Last Trip of the Decade: Green Ridge Mountains, Maryland

quiet camp

sunrise

Happy 2020!! Looking back on the last decade, it's been more adventurous than I ever could have imagined, I some ways it flew by, in other ways it's felt like an eternity. Here's to another decade filled with outside time!

I was fortunate to squeeze one last quick camping trip in before the decade came to a close. I chose one of my favorite "local" spots, the green ridge mountains in Maryland. We've had very unseasonably warm days lately, and on December 20th, the temperatures must have been in the 60's. It felt like spring in the mountains, and I think some of the plants and even insects have been getting tricked that winter is over. When I arrived at my campsite, we had just had a day and a half of rain. The moss world around my site was lush and vibrant, bringing me back to my redwood days. I enjoyed clear, golden sun, and was treated to a crescent moon and a sky filled with bright stars at night. There was nobody around as far as I could tell, and I enjoyed listening to a relatively quiet forest. Unfortunately, I forgot my tent pole and stakes, so had to rig up a floppy shelter with some cord that I found in my car.

I slept pretty good at night, it was much colder in the morning and sleet was falling intermittently. Gray clouds were rolling in and I chose not to stick around too long and headed home for New Years eve around mid morning. Overall, another good trip in the mountains...