Elk Neck State Park, MD, Part 2 - South

Following my nice hike in the northern section of the park, I hopped in the car and made my way to the southern, or lighthouse, section. Parking in this section is just inside the park boundary, and the hiking was a good bit different here than in the other.

The northern section was single track dirt path through the woods. This part was 15 foot wide dirt and gravel road, accessible to just about anything but a wheelchair, which is understandable given the level of foot traffic the lighthouse must get. A very different feel though. I didn't see a single person in the first part of the morning, and was never really by myself in the second half. As can be seen on the map, the second part of the morning ended up being a 2.5 mile walk, slightly longer but much easier than the earlier hike. Parking is at the top, with the "lollipop" being clockwise this time. Detours, as always, are for retrieving geocaches.


Geocaching - using expensive electronics to find Tupperware in the woods.

The scenic highlight of the park is the lighthouse itself, situated 100 feet above the water level on the bluffs overlooking the junction of the North East and Elk Rivers. It was built in 1833, and was the highest lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay, measuring 135 feet above the water. The lighthouse and an adjacent outbuilding remain, although the lighthouse keeper's residence that stood nearby has been demolished. The park's website is here. As an aside, the two people on the bench with the dog would introduce themselves later on my hike with the question: "Are you a geocacher?" I said... "uh...yeah... hiking and geocaching, why?" The woman said, "because every now and then you stop and look at a GPS and a map and you don't follow the same trails everyone else does." Heehee. Guilty as charged. Nice people, and I am glad to have met a couple of geocachers from south Jersey.


A sentimental favorite view - the mouth of the Sassafras River from atop the bluffs - home away from home. More time than I can remember as I was growing up was spent at my grandparent's summer house on the Sassafras, and to this day there is not a place on Earth that holds more fond memories of my childhood than "The River".


While much of the path down here was a road, the western section of the Lighthouse Trail loop was a woods path, which was nice because none of the other foot traffic seemed to want to go here. That suited me fine. All it took was a few strides down this path and I had regained my solitude.

At the far western end of the Lighthouse Trail, the path dropped down off the bluff to the water level on the western side of the peninsula. A man and his son were fishing off the seawall, and we talked for a few minutes. They were bottom fishing for catfish, and unfortunately were not having much luck. It was very nice to be by the water on such a lovely day.

And you really can't be by the water and not get wet, so here I am dipping my toes into the waters of the Chesapeake. Ahhhhhh...feels good. I'm not sure exactly what precipitated this little quirk of mine, but any time I am around water, I have to put my feet in it, even if it is just to dip the toes of my shoes in the water. I suspect this ritual is in remembrance of all the times as a kid that Leo and I would be off in the woods somewhere, getting wet and having fun. It just doesn't seem right somehow for me to be near water and not get some on my shoes...

On the way back to the car, I was able to get this good shot of the side of one of the bluffs to give an impression of their steepness. I couldn't help thinking as I looked at this view that if I had just a little more time, I would've liked to go scrambling down there... It may be a good 30 or 35 years since I first discovered how much fun it was to slide down an embankment like this, but I haven't forgotten. Not yet. And speaking of Leo... I'm sure if he had been with me we probably would have found the time to do just that.

I really couldn't have been much happier with how the day worked out. I was able to get out early, get all this done (9 caches total and almost 5 miles of walking) and still be home to the family by 12:30. As much as I love my family and the time I get to spend with them, there is something to be said for some solitary time in the woods. Maybe this is just my introverted nature coming out, but hiking gives a sense of peace and contentment, and recharges my batteries in a way that is hard to explain. Others who love the outdoors will understand.

When I first left the house this morning, I was a little bit disappointed in the prospect of doing this alone. In retrospect, I think it was just what I needed. Being out in nature and enjoying some alone time is not a bad thing, and in this case, I think it worked out perfectly. There is still one part of the northern section of the park that I haven't done yet, from a geocaching perspective, and I'm sure on the return trip I will be able to find some company to tag along. Dave is on his way back from an aikido trip to Seattle as we speak, and we exchanged a few text messages this evening. He was asking about my Elk Neck hike. I was asking about his Washington state cache finds (which make me EXCEEDINGLY jealous, by the way - so far west and so far north!!). I told him that I didn't have the time to get all the caches in the park, and I know that the last time he had been hiking down here I had not turned him into a geocacher yet. So I do sense a follow-up trip in the future. Maybe not real soon, but we'll get it done.