It’s Millie’s 4th birthday this weekend, so we wanted to celebrate with a special experience, so we piled into our camper pod and drove 255 miles west to Rocky Gap State Park.
Yes, it was a long drive, but when we arrived at the campsite, its profound beauty made every tiring mile worth it. After examining each tree around our property, Millie settled into the dog bed I had placed in the shade of the picnic table as usual.
I’m writing this now from a campsite atop a small hill beneath a canopy of red oaks, white pines, and hemlocks. The shagbark hickory leaves are turning bright yellow and the maples are just starting to turn red. Through the trees you can see the sparkling blue of the lake below.
show caption
1 out of 7
expand
Above, there is a glow of lapis lazuli that you can only get on a sunny day in October. Luckily we were the only residents of this section of the campground. The only sounds are the breeze blowing through the treetops, the whispers of cars coming off Interstate 68 a mile away, and the calls of the Canada geese that flock to the lake at dusk.
The next day’s big adventure was an impromptu hike to explore one of Maryland’s most spectacular geological phenomena: the mile-long canyon that cuts off the western edge of Mount Evitts. The route we chose turned out to be quite difficult and is not recommended.
The park’s website describes a trail that goes to the bottom of the canyon, where there is a bridge that crosses the stream. When I reached the edge of the stream, after jumping over rocks almost straight down a sheer mountainside for 300 feet, I saw a sign. “Danger!” Bridge out! ”
To be fair, we took a circuitous route that started at the Canyon Overlook Trail and connected to the Evitts Homesite Trail. So I passed the trailhead where there was probably a warning sign.
We started at a campground on the Lakeside Loop Trail. This trail is fairly flat, making it an easy 5-mile walk around the lake. It is located along the shoreline of 243-acre Habib Lake (pronounced hay-bib).
It is named after Edward Habib, a local businessman who was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1895. He was one of the driving forces behind Maryland’s acquisition of 3,000 acres of land that became Rocky Gap State Park in 1974.
Millie and I followed the path that wound around a small cove, watching the sun shine through the trees and onto the water. The scenery across the lake is a vivid contrast. That huge wooden building housed a casino, and the sun beating down on all the cars crammed into the parking lot seemed like an unfortunate waste of solar energy.
I shook my head in bewilderment, wondering why anyone would stuff coins into a casino slot machine on a great day.
Of course, the only time I remembered that was when I visited Las Vegas. I watched the man feverishly manipulate the slot, using his left hand to cross over and pull the levers on the right side of the machine. I noticed that his right arm was missing from the elbow and realized I was witnessing a one-armed man playing a one-armed bandit. But that day, it was 105 degrees outside.
The Lakeside Loop Trail led us to the dam built in 1970 to form the lake. Engineers had cut a dramatic notch into the mountainside, connecting the outflow from the dam to Rocky Gap Run, which flows through the valley.
We walked along the road that crossed the top of the dam, passing families coming from the other side, young moms and dads, and groups of dim-witted children, boys and girls, probably between 4 and 12 years old. .
I nodded and smiled at my parents, but to my surprise, no one in the group paid any attention to Milly. I don’t know who was more disappointed, Milly or me. I love watching little kids interact with my dog and Millie responds to that.
The Canyon Overlook Trail leads into the forest on the other side of the dam. It’s only a short climb over the giant Takarora sandstone formations to the viewing platform, which indeed offers a spectacular panorama of the mountainside covered in a quilt of leaves that are beginning to show their autumn plumage. I caught a glimpse of a tuft of white tail feathers as a bald eagle took flight over the treetops.
I was amazed to see the same happy family running up the mountainside as the von Trapps crossed the Alps. Apparently they found the Evitts Homesite Trail from the other side, descended to the bottom of the canyon, and came back to this side. I was impressed. I thought, if a 4-year-old can do it, so can I.
That’s when Millie and I headed down to the bottom of the ravine and found the bridge across the stream gone. what to do? The stream wasn’t very wide or deep, but the idea of walking across it was not appealing. The last few miles back to the campsite will be wet and uphill.
Far downstream I saw several large hemlock trees fallen across the stream. I’m sure all of those kids got through it that way. If they can do it, so can I.
Of course, Millie had no qualms. She trotted over the log, turned around on the other side, and saw me inching along like an acrobat on an elevated train ropewalk between the Twin Towers. Millie trotted back to make sure I was okay and took me to land.
The trail on the other side continued almost straight for 400 feet until it joined an old forest road. After taking the shortcut road, we arrived at the Lakeside Loop. We arrived at camp just in time for lunch and nap time. Not to mention a couple of ibuprofen.
Incidentally, Mount Evitts was named after an Englishman named Jacob Ebert, the first European settler to come to what is now Allegany County. He settled on a mountaintop overlooking Rocky Gap around 1730.
The Evitts Homesite Trail leads to the top of the mountain where Ewald lived. It’s a challenging climb, so I don’t plan on doing it anytime soon, but the view from there must be amazing. I’m sure my 4-year-old child was very excited.
rocky gap state park
12500 Pleasant Valley Road, Flintstone, MD 21530 dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/western/rockygap.aspx Hours of operation and admission fees vary by season. Please see the website for more information.
Source link
