Today my computer stopped. Permanently.

As I watched my 2010 pic's re-load one by one onto my new laptop I was pleasantly reminded of the joyful experiences I was a part of during the year.

In July we vacationed on the Chesapeake Bay and enjoyed a week of sun, swimming, and song. My brother Peter sailed over from the western shore and we were able to take short day sails throughout the week. This image of my daughter Laura and I at the helm of Peter's boat represents a glimpse of the overall rest and relaxation during our week at the vacation house on Fishing Creek off the Little Choptank, 7 miles from Cambridge, MD.

Days later Laura and I canoed in the dark waters of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge where we experienced a part of the 27,000 acre protected tidal marsh and witnessed all the beauty and nature it had to offer.

On the drive back we passed an endless sunflower farm with its 1000's of colorful florets reaching to the sky.

Ahhh, but all this was months ago. A more recent adventure was a hike I took with Mike on the morning of New Year's Eve. We drove to Rock State Park and walked around this popular distination and marveled at some of the distinct rock outcroppings.

Mike and I have been getting together for coffee every friday morning for the past 3 years. This Friday morning was a little different but still provided the opportunity to talk about family, work, fun, etc.... We both appreciate being able to bounce ideas and thoughts off each other and receiving valuable feedback and suggestions.

One comment Mike made was that these rocks have been around for 10's of thousands of years, weathered storms and bright sun, cold days and deep freezes, yet they still stand. While sitting on the top I felt the presence of 1000's of people that had been here before me, some recent and some so very long ago.

The rock formation (above) is now known as the King and Queen Seat and once served as a ceremonial gathering place of the Susquehannock Indians - until 1763 when they were finally wiped out by "... the white man's disease and tribal warfare..."

Now it serves as a very cool place to just relax. And only a very short drive from Baltimore.

2010 - thanks for the memories.

Weverton Cliffs, MD

This time of year is very busy, with Christmas less than one week away. So a little bit of clearing of the mind and excercise for the body does a whole lot of good.


On a cool and crisp day I decided to drive to the Harpers Ferry area and hike up Weverton Cliffs. The last time I did this was over 30 years ago when my brother Peter joined me and other friends and hiked the Maryland section of the apallachian trail. A lot has changed since then - age, body weight, and conditions. When I was 19 I hiked this with 50 lbs on my back, during the early spring days of April, and in 65 degrees. Now it's a day hike, the middle of december and in 25 degrees. What's remained the same is the peace and quiteness.


The hike to the top took 25 minutes. The trail was well marked and easy to follow. There were a total of 11 switchbacks, which sounds like it would make for a steep hike, but compared to Crabtree Falls, VA (which Darlene and hiked this past September) it was rather easy. Once at the top there was a blue blazed trail that went to the left and directed me to the actual cliff overlook.


The overlook was a fairly open space and quite beautiful and serene, even in winter. I could easily envision this being a beautiful spot for a spring or fall picnic. There weren't any tables but plenty of rocks that could act as great seating. The views of the potomac river with Harpers Ferry in the distance is well worth the trip.

And for those of you who would like to take this day hike, the driving and parking directions couldn't be easier: From Baltimore or Washington: Rt 70 west to 340 south to right on route 67 and go about 100 yards to right hand turn on Weverton Cliffs Road. A couple hundred yards later there is a parking lot on the right side. Park your car and walk to the T at the end of the road. there's a small wooden sign that says Appalachian Trail N with an arrow pointing to the beginning of the trail about 25 feet away.

Mount Davis, PA

During an absolutely beautiful fall day, as Darlene and I were taking a long weekend break in western Maryland, we decided to take a side trip to Mt. Davis in Pennsylvania. Mt. Davis is 3213 feet above sea level and is predominantly flat. If we wanted, we could have driven to the top, parked our car, and walked 20 feet to climb the fire tower. But we didn't. It was just too nice of a day. Crisp, sunny, and 60 degrees.

We parked our car at the visitor center and proceeded on the 2 1/2 mile circuit hike. Thanks to a ranger that we saw, we had the benefit of a really nice map, though we could have figured it out without the map and without getting lost.













Most of the trail was wide enough to walk side by side. After 27 years of marriage we still find time to do new things - together.

I thought the fire tower would be gated off, but it wasn't. I walked up 6 flights, 45 steps total before my knees started shaking. I guess I'm a little squimish of heights when my feet are not making contact with the ground (or water since I love to swim - that's another story). Anyway..., I was one flight of stairs below the top and that's where I took the picture from.

Crabtree Falls, VA

Crabtree Falls is a beautiful set of waterfalls in Virginia. Billed as the tallest waterfalls east of the Mississippi, Crabtree Falls is a must see for anyone who lives in the mid-Atlantic region.

The falls are believed to be named after William Crabtree, who settled in the area in 1777. The Tye River, at the bottom of the falls, is named for Allen Tye, who did extensive exploration in the local Blue Ridge Mountains.

This was our afternoon hike after climbing up Humpback Rocks in the morning. The results were just as spectacular. The trail was extremely well taken care of, except for two areas were trees had fallen over the trail, one that you had to duck under, the other that you had to crawl over. Every 1/10th of a mile was a mile post so you always knew where you were in relation to the top, which was 1.3 mile from the parking lot. The trail has wooden gaurdrails at critical points and railed overlooks at most scenic overlooks. Steeper areas have steps either notched out, built up, or laid out in stone. There's a $3. entrance fee, so please do the honorable thing and pay - we all benefit from this.

I learned my lesson from this morning's hike. This time we took a bottle of water and a pocket full of almonds.

After this second hike of the day we stopped by a small shop and had our official [late afternoon] lunch at 3:30 pm.

For more detailed information see: Crabtree Falls

Humpback Rocks, VA

Yesterday we hiked Backbone Mtn, MD. Today Humpback Rock, VA which is about 3 mile south of the northern border of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Waynesboro, VA.



It was an absolutely beautiful and clear day. Thinking it was going to be easy I decided to leave the water bottles in the car. That was a mistake.

The hike to the top took an hour, and after 15 minutes of hanging out on top and enjoying the view, another hour to come down. Time: 2 hour 15 minutes, Elevation change: 800 feet. We made a good choice by following the blue blaze trail and not taking the "short cut". Near the summit there was a sign that pointed south to the picnic area and a man made sign that said "Rocks" with an arrow pointing north. All in all it was a nice hike with beautiful scenery of the "BLUE" Ridge Mountains.

We should have brought some hiking poles.

Backbone Mountain, Maryland

Darlene and I decided to take a different type of vacation this time. We decided to hike the highest point in Maryland, which is Backbone Mountain, also known as Hoye-Crest. We've frequently been to Harpers Ferry, South Mtn., and all points along the MD section of the Appalachian Trail, but those typically range about 1600 feet. Backbone Mtn. is twice that at 3,360 feet.

We climbed Backbone Mountain on Thursday, September 16, 2010. In spite of the rain, we had a great time.

Getting to Backbone Mountain was not all that difficult. It's about 10 miles south of Oakland, Md on US 219 and about 1/2 mile from the smallest church in the continental USA (seats 12 total). When we arrived the door had an "open" sign on it so we took the opportunity and went in. There were a total of 6 pews, each pew was two seats wide.


Maryland's highpeak is actually owned by a private company but access is allowed from the West Virginia side. There's a small area to park along side the road and the trailhead begins as a fire road. The hike begins at about 2760 feet and it's about a one mile hike to the top and took us about 30 minutes one way, although my pace was faster than Darlene would have preferred.

1/2 way up, Darlene's heart was pounding at 140 bpm; I was at 150 bpm. Our bpm's would have been higher had it not been for the cool steady rain. We passed another hiker, who was coming down from the summit. He said it was a good hike but visibility at the top was limited because of the weather.

We were directed by a trail marker to turn left. All in all it was a gentle hike along a well marked trail. Once at the summit we were able to register our ascent on the high peaker's list inside of the mailbox. It turned out that the hiker we just met 20 minutes earlier registered as being from Fairbanks, Alaska !

We took a couple of images to record our hike. This was the first of many highpeaks we plan on identifying and hiking in the near future.