Well, happy new year and happy outdoor adventuring to everyone! Here is hoping your toes are warm, your furnace is cranking, and the pipes haven’t burst at your house.
I kicked off the new year with the Trail Dames, heading out on the best possible day last week…yay! Temps rising into the twenties!! What an absolute delight.
I led the Dames on a 6 mile loop at Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont, Maryland. This is one of my favorite hiking spots and home to Camp David for you political junkies. Occasionally, the trails are shut down when the President is at Camp David. This isn’t very often with the current administration. So stomp on down the trails, no secret service to stop you!
Our route started at the Visitor Center. We were all giddy with the blue skies and promise of increasing temperatures, despite it being 17 degrees as we pulled into the lot and greeted each other. The Visitor Center opens at 9 am…important information if you like to hit the bathrooms before heading down the trail. Dames LOVE bathrooms at the beginning of a hike!!!
