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One in a series of 9 hikes on the Appalachian Trail across Maryland. An out and back hike of a total of 10 miles going north from Wolfsville Road (MD-17) to Ravens Rock Shelter. Total elevation gain is 2,250 with the longest climb of 500′ over 1 mile. This is considered the more difficult section of the AT in Maryland and includes two stream crossings with foot bridges. There are two shelters along this trail, with one showing up towards the beginning of the hike. There are three significant climbs outbound, and two climbs on the return. This hike take approximately 5 hours at a 2.5 mph pace.

DIRECTIONS TO HIKE SITE:  Route I-70 to Exit 42 / Myersville. Head north from I-70 through Myersville. Turn right onto MD-17 North. Follow on MD-17 North 11 miles. Parking lot is located to your right. Additional parking to the left of the road. Both are unmarked. The northbound trail goes to the right, heading north briefly paralleling Wolfsville Road.

HIKE DESCRIPTION: Beginning at the parking lot and heading north the trail parallels Wolfsville Road then quickly turns deeper into the woods. One first comes across a small stream crossing, then begins to climb. Shortly following the trail passes Ens. Phillip Cowell Memorial Shelter. The trail then continues passing through woods, fields, power line sections, two road crossings, and two stream crossings. The final ascent passes by Ravens Rock Overlook which on a clear day offers great views. Lunch at Ravens Rock Shelter (privy here) before turning around to return home. While this isn’t the most scenic hike, this is a challenging hike and a fantastic workout.

COOKIES FOR THE HIKE: Ginger Spice Cookies

COMMENTARY: Let’s first talk techie – For my hikes and outdoor activities, I currently have a Canon Powershot SX230 HS which in most cases I like pretty well. It offers GPS tagging for the photos that you take – super when you’re off trail somewhere. But not so super when you have high contrast situations, and the fact that every time you turn on the camera, the flash unit pops up.

So I decided to try to upgrade my point and shoot and decided to get the Canon Powershot G12. I was willing to give up my GPS Tagging for a point and shoot that operates more like a DSLR. At first glance, the G12 is significantly larger than the SX230. So being able to just throw it into a pocket was no longer an option for me. As a Canon 60D user, it was very easy for me to see how the G12 operates, and adjust settings just as if it was a DSLR. This camera also offers a HDR feature which I have yet to figure out. Overall I’m finding this camera is fairly easy to use, but by all means is not a camera for a beginner.

My first time out with the G12, and I used a cross-body small camera bag, set it on Aperture Priority, Auto ISO and set out.

After looking at my pictures (above) seems like I need to learn a lot more about this camera. The G12 does not come with a user manual, and the one online is over 200 pages long, so really not an option for printing. So I was forced to purchase David Busch’s Canon Powershot G12 Book. I’m more of learn-by-the-seat-of-your-pants girl, not a read-the-book girl. So I’ll need to use the book and the next time I’m out..HDR !

It does still amaze me when I go out with the Mountain Club members and these 60-70 “somethings” are just in spectacular physical condition and always fly by me when going up hill. I am still nursing my knee from a fall last month, but glad to finally be back on the trails after a month off.

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