Loudoun Heights Trail

Well a very overdue hello!! I should have known that the blissful every weekend hiking of last summer could not be done this year as well. We had so much fun last summer, and we neglected some things that need to be done (like a house to finish remodeling).. So while I'm stuck indoors more often than I want to be this summer, I'll be day dreaming of our wonderful hikes from last year.

We haven't totally wasted the beautiful weather, though! Over Memorial Day, we went up to Harpers Ferry and hiked Loudoun Heights Trail! We had a fantastic time just the two of us with the pups. It was a bit overcast, but not enough to diminish this view:

We camped at a really great campground called Brunswick Family Campground. It was really inexpensive, and they were pet friendly! Not staying on the trail, but sometimes you have to compromise. But to make up for it, we had a gorgeous view of the water.

If you get to Harpers Ferry early enough, there is great parking immediately after crossing the Shenandoah (on the right). Parking was $10 which gives you a 3 day pass, so if you want to hike in and camp for a couple nights you can do that. From that parking lot, you head up towards Highway 301, and walk across the bridge. While we were admiring the rivers, we met a little friend.

I was most excited about the fact that Loudoun Heights follows the Appalachian Trail for about 1 mile! And of course, I had to document my reaction on first walking on the AT!

Loudoun Heights is a difficult trail. I would not recommend this trail if you have trouble with walking long distances up hills. The first mile and a half or so we climbed around 900 feet! After that there was not much significant elevation change. There are several great overlooks along the way,  and when you get to the final overlook, it's a great place to stop for lunch or to take a rest. The pups certainly enjoyed it!

Harpers Ferry is one of our favorite places to run away to. I love looking at the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers converging, meandering around (..ok, grabbing ice cream..) in Historic Harpers Ferry, and being in a place that is so peaceful. It's soul renewing! 

 Thank you so much for visiting My Journey from High Heels to Hiking Boots! Like me on Facebook and share with a friend! Now get out there and hike! Happy Trails!

So You Want to Start Hiking - Picking Out a Trail

It's been a couple weeks since my last post, and what a crazy couple week's it has been! I always forget how busy the fall season is with events, deadlines, classes, and get-togethers, not to mention prepping the house for the upcoming holiday season! Whew!

Unfortunately in the midst of this super busy time, only a small portion of that has been spent on the trail. I've been so looking forward to hiking this fall season, to see all the beautiful leaves and colors of nature. Which brings me to announcing my 3 part series..

So You Want to Start Hiking?

First of all, let me be the first to say "AWESOME"! Hiking has provided me with so many hours of enjoyment and time for reflection. There's nothing better than sitting on top of a beautiful vista and thinking about life (or escaping from it). It's a great thing to do with your special someone, family, and friends. It builds community, and it gives you a sense of yourself and what you can handle.

But where do you start? If you're not an outdoorsy kind of person, how do you find out where to go, which trails are best for beginners, or even what to take and how to dress (which was obviously a big one for me =P)?? These questions plagued me when I first thought about hiking. Maybe that seems silly, but it's true. If you're like me, a thorough plan is imperative. That's what I hope this series will help you do.

As a beginning hiker, the first thing is to select your trail. Selecting your trail will give you an idea of what else you'll need to have with you. In the Maryland/Virginia/Pennsylvania area, we have a plethora of parks and trails. I am truly grateful for that. If you happened to read my first post, you know that my dad took me on my first trail (and that I wasn't prepared for hiking!). So when Hubs and I set out on our first hike, we went right back to that same trail, and since it's my favorite we tend to go back to it all the time.

When picking out a trail for your first hike, it's easy to be super excited and think "I'm going to scale this mountain and hike 10 miles in 4 hours!".. Ok, so that's a lot of an exaggeration, but you get my point. Take it easy. It's better to spend an hour or two on a short trail and learn what your body can handle, than to kill yourself the first time and never want to hike again.

How does one find a trail to hike? If you aren't familiar with parks in your area, or you don't know of any trails, don't worry! There are resources available to help you find trails. Below are some of my favorite.

1. Everytrail - This is a great resource where users upload trails that they've hiked, including maps and photos. Some even post complete trail guides. Most are free. If you've never hiked before, use a trail guide - it will have the best information about blazes and what to look out for.
2. Mid-Atlantic Hikes - If you're in the MD/VA/PA/WV area, this is a great resource. Not only are the guides fantastic, but you will find maps, GPS files, and even restaurant suggestions for after the trails. I highly recommend this website.
3. Gorp - Another great website to find hikes in your area. It uses an interactive map to help point you to great trails.

There are many other great sites out there that can point you to local trails. This weekend is a great time to get outside, as the trees will be hitting their peak colors in many areas! There's something magical about being outside when the weather is turning towards fall, and the leaves are brilliant shades of reds, golds, and oranges! 

For those of you who are hikers, how do you find your trails? What websites do you use/recommend?

Where are you headed this weekend?

Next up: What to bring with you on a day hike.

Thank you so much for visiting My Journey from High Heels to Hiking Boots! Like me on Facebook and share with a friend - You know you want to ;]  Now get out there and hike! Happy Trails!

Wolf Rock - Catoctin Mountain Park

All last week I was singing "On the trail again! I just can't wait to get on the trail again"! Saturday we finally did! Due to problems with our GPS logger, I'm unable to show you a map of what were we hiked =[ but I imagine in the not too distant future we'll be back up at Catoctin Mountain. It was just that beautiful!

We set out intending to do 8-Mile Loop. Unfortunately, the 'bugs' we thought we avoided from the Dominican Republic picked Saturday to bite us, so we only did about 3.5 miles of 8-Mile Loop. Believe me, nothing is worse than trying to push through a hike when you stomach is screaming "NOOOOOO!!! Stop moving!!" However, we're both feeling a lot better now, and we're hoping that our energy will be back up for this weekend's adventures!

So, on to the good stuff!

Catoctin Mountain is so incredible! The area that we hiked in was rocky, and there are large rock formations jutting out of the mountain. It's so cool!

We started our hike from the visitors center heading towards the Park Headquarters. If you do this, pay careful attention to the trail. Catoctin does not blaze the trails, and we ended up getting a little lost when the trail made a sharp turn to the left that we missed.

You'll know you missed it when you come across this big "rock field"

If you see this, turn around. DO NOT go down the hill like we did.. oh my were we lost..

On the trail, we came across some Fairy Houses! I first saw a Fairy House when I was in Maine for the summer with a friend. I love coming across them! They're so whimsical looking =]

I have no idea why people make these (or should I say fairies?), but they're really neat to look at!

As we were walking up the mountain, we were feeling pretty out of it. So we stopped for a minute to rest up. The dogs were none to happy.

 Can't you just see in Cocoa's eyes "COME ON, Mom! I want to keep moving!"

And really, who can resist those eyes? So keep moving we did.

 The best part of the hike was obviously Wolf Rock. I've heard people say that they were unimpressed, or that the views weren't great, but I think it's amazing! You have to do a bit of rock scrambling to get to it, but it is so worth it. We stopped there for a long while to eat lunch and just to enjoy nature.

Cocoa decided to take a nap while we were eating lunch =]

Sprocket laid down, too.

And of course, I couldn't just sit there for too long. I had to go explore the rocks! The formations were so neat, and some of the splits were really deep. I'm sad to say I noticed a lot of trash at the bottom of the crevices. If you're hiking, please remember to pack out your trash. Let's not ruin the beauty of our trails for others.

After we were done hanging out on Wolf Rock, we headed back to the trail. The trail was really busy! I couldn't believe how many groups of people we saw! A lot of the groups had children with them, too. I was really excited to see so many families out enjoying the day with their kids.

Of course all the rain that we've gotten recently left it's imprint on nature. Anyone know about mushrooms? I know zilch.

There were mushrooms all along the trail, but this double mushroom was definitely the coolest.

Even though it was a short hike, it was so nice to get outside and get moving! There's something about being outside on the trail that speaks to my soul. It's peaceful, invigorating, and so awe inspiring to see God's beautiful creation. It preps me for the long week ahead, and helps me relax from the week I just had. There's nothing like sitting under the trees on a sunny day =]

I have to leave you with this adorable picture of the pups. They were all tuckered out after our hike =]

I hope you had a chance to get outside last weekend. Been anywhere fun recently? I'd love to hear about it =] Feel free to leave a comment here, or on Facebook. And when you get a chance, please pop over to Facebook and Like my page.

Thank you so much for visiting My Journey from High Heels to Hiking Boots! Please take a moment and like me on Facebook. Happy Trails!

Camping and Maryland Heights Trail

Sorry for the delay in getting this posted. My brand new memory card decided to corrupt all the pictures on it, and Hubs diligently worked to save as many as he could. I lost some, but a lot were saved. But I am so excited to share this story with you! This weekend's hike was epic!

A lot of thought went into this hike. With a plethora of trails available to us in this area, it is always a challenge to choose one. Hubs and I have looked at tons of trails and each one gets filtered out for one reason or another. Too close, too far, not challenging enough, too challenging... I wanted to do something big. I wanted to be challenged. I wanted an adventure.

During my search, Harpers Ferry, WV popped up. I was instantly intrigued. There were so many trails to choose from, and so many things to do out there. We could drive out there Friday night and camp, then hit the trail early the next morning! I would have loved to start hiking Friday and camp out on the trail, but we have a bunch more equipment we need to invest in before we do that. Plus.. I don't know that I'm ready to get that familiar with the great outdoors.. if you catch my drift... I need to shore up my courage a bit.

Hubs, Littlest Cloudy, and I set out much later than intended. It was my fault, because all good weekend trips must have a shopping trip before hand! Helloooo REI! I love that store! When we finally arrived, our campground was breathtaking. River Riders's campground is situated right on the Potomac River, which was so peaceful. I couldn't imagine a more serene place to spend the night.

Photo Credit: Littlest Cloudy

Photo Credit: Littlest Cloudy

Surprisingly enough, we managed to set the tent up quickly and it didn't collapse on us! I was really proud of us! Three city kids braving the wilds of West Virginia and living to tell the tale, who would have thought?! 

Our tent is a cute little thing that our dear neighbors gave us as a wedding present. I'm ashamed to say it went untouched the first two and a half years of our marriage, but I promise you friends, it will be used until its death from here on out! It's so easy to set up, and its roomy! It's also very stylish, which in my opinion is the most important thing. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it in style! Unfortunately the picture of our tent was one of the pictures that did not survive.. I'll take a picture the next time we use it. 

One of the essential backpacking items we need (desperately!) are bedrolls. We've been looking at some online, reading reviews, and doing our homework on them but we haven't made the purchase yet. So for the weekend a friend graciously lent us his bedrolls. They are about as basic as you can get, and after a fitful night's sleep Hubs and I agreed that we would be getting nice ones before our next overnight adventure. It is a purchase well worth my sanity. 

The puppers did a great job in the tent! We brought their beds with us and had them sleep on one side of the tent (they were more comfortable than us!) and they hardly stirred after we told them it was bedtime. Of course, they were so (dog) tired from our exciting car adventure and watching us set up camp, who could blame them??

The next morning, our friends joined us in historic Harpers Ferry to start our big hike! I was overflowing with excitement. Mostly because we were about to hike. The really nerdy reason was because we were right where the Appalachian Trail comes through and I was seeing serious hikers for the first time. I had to restrain myself from asking one of them for a picture. Hubs and Littlest Cloudy would have been so embarrassed if I had done that... 

The Maryland Heights trail is actually a couple of trails that wrap up and around the mountain. There are cool things to see along the way, like Naval Batteries and cliff overlooks. The batteries are gone for the most part, but there are signs that talk about each location and the history behind it. 

This trail kicked my butt. Literally. I have never been sore like I am now after hiking a trail until Maryland Heights. Part of that was due to the new pack that we acquired on our shopping trip (another Flash 18), and the bladder that we got to put in it (a 2L Platypus) along with all of the gear you carry for a day hike. Mostly the soreness was from all the uphill hiking. At the highest point we climbed 1192 ft! It was such a work out!

Check out that view! This was taken at the cliff overlook during the first part of our hike. We stopped here for a while to rest and re-hydrate ourselves, and I couldn't help but take an annoying number of pictures =]

Photo Credit: Littlest Cloudy

Like the sparkly sunglasses?? I know that's the first thing you noticed!

When we continued on our way, we got up to the highest point to have lunch, and then it was all down hill from there! No, nothing bad happened. It really was all down hill after that!

Like I said, this trail kicked my butt. It was really difficult, but I'm glad we pushed through! You can park across the river in downtown historic Harpers Ferry at the Amtrak lot if you get there early enough. The lot is controlled by the National Park Service, so there is a fee to park (it was $10 when we went). If you strike out and don't find any parking there, you can park at the main visitors center across Highway 340 and they will shuttle you over. If you have dogs with you though, you'll want to arrive early enough to park at the Amtrak lot because pets are not allowed on the shuttle. 

Amtrak Station

To get to the Maryland Heights trail, you go across the Potomac on the footbridge. 

This sign points you to the footbridge

On the other side of the bridge, go left down the C&O Canal Towpath until you come to a bridge that leads across the canal (there is a sign that says Maryland Heights). The trail entrance is directly across from the bridge. 

Good footwear is a must. Poor Littlest Cloudy didn't have the right kind of shoes. She is fine, but it definitely slowed her down since she had to worry with foot placement. The trail is really rocky, and one misplaced foot could lead to an ankle injury (and then you couldn't wear heels for like.. weeks). We brought lots of water with us and I'm glad we did, especially for the pups. The climb was just as hard on them, and they were very thirsty. 

This trail was very busy. I think that was due to the fact that it was so close to the A.T. and because Harpers Ferry is a summer destination for a lot of people. Just watch out and be considerate of other hikers you meet. Remember that you are not the only one on the trail =]

We hiked a little over 7 miles, and it took us just about 4 hours. You can see a map of our trail on EveryTrail. Its really neat to be able to look at a GPS of our route after we've done it! 

After completing this trail I feel like I'm ready to conquer the world! Ok, maybe just the next difficult trail. One day though, I will hike the Appalachian Trail - and it will be glorious!

Thank you so much for visiting My Journey from High Heels to Hiking Boots! I'd love to hear from you in the comments section! You can also follow me by email at the top of the left hand navigation bar by simply entering your email address. Happy Trails!