Traveled this week to Baltimore, Maryland to participate in Baldrige Examiner Training and realized I would have some free time on my first afternoon in town, so I thought I would find a dayhike I could do on the Appalachian Trail, which runs through Maryland about an hour west of Baltimore. I rented a car and drove to a trailhead just outside of Greenbrier State Park. This 3-mile hike (each way) would take me to the first Washington Monument, erected in 1827. It was raining lightly as I started out, and the rain persisted for the entire hike, which took me about 2 and a half hours and actually measured a total of 6.4 miles. The last hour and a half the light rain changed to a heavier rain and I was pretty soaked by the time I reached the car. But the hike itself was a great experience. The forest it runs through is lovely, and so much like the Ouachita National Forest with its green-lichen covered boulders, mayapples and ferns and tall deciduous trees. There was considerable elevation change here and there, but nothing too challenging. The only other living thing I saw was a squirrel. So now, I have hiked (on) the Appalachian Trail, ha! Here are a few photos:

Peonies and Hydrangeas

A good day for iPhone photos

Palo Duro Canyon, Texas, April 2013

Trail to the Lighthouse Formation, early morning, Palo Duro Canyon, Texas



Lighthouse Formation, Palo Duro Canyon



Lighthouse Formation, Palo Duro Canyon