Yesterday, I made a return visit to Leakin Park and Gwynns Falls here in Baltimore. I enjoyed my first hike at Leakin Park and Gwynns Falls, so I decided to go back two weeks later.
Instead of parking my car at the parking lot located at Windsor Mills Road and Eagle Drive, like I did last time, I parked my car over at Trailhead #1, which is located next to the Park & Ride at the beginning/ending of Interstate 70 (I-70).
From there, I followed the trail along the off-ramp to Security Blvd. before turning right onto Franklintown Road.
After that turn, I followed the trail through the small Franklintown neighborhood located right outside the park. Since I work at SSA, I have driven by the sign for Bulwinkle's Saloon countless times. It was interesting to finally see where it is located. The place looks like a dive bar with its numerous Baltimore Ravens and Oriels signs and stickers on the exterior. There was also a Harley-Davidson flag that had been raised.
After walking past a couple of small businesses and several houses, the asphalt trail eventually leads you into the park. In some sections, the trail can be difficult to identify. Keep a look out for green Gwynns Falls Trail signs that have been painted on the asphalt. Also, cars can speed right through Franklintwon Road despite the speed limit being posted as 25 MPH.
Suddenly, you are inside Leakin Park. The trail parallels Franklintown Road. After walking through a couple of straightaways then down through a series of switchbacks and then hiking over a bridge or two, I returned to Winan's Meadow. I could tell that I was approaching the Cardin Pavillion as I heard a DJ playing hip-hop music and the smell of meat being cooked. After walking down a couple more switchbacks, I saw that there was a large gathering of people at the Cardin Pavillion, such as a company or church group picnic.
Once I hiked to the location of Trailhead #2 near the parking lot, I had a decison to make. Was I going to cross the bridge over Dead Run onto the Stream Trail or was I going to keep following the Gwynns Park Trail?
For this occasion, I walked past the bridge for the Spring Trail and went on ahead, following the Gwynns Park Trail.
Like my previous visit Leakin Park-Gwynns Falls two weeks ago, there weren't very many people on the trail. There were long stretches of time where I was the only person on the trail, a part from a couple of deer that were looking for food to eat.
Once I crossed over the Dead Run, I kept following the Gwynns Falls Trail northward. There were a couple of deer in the bushes looking for food to eat. I could see Gwynns Falls, a small stream, on my right. As I walked north, there were a couple of bicyclists that passed me. Eventually, I reached a point where the Hutton Trail branches off to the left. The Hutton Trail eventually leads to the Carrie Murray Nature Center located in the center of Leakin Park.
Eventually, I made it to where the Gwynns Falls Trail intersects with Windsor Mill Road. At that location, I had to make a decision. Was I going to get on the Wetland Trail, which leads back into Leakin Park? Was I going to continue hiking north across Windsor Mill Road, where the trail then becomes the Dickeyvill Trail? Was I going to turn right and pass over the pedestrian bridge spanning Gwynns Falls? This week, I decided to walk across the bridge.
Once across the bridge, I eventually made it to another trailhead. At this trailhead, you could then explore all of the trails on the east side of Gwynns Falls. From the trail on the east side of Gwynns Falls, it is possible to follow the trail down into downtown Baltimore. Not only that, there are several other hiking trails that connect to the Gwynss Falls Trail. According to the trail map located at Winan's Meadow, the Gwynns Falls Trail has a length of 15 miles.
When I decided to take a break, drink some water, and eat a protein bar, I decided to head back to my car. According to Google Earth, I had only traveled just a little more than three miles to reach my turning around point. The hike seemed a lot longer than it really was. At various times on the hike, my left knee brace kept sliding down into my left shin, making it painful to walk at times. Knowing that I wasn't going to see everything on one trip, I headed back to the car.
I was surprised at how fast the return hike back to my car was. I must have had hiker's high. Everything was just a blur. Eventually, I just gave up on re-adjusting the velcro straps on both of my knee braces ever 100 yards or so. As I got closer to Trailhead #1, I thought about stopping by Bullwinkle's Saloon for a well-earned beer. Eventually, I gave up on that idea and continued back up the Gwynns Falls Trail to my car.
Once I made it back to Trailhead #1, I was really tired. I went right to benches at the trailhead and collapsed. I discarded any notion that I had about going over to Union Brewing or having dinner at a restaurant. Unfortunately, not this time.
When I returned back to my apartment, I realized just how out of shape that I am. Yes, I was covered in sweat. Yes, every muscle in both of my legs were sore and the soles of my feet started to hurt. I also had sore muscles in my lower and upper back. Just then I realized that this is the exact kind of workout that my lower body needs on a regular basis. When I got back to my apartment, I should have used my foam roller, especially on my calves and quadriceps.
Once I got back to my car, I took a look at the statistics for my hike on my
Samsung watch. I walked 17,541 steps in 192 minutes. I also burned 993 calories. Not too bad. Since I cannot run anymore, this is exactly the type of cardio workout that I need.
Later on that night, one thought I had was that perhaps it's time to consider getting a new pair of hiking boots. [To be honest, I still miss the Lowa hiking boots that I wore in Afghanistan.] The Salomon hiking boots that I bought several years ago at the REI in Fairfax, VA, have been good pretty good hiking boots. For now, I will keep the Salomons.
