My photos today are from my most recent visit to the Big Gunpowder Falls State Park which is located at approximately 10092 Belair Rd in Baltimore County, Maryland. I was on the Big Gunpowder Trail which will take you out to the Pot Rocks area but I didn't make it that far on this visit. Although, I still snapped up some wonderful photos along with a few nice surprises.
It was very nice to see this brand new trail map on the trailhead information board. So that is where the "Lost Pond" is!
This particular day was a cloudy but, luckily, it had not rained and did not rain while we were there. The next two photos show the tunnels under the bridge that were recently repaired and reinforced. At the top and behind the fencing is the walkway to the Big Gunpowder Trail.
From the bridge you can see that the water level was about average to how it usually is. I've seen it lower and from a distance seen it much higher!
As a matter of fact, I spotted this marker to the right of the trail and up a small embankment. Would be interesting to know the exact year that was the last 100 year flood!
This part of the Big Gunpowder Trail is mostly level but there are a few narrow spots and spots that can be tricky especially right after it rains.
It is amazing how differently the woods look when the trees are bare. I felt a little sadness and felt like the woods just wasn't as large a wooded area as it appears when filled with foliage. It also made me wonder where the deer go to hide from people in such an open and vulnerable space.
I did spot some pretty colors on just a few trees and also small bushes and berries.
A few trees still had some colorful leaves but they were very few. However, some still had lots of color in the form of moss. I thought you would like to see this interesting tree here ...
... but here is the more interesting angle that I thought you might like to see.
I've photographed this next tree before but it is still nice to see it and looks a little different each time. It is no longer standing and has a lovely display of mushrooms on it!
I loved the way this mossy branch looked nestled in the leaves.
I saw lots of mushrooms and moss and lichens.
I saw mushrooms and lichens together, mushrooms and moss together and moss and lichens together.
I even saw all three together as well!
I took these next two photos while standing in the same spot. Looking upstream and downstream.
Not far from that spot I saw this portion of tree that I decided to get a closer look at. See if you can spot the little bug in the second photo below. I didn't notice it until I viewed the photo after I got home. It is in the second collage, in the left photo, in the middle about two thirds down and just above the branch. There was also a little mushroom growing on the side of the portion of tree.
By the way, if you are out and about and see a tree with a black fuzzy vine going up the side of it ... don't touch it! The black fuzzy vine is most likely climbing poison ivy. There is a saying that goes: "hairy vine is no friend of mine"! I don't know where the saying came from but, seriously, it ain't your friend!
After going about half way to the Pot Rocks area I knew I was about done for the day so we decided to head back.
I still have another surprise coming up and it was right about hear that we heard them! From here you can also just see part of the parking lot with the trees being without their leaves.
Here they are! It looks like the horse on the left heard us as well and then the second horse in looked up at us after it had been looking down.
I finally made it back to the walkway, thank goodness!
This is my last photo and I took it from the walkway. I think the sun tried to peek out but the clouds won out over the sun. I loved that I could see the winding of the river somewhat. I think if the trees did have leaves then the winding wouldn't have been seen at all though. I probably won't get back out here again till Spring. I'm sure it will be the same and different again much like it is on every visit. Thanks for coming along with me and I hope you enjoyed my surprises from the trees to the mushrooms to the berries to the horses and .. well .. you get the idea! 馃槉
All photos and text by me 