Day 285 - Gambrill State Park

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"I come here to be closer to God."

Ferns covered the forest floor.

What a gorgeous day it was to visit one of our many Maryland state parks.  Any one of them would do, but today I chose Gambrill, located at the top of Catoctin Mountain with beautiful views.  It was my first visit there, and I had been saving it for a great weather day.

I parked near the "High Knob" area, then got out for the walk up to the Middletown and Frederick overlooks and the Tea Room.  The mountain laurel were just past their prime, but their bloom was evident everywhere.

Mountain Laurel and Ferns

View from an overlook

At the Middletown Overlook, I talked to a Desert Storm and Desert Shield veteran who had just lost another of his buddies at Walter Reed.  He told me that he comes to the mountain often, just to be closer to God and nature and to meditate on life.  Having originally come from the Ozark Mountains, he loves Gambrill Park, and said that if his wife doesn't know where he is, he's probably at the mountain.  I can certainly understand why he loves this place.

He thought I couldn't see him.

Farther along on my walk I saw the stone Tea Room, as well as a natural playground for kids.  The Frederick Overlook has memorials to the men of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the program that built the stone buildings, overlooks, and facilities in the park in the 1930's.

Gus, on a leash, the way
it should be!

Other visitors to the park today included horseback riders, mountain bikers, and other walkers.  Continuing along Gambrill Park Road, I came to the North Frederick Overlook, which offered better views than the Frederick Overlook.

There are miles and miles of trails at Gambrill, and I will return with other walkers some day this summer to walk those.  Today, however, I got the lay of the land and appreciated the foresight that Mr. James H. Gambrill, Jr., had in the early 1900's to set aside this land as a park for future generations to enjoy. 

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

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Forward me by email any receipt for an online donation made to the Red Cross for disaster relief, and I will send you a 5x7 print of your choice from any of my daily photo walks or from my website.  Offer good until September 2, 2013.

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Email:  cam.miller@comcast.net

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use whatever camera is easy and convenient for walking comfortably; always have a backup camera at the ready in case of mishaps (I use the Nikon Coolpix P7700)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so