Hiking at Gambrill State Park

The weather today was too nice to stay home - it was sunny and close to 70 degrees. Troy and I tossed around the idea of either going to the National Zoo in Washington, DC or hiking at a new (for us) state park. Neither one of us felt like going to DC, so we headed out to Gambrill State Park, just west of Frederick, Maryland.
After browsing online through our choices of hiking trails, I decided on the "Green Ash Trail." The description of this 2-mile round-trip trail said: True hikers will love this trail. There are several steep slopes and very little level ground, making this trail an adventure. As you hike the trail, imagine what it was like to cross the Appalachian Mountains on foot in the 1700's. Boy, they weren't kidding about an adventure!

Not only was the terrain hilly, but this was also one of the rockiest state parks we have visited in Maryland. Fallen autumn leaves in a forest can significantly increase the difficulty of a trail. Imagine climbing up and down a mountain, leaves hiding the rocks underfoot, and slipping and tripping on those rocks all the while. Thankfully Evelyn just laughed each of the four times she fell down today. At the end of the hike, we rewarded our hard work with a picnic lunch.

Julia (by far) had the best deal of any of us. She hitched a ride in the backpack carrier for all two miles, and she took a cat-nap while I was trying my best to stay sure-footed on the trail.