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Hiking

Hiking

Hiking the Billy Goat Trail at Great Falls

We were going to do this hike last weekend but we slept in. So this weekend we got up early on Saturday morning to go hike the Billy Goat Trail down at Great Falls. We did this hike one year ago just before Brady started at his new job and we decided it was time to do it again.

Since it was a relatively short hike, we only carried water, snacks, and sunscreen. We took three liters of water (with ice cubes added) for the two of us which was plenty since it wasn’t hot. It was in the 60s at the start of our hike and in the mid-70s when we finished. It was humid and my glasses kept fogging up so I had to take them off while we were hiking.

Billy Goat Trail A, Rock scrambling, pothole alley, Mather Gorge

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Fall, Favorites, Food, Hiking, Vegetarian

Friday Favorites #5

Hello there friends! It’s been a while but that will all make sense pretty soon… but for now, I’ve got a quick catch up and some favorites to share with you!

In the middle of June we got a new kitten, Maisie! It’s unbelievable how much she’s grown in 2.5 months! For whatever reason her nickname is Maisie-Ella Mozzarella, she’s a bitey little monster who loves to terrorize our 14-year-old cat Shadow, and she’s got the loudest purr I’ve ever heard from a cat so I guess we’ll keep her. ๐Ÿ˜‰

I didn’t get to do a whole lot this summer but Brady and I did get away the first weekend of August to go camping at Deep Creek Lake with my family. While we were there, we went to Swallow Falls State Park for the first time and it’s easily now my favorite state park in Maryland. It gives off a vibe as though you were in the Pacific NW, probably more so because we were there just after a downpour!

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Backpacking, Hiking

Backpacking to Harpers Ferry on the Maryland Appalachian Trail

I wasn’t kidding when I said we are hooked on backpacking! This weekend, we did 17.5 miles on the Appalachian Trail (AT) backpacking to Harpers Ferry from Reno Monument Road. We’d hoped to start from the I-70 AT trailhead but we didn’t have enough daylight to do the extra 6 miles.

My sister, Hanna, joined us for her first backpacking adventure. We left late because we decided to wait for an Amazon delivery containing a hammock, tarp, and two more squeeze bags for our water filter. (Check out this backpacking packing list).

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Backpacking, Hiking

Backpacking to Annapolis Rock on the Appalachian Trail

We finally did it! We went backpacking to Annapolis Rock for our first backpacking trip and now we’re hooked. We hiked 8+ miles out and back on the Appalachian Trail and saw vista views from Annapolis Rock and Black Rock. We enjoyed this trip so much that we’re already planning to go out again this weekend. 

Our first outing was a test to see how our gear worked for us. We began collecting gear in April but we haven’t had a good weekend to go until now. ย I spent the Friday gathering our stuff and we left as soon as Brady arrived home from work.

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Back Pain, Biking, Exercise, Goals, Healthy eating, Hiking

September Goals!

Time to revisit those August goals and see how things went…

August Goals Revisited

  • Build core strength through my glutes, back and abs.
  • Continue to build on my fitness.
  • Significantly reduce sugar intake.
  • Work towards a regular bedtime and wake up routine and getting healthier sleep.

Maybe 1 for 4. I think I had a rough August because there were a lot of things going on in multiple aspects of my life and it was hard to start a routine going. Hanna left for college two weeks ago so Iโ€™ve been missing her. Brady was interviewing for jobs, accepted an offer, and has been working on licensing things, Iโ€™ve been doing various work including teaching Pre-K kids for a few days! By the way, they are the most adorable little kids ever and I want to adopt them all! Iโ€™ve definitely found my age group if I ever wanted to go into teaching.

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Hiking

Hiking The Billy Goat Trail For the First Time

After a few days spent with Pre-K kids, I had a day off on Wednesday so went hiking on the Billy Goat Trail near Great Falls. We came here because I recently found out that the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park has many miles of hiking trails. It was $10 to get into the park but if we had come one day later, it would have been free because of the National Park Service centennial celebration. The parking lot was quite full and there were numerous people on the trails which surprised me considering it was the middle of the week.

We picked up a trail map from the museum and walked the C&O Towpath to the Billy Goat A trailhead. The trail is a 1.75-mile hike with lots of rock scrambling. Depending on your speed and the number of people on the trail, it can take 2-3 hours to complete. It was a beautiful hike. The Billy Goat Trail is a trail I would be happy to do many times over.

Hiking the Billy Goat Trail A at C&O Canal National Historical Park

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