Tag Archives: Caledonia State Park

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Rock Hopping with the Dames

Big rocks are where it is, friends!

A Maryland Trail Dame’s hike on the Appalachian Trail between Rt. 233 and Caledonia State Park (Pennsylvania)

Tailgate of my RAV4 open, I sat, legs dangling, phone in hand, mindlessly swiping through Pinterest as I waited on the Dames. A blessedly cool morning, I thought, as I swung my legs back and forth, and kept swiping. A car turned off of Rt. 30. Someone was yelling from their car as it was driving by. What the…? It took a minute for me to drag myself from a cute backyard firepit setup that I had been getting ready to pin, so I only heard “…have to pooooo!” Ahh…Queen V had arrived. Well, almost. 😂

A good bathroom is a godsend at a trailhead. Especially for women hikers. Yes, we can go in the woods and do…but a nice bathroom at the beginning. It’s a plus!

Once we had everyone together, we piled into two cars, rode down to the Rt. 233 trailhead, and began our hike up and over Rocky Mountain. We all agreed that the weather was an awesome change from the hot and muggy swamp weather we had been having previously.

This hike is mostly regular dirt trail, but just after the cut-off to Rocky Mountain Shelter, it goes through some spectacular rock formations. OH…and in my previous post, I stated that Dames always stop at the shelters. I should have added IF and only IF (that’s IFF for you math folks) the shelter is a reasonably short distance from the trail! 😁 The Rocky Mountain Shelter is 0.3 miles from the trail, so that was a no go!

The Dames did great along this stretch of the AT. Their comments were it was a shock to the body to get out of the car and immediately be expected to go steeply uphill. AND that Queen V was so not truthful about it being just one climb up, then the rest of the way down. 😆 For the record, I never made any such claim! 😏

After the initial climb, the trail was easy walking until just after the shelter cut-off. Then the trail turns right, climbs a short hill, and we entered the jumble of boulders that make this hike one of my favorites.

We slowed down, picking our way through the rocks carefully. Stopping frequently to take in the wonder of these big rock formations, we theorized how they had come to be. No conclusions, as none of us on this hike are geologists. However, none were necessary. It is enough to be in awe of these phenomenal formations.

Coming down off of the rocks, we descended into what was becoming a hot and humid day. Summer is back. We kept our spirits up and our feet moving by chatting about wading in the creek at Caledonia, then going for ice cream. You do what you gotta do!

The creek was as amazing as we thought it would be! So, so, so good!

The ice cream, friendly service, and cute decor at the Caledonia Cafe was a perfect way to celebrate! Highly recommend if you are in the area. 🍦🍨🧁

Enjoy a Reel with more pics of our adventure!

Hike on!

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Caledonia State Park, PA…Put it on the short list!

Caledonia State Park is quite possibly one of the prettiest state parks near Frederick, Maryland.  The air is scented with pine, the creek bubbles and gurgles as it curls its way through the park, and the towering pine trees leave me with the most serene, peaceful feeling every time I visit.

Labor Day Weekend I was invited up by Queen V.  She was spending the weekend at the park and decided to come out of her tent to hike with me!  I haven’t seen her since the backpack in June and was looking forward to hearing about her hike in Sweden.  One of these days I will go on a hike somewhere in Europe…but until then I depend on my international hiker friends, like Queen V!!

Stopped at the visitor center to pick her up, then headed to the Hosack Run area to pick up the Greenwood Road Trail.  We walked through the woods catching up on the summer and on Queen V’s adventure on the Fjallraven Classic.

BoobOnARock and Queen V take to the trail...oh it's on!

BoobOnARock and Queen V take to the trail…oh it’s on!

We were hiking to the Long Pine Run Reservoir in Michaux State Forest.  September was here and the start of the day had been crisp!  I could feel a hint of autumn in the air!

Queen V is a great person to hike with because it is so easy to carry on a conversation with her as we hike.  I am not much of a talker, but it seemed as if the miles flew by as we gossiped, caught up on each other’s adventures, and generally, just rambled about whatever. 🙂

Lunch by the lake. :)

Lunch by the lake. 🙂

The terrain was perfect for my recovering knee (injured last weekend dodging a bee…).  There were no big step downs, which are still giving me a bit a pain.  But more than that, there are so many pine trees that the trail is pretty soft in spots…love it!  We stopped for lunch in one such spot.  Sinking into the ground we started pulling out our goodies…oh, what’s that? Queen V brought Sidekick Pauli’s favorite…summer sausage!  Lucky, lucky dog!

Oh, it's summer sausage time by the lake! :) :)

Oh, it’s summer sausage time by the lake! 🙂 🙂

Thanks Queen V for the photo! Me & Sidekick Pauli in the Pines

Thanks Queen V for the photo! Me & Sidekick Pauli in the Pines

Rounding the reservoir, we found many places for Sidekick Pauli to get her feet wet. 🙂  My dog is getting older now, 8 years old last May, and while she is not much of a swimmer, she does love to splash!  We rounded back around the lake and took another siesta on the rocks.  Sidekick Pauli made a friend with a very little yorkshire terrier who was just smitten with her. 🙂

Splash!

Splash!

Sidekick Pauli makes a very tiny friend, Rocko

Sidekick Pauli makes a very tiny friend, Rocko

Thank you to Queen V for including me in her Labor Day weekend getaway!  This was awesome!

Grab a good friend and Hike on!

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AT – PA with Trail Dames of MD: Coming Together, Sharing the Trail & Making Memories

One of the best groups I have ever led on a hike!  I led this hike for Trail Dames of Maryland last Saturday…ten miles on the Appalachian Trail.  We started at Shippensburg Road and hiked south to Caledonia State Park.

This being the beginning of my semester, I don’t have much time to elaborate! However, this mix of personalities just clicked, creating a wonderful, supportive, fun experience.  These women are the reason I volunteer to scout, organize, provide shuttles, and lead hikes! 🙂 🙂

Hike on!

The Dames at Shippensburg Road Trail Head

The Dames at Shippensburg Road Trail Head

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AT – PA Shippensberg Road to Pine Grove Furnace SP 9/8/13

This gallery contains 6 photos.

So a little overlap here on the AT mileage…but picking up where I’d left off on Woodrow Road wasn’t really possible. Woodrow Road is pretty far back on a gravel road. This was a Trail Dame hike and I didn’t want anyone to get lost on the way to the trail head! The day started […]