The Big Gunpowder Trail By The Lodge

I had every intention this morning of going on a very short walk! It would've been my first one since having covid and I knew I wouldn't make it very far but wanted to at least give it a go. I only made it a few blocks from my home (in the truck) when my husband got a call from his supervisor informing him that his help didn't show up for work and he needed my husband to come in as soon as possible. That changed our plans so I didn't make it at all. Maybe it was a sign that I wasn't meant to walk that trail today but I was a little let down so I dug through my files on the computer to find a walk that I took around this date a year ago.

My photos are from a walk that I took on the Big Gunpowder Trail at the Big Gunpowder Falls State Park. This is the trail that is by the Gunpowder Lodge which is located at approximately 10092 Belair Road in Baltimore County, Maryland.

One of the first things that we saw when we started out was the bridge that was having some major renovations done. Those renovations kept a big part of this area closed for about a year. This part of the trail was the only one that was (technically) still open. I say technically because at some point people would cross the street and hop over barriers to access the other trails. I preferred to bide my time and wait for them to finish the renovations and reopen. I also visited other parts of the Gunpowder Falls State Parks that were open as well as other parks fairly close by.

This part of the trail led us down by the water and then we had to make our way across this tributary. I got nervous and almost turned around but I found a long branch and steadied myself across this makeshift bridge and managed to get across without falling in. I'm not as steady on my feet like I was years ago and water can look not so deep sometimes until you fall in which I have done in the past. I don't mind getting wet but not so much my cameras.

As you can probably tell, the day was mostly overcast but it hadn't and didn't rain so the trail was dry. The trail that we were on was mostly level dirt which made it a fairly easy trail to walk but, occasionally, we did have to work our way over, under or around a tree that was either fallen down or leaning over the trail.

There were a few flowers in bloom including an abundance of Bluebells which were a nice surprise and a welcome splash of color.

I didn't see too many displays of mushrooms on this visit but I did manage to find and photograph this one along with a branch with a pretty bit of lichens on it.

In the next two photos you can not only see a change in the water flow of the river but you can also just see part of a trail across the Gunpowder River. That trail is the Stocksdale Trail and the Sweathouse Trail which are also wonderful trails.

The following are some trees that I found interesting looking and I thought you might think the same.

I don't know how long this little branch thinks that it can hold up this tree ...

... and if X marks the spot do you think we might find some hidden pirate treasure if we dig under it? Arrgh, probably not!

Time to head back but there is still more to see!

It's always nice to see some wildlife like this goose that was traveling by quite quickly.

The views along the Gunpowder River are usually very peaceful and relaxing whether the sun is shining bright or overcast with clouds. I know though during a storm is can change very quickly and the water can be destructive and even deadly. We do check the weather report if the sky looks threatening so we aren't there if a storm is expected to come through.

Just up ahead is the bridge in the distance.

A view up a hill near our starting point. I'm so happy I got to see the Bluebells in bloom and share them here!

Now, I just have to make it back across this tributary and back to the vehicle! Good thing the long branches we used to make our way across the first time were still in the spot we left them. I did make it back across without falling in so all in all it was a great visit and going through these photos definitely made me feel better about not making it out today! 🙂

Thank you to everyone @haveyoubeenhere!
Thank you @tattoodjay for #wednesdaywalk!
All photos and text by me @deerjay. All rights reserved.