Favorite Local Places: Maryland Appalachian Trail Section #2 – High Rock to Wolfsville Rd

 

These are the photos for my latest Appalachian Trail hike that I took this last Saturday (2/9). A magnetic feild zapped my phone about 10 or 20 minutes into the hike and erased all my battery life, so all but the last two pictures are the only pictures I was able to take. The first four are of High Rock and/or the view from it. There are two pictures of shelter, the top being a new example of one  and the next being an old example. The last picture is of Devil’s Racecourse. Essentially, its a boulder covered stream. Apparently, from what I was told, they were deposited there during the last Ice Age. When you walk across, and as you are descending the slop before you get there by where the old shelter was, you can hear the stream running underneath it. It’s pretty amazing.

There was a poem inscribed on the inside of the old shelter. I copied it down because it’s beautiful and profound. Here it is:

“Be the silence
woo the dream
bear the thought
become the thing”

I don’t know if the person who scrawled in on the shelter wrote it or if it was already an existing poem. Let me know if you have heard or seen it before.

I injured my knee on this hike. Funny how I keep injuring myself on hikes, this and the last one (which was my first hike). I guess that as I keep on hiking, I will stop accumalating injuries, at least I hope so.

I also collected a few rocks on this hike too. I will take pictures and post them soon.

Oh, to reiterate from what I said in my last post abotu hiking the Appalachian Trail: I went hiking with a group of people through Howard County Parks and Recreation. It cost $17, and they drive you  just about all the way there and back. I hope my bad luck with injury does not keep you from trying this amazing experience. I was the only one out of 24 to get injured the last time (1/12) and the only one out of 17 to get injured this time. Howa

Photo Source for Old Shelter: http://www.cnyhiking.com/ATinMD-HighRock.htm

Photo Source for Devils Racecourse: http://www.meretrix.com/~harry/images/at07/

Favorite Local Places: Appalachian Trail Section #3 – Wolfsville Rd to Route 40

On January 12th, I started my attempt to hike the all the Maryland Appalachian Trail Hikes (offered through Howard County Recreation and Parks). The first one offered was Section #3. February 9th is Section #2 and in March will be #1. There are 7 sections I think. Either way, by the end of the year, I hope to finish them all. If I do, in a three year time span, I earn a patch. I earn a 100 mile patch if I accumalate another 60 odd miles on Virginia and Pennsylvania trail sections offered through Howard County Recreations and Parks. I hope to get both, though that won’t be easy if I transfer where I’m planning to transfer (as of last fall – UNLV). It was (is) January so the landscape was drawn in browns, whites, and the pale blue of the sky. It was also incredibly misty/foggy so when we reached a summit to look out over, the distant line of mountains was nearly invisible as was almost half the view. The mountains in the distance, when you could any of it, was merely a dark blue line tracing the horizon, weaving in and out of fog. I highly suggest hiking the section though I’m sure it looks much prettier in the spring, summer, or fall. It’s 8.4 miles and begins with a steep hike up, which was a bit dangerous when I went with the snow on the ground, hiding rocks everywhere. It’s moderately difficult terrain and I suffered some foot injuries so make sure to tie your boots tie, expect stumbling on some rocks if you want to look away from the ground, and don’t go if you can’t or don’t think you’re ready for an 8.4 mile hike. It was tough, even for the four youngest people there (I am included). Most were 40 and above with some late 20 and 30 year olds there. I fell back on the second half or so till I was the last while the 3 other youngest ones were at the front. Like I said, I was at the back and I’m 21, turning 22 on the 29th. Age means little, it’s your health and fitness that make a difference. When I jogged at Centennial Lake, I always got lapped by joggers and runners older than me, some surely into their 60’s and 70’s.

I hope you look check into going on these trail sections. We go in groups and you drive to the park n ride in Long Gate (Ellicott City) where we take a van the rest of the way to the starting point. It’s $17 to $20 and you do have to bring your own snacks and lunch. They start in the morning (8am) and end in the middle of the afternoon (4pm or later depending on traffic and other complications of the sort). Plus, we stop for ice cream at Baskin Robbins on the way back. 🙂

Unfortunately, my pictures are a bit worse than usual. I wasn’t thinking about how hard I had sweat and that it was getting on the camera lens and I had forgot to extra clean the lens before embarking leaving the house. Sorry.

Art: Cliffside Waterfall

Source: http://earthandanimals.tumblr.com/post/28351663909

Art: Path Through the Earth

I don’t know the photographer or the real title but here’s where I got it: http://chasingthegreenfaerie.tumblr.com/post/26438049450

Rocks: The New Additions to My Rock Collection

I don’t know what types of rocks they are, I just picked them up as I hiked around Pig Tail Recreation Area in Dayton, MD. The bottom one and the very first one are my two favorites. I think the first one is sandstone.

Art: Pescador Island, Philippines by Henry Jager

“Cave diving the Cathedral at Pescador Island in the Philippines.”

Picture Source: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/photo-of-the-week/#/pescador-island-philippines_48548_600x450.jpg

Art: Svartifoss, Iceland by Giacomo Ciangottini

“Lava-formed columns surround Svartifoss, or “The Black Fall,” in Iceland’s Skaftafell National Park.”

Picture Source: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/photo-of-the-week/#/svartifoss-iceland-black-fall_51435_600x450.jpg

Rocks: Mount Erebus, Antarctica – Photo Gallery – Pictures, More From National Geographic Magazine

Mount Erebus, Antarctica – Photo Gallery – Pictures, More From National Geographic Magazine.

Rocks and Red Foxes: Orthoceras Fossil

“Orthoceras (“straight horn”) is a genus of extinct nautiloid cephalopod.*

“A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural Κεφαλόποδα (kephalópoda); “head-feet”). These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles (muscular hydrostats) modified from the primitive molluscan foot. Fishermen sometimes call them inkfish, referring to their common ability to squirt ink. The study of cephalopods is a branch of malacology known as teuthology.

Cephalopods became dominant during the Ordovician period, represented by primitive nautiloids. The class now contains two, only distantly related, extant subclasses: Coleoidea, which includes octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish; and Nautiloidea, represented by Nautilus and Allonautilus. In the Coleoidea, the molluscan shell has been internalized or is absent, whereas in the Nautiloidea, the external shell remains. About 800 living species of cephalopods have been identified. Two important extinct taxa are the Ammonoidea (ammonites) and Belemnoidea (belemnites).” **

In lamens terms, when you see a sign for a fossil of an orthoceras (or multiple of them) you’re seeing a sign for a fossil of an ancester to squids, octopus, and cuttlefish.The fossils are common and occur in any marine rock but especially in limestone.

For more information on Orthoceras and Cephalopods visit these sites:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthoceras
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephalopod
3. http://www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com/orthoceras.html

First picture was taken by me of the Orthoceras fossil I bought recently at The Crystal Fox. The second is from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Orthoceras_BW.jpg

Rocks: Onyx (Black)

Onyx is a member of the Chalcedony family which also includes carnelian, agate, bloodstone, adventurine, etc. The Chalcedony family “ is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of the minerals quartz and moganite.“* Onyx comes in a variety of colors but black onyx is what most people think of when they think/see/hear the word onyx.

Onyx is used like many other stones for mundane purposes including for countertops and whatnot. Magickally though, it is used for many purposes with a rich history. Onyx is a common find in jewelry for purely aesthetic and magickal reasons.

Greek mythology says onyx was once the fingernails of Venus but Cupid cut off her fingernails and scattered them on the Earth which the Fates turned into onyx so that no heavenly body part would ever perish. Weird, I know.

Corresponces: Linked to Celtic Great Mother Goddesses and Dieties of the Underworld as well as to the sabbat of Imbolc.

Mystical Properties: “Onyx is thought to increase regeneration, happiness, intuition and one’s instincts. It is also told to decrease sexual desire, and to aid in changing bad habits.”** Also said to deflect negative energy and aid in self control.

Healing Properties: “It is known to be particularly helpful with skin ailments, healing infected wounds as well as fungal infections, inflammation and even sunburn.“**

Magickal Uses: In amulets or talismans to combat negative energies or for any of the reasons as listed in mystical properties above or in rituals for the sabbats and dieties they correspond to.

Picture Source: (1) from me!, (2) http://www.thecrystalfox.com/index.php?route=product/product&keyword=onyx&category_id=54&product_id=1681. Both pictures are of Crystal Fox products though. It’s where I bought my hunk of onyx.

Wikipedia page for Chalcedony (*): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalcedony

** Link: http://shimmerlings.com/gemstones/onyx.htm

Other Correspondences to Celtic Great Mother Goddesses and Dieties of the Underworld (as well as other groups of Celtic dieties and their correspondences): http://www.oocities.org/athens/olympus/6581/correspondences9.html

Other Correspondences to Imbolc: http://www.workingwitch.com/yearwheel/imbolc.html

For more information on Onyx (listed my favorite sources):

1. http://books.google.com/books?id=8KQQTcjkVgoC&pg=PT115&lpg=PT115&dq=onyx+dj+conway&source=bl&ots=9yedK_gwtl&sig=32rfaFwaMLVdgpfYqBoV1IdEcZw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JDriT6_3Kqn86gHv-b0K&ved=0CEIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
2. http://www.bardwood.com/stones.htm
3. http://wicca.com/celtic/stones/stonek-o.htm
4. (mundane) http://www.mineralszone.com/stones/onyx.html