobbitiness, then when these leaves overlook a swift running stream pushing it's way through the rocks, it's downright magical to me. And I'm going to be so in trouble with my hobbit dolls if I don't bring them here soon.
More pics are forthcoming and I hope to show you more of this perfect little hike I went on last Sunday, before the thermometer went bonkers here, in upcoming posts. To everyone dealing with this awful heat wave, I hope you're also staying cool inside until it passes, and may it pass swiftly.
Last Sunday I headed out there and I'm still on a happy from that hike. So here's a little late offering for Froday, as I think these are the kinds of woods and little rivers Master Baggins would enjoy roaming about. I'm in love with my little corner of the world again.
As this was a scouting mission, I did not bring the hobbit dolls, but they'll be coming next time, because what a place full of tree boles for a hobbit to hide under from Black Riders, and waterfalls to hike past crossing the Shire, and ferns and mosses, boulders, and of course mushrooms!!! Patapsco Valley State Park runs just south west of Baltimore and Cascade Falls is in the southernmost part, and here's what I saw--please click on the pics to embiggen.
It was plenty beautiful as is, but I'm really looking forward to a future hike when the water tables have recovered and it will look more like this.
Before you enter the Cascade Falls Trail, you'll find the Patapsco River is running next to the road, and right by the parking lot is a path to a swinging bridge, a grand place to practice your Captain Jack Sparrow walk.
The river is a good width but pretty shallow right there and some people were wading in the clear waters just beyond--something I plan to do next visit. Right across the bridge are the ruins of an old mill by the railroad tracks, a pretty nice place for hobbit dolls to do Amon Hen recreations. The forest here really reminded me of that shooting spot, especially the lichen spotted boulders, which I'll show you soon.
It's only a couple of minutes hike along the Cascade Falls Trail before you come to the cleft in the stream leading to the bottom part of the falls. The odd shapes in the foreground here are parts of a big old log catching the sunlight.
And back along the stream are many fine boulders among the low gentle, for now, stream. As I mentioned I'm looking forward to what this stream looks like when it's corners have been filled up.
You just don't get much more hobbity than lush moss covered rocks with ferns growing among them. I just love these colors. I've enhanced the color a little with my iphoto program on all the pics to make them look more like what I saw. The heightened colors better approximate the glitter and glow of moving light, water, and air, along with your breathing, shifting self on this moving planet that still photos can only catch one pane of, and films at the current time, are too slow to capture. I've also blurred the corners to give a greater sense of depth to some of the pics. That's closer to what my mind's eye framed as I focused in on what was before me, and of which I hope to show you a little in this journal.
Here's another stand of the falls a further climb up the boulders along the stream. All the shapes, textures, and colors among the rocks and flora were breathtaking.
And if moss covered rocks with ferns fanning out among them is a thing of hobbitiness, then when these leaves overlook a swift running stream pushing it's way through the rocks, it's downright magical to me. And I'm going to be so in trouble with my hobbit dolls if I don't bring them here soon.
More pics are forthcoming and I hope to show you more of this perfect little hike I went on last Sunday, before the thermometer went bonkers here, in upcoming posts. To everyone dealing with this awful heat wave, I hope you're also staying cool inside until it passes, and may it pass swiftly.
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The heightened colors better approximate the glitter and glow of moving light, water, and air, along with your breathing, shifting self on this moving planet that still photos can only catch one pane of, and films at the current time, are too slow to capture. I've also blurred the corners to give a greater sense of depth to some of the pics. That's closer to what my mind's eye framed as I focused in on what was before me
I especially like your explanation of how you experience your walks.
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Thanks so much for sharing those - I feel a LITTLE cooler looking at them!!
Hope you're surviving the heat ok - it's supposed to go down into the 80's here next week - sure hope you're going to get a break there too - *hugs*
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Ha ha ha! I'll bet you could just hear them talking about, politely, of course, under their breaths.
Thanks for taking us with you, Lavender. This looks like a great park, full of secret places and refreshing nooks and crannies. But I'm sorry to hear they did such a scalp job on your favourite lake walk. Maybe there'll be enough rain in August to bring some of the verdure back for fall.
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