January Morning Jaunt
The Earth Dragon Shop: Goods for you and the Earth
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Sunday morning, the weather was sunny, clear, and crisp. I love these sorts of Winter days, even though my first choice is snow - and lots of it. Of course, Sunday morning was the perfect time for a short hike in the forest.
I’d read about Jerusalem Mill at Gunpowder Falls State Park, and I was curious to see a bit of it first hand, so, early Sunday morning, the wee family plus a willing friend were all off to the forest.
Maryland has lots of great state forests, which is a good thing, since Maryland is also one of the few states in the union that does not have any national forests (unless you count the small portion of the Appalachian Trail that runs through the state).
The Gunpowder River winds its way through the state, and much of its length is part of the Gundpowder Falls State Park. These areas have relatively easy and picturesque hiking, following along the banks of the river, and, sometimes, branching off into the surrounding countryside.
At Jerusalem Mill, the park has the added attraction of some historic buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries - some of which have been restored and preserved, and others that still serve as private residences. Not far from the mill, visitors can also drive across a wooden, covered bridge - not much to see, really, but an interesting feature from a by-gone era.
On Sunday morning, we set out for a brief, one-hour stroll along the river. The whole circuit in this area is about five miles, but we only had time to cover about three.
Despite the lack of snow, the scenery was a living Currier & Ives greeting card. The combination of the low-sitting, morning sun shining through the bare trees and sparkling on the river, the period buildings, and the nearby open meadow, provided ample escape from the modern working week.
We started our hike by finding an easy-to-remember parking space in the crowded lot (later, this would prove to be a good idea, as we had some trouble finding the car on our return — ; ) — ). Once we were all prepared (and my wee boy snugly packed up on my back), we started down the trail. We first headed toward the blacksmith’s shop, and then turned toward the trail head.
Once on the trail, we had to watch our steps carefully: since the temperature was not quite below freezing, the conditions were a bit muddy, and several horses had clearly “passed” by recently, leaving heaps of evidence (this prompted me to wonder, out loud, why dog owners have to pick up after their pets, but not horse owners? Certainly, dogs leave much smaller calling cards).
Dodging the equine contributions to the scenery, we picked up speed, and continued along the river - following the white trail blazes - at a rather brisk pace. I felt quite energetic in the cool January air, and I was thoroughly enjoying myself. My wee boy and I were chatting, pointing out different things - birds, rocks, trees, the river, and so on. One of his favourite ploys is tell me to look at something, or he’ll point something out, such as, “there’s the water.” I’ll say, “I don’t see the water, do you?” To which he’ll inevitably say, “I don’t see the water.” Ah, the two-year old sense of humour.
We continued on our way, eventually reaching a split in the trail. At this point, we chose the blue blazed trail, which took us back toward the mill. After a few hundred yards, the trail led us into a large, open meadow, covered with golden brown grass. The meadow was bordered by forest on all sides, except for one that had the mill village. Once we were far enough into the meadow, the wee boy had a chance to run around in the open space. He has a decent yard, but whenever I see him out in a spacious field, he seems extremely content to be surrounded by so much open space. I must admit, suffering mildly from claustraphobia as I do, I find these open spaces comforting as well.
Back at the mill, we walked around outside of the buildings. It wasn’t quite noon on a Sunday, so most of the buildings were not open for tours yet, but we were able to admire and study the stone architecture.
Hopefully, we’ll be able to go back soon and complete the entire circuit hike. If you have a chance to get out into the forest, take it! The benefits are many, and you’ll be amazed at how relaxed you’ll feel afterwards.
