A Sassafras Rock

A quick postscript to my hike Saturday in the Sassafras NRMA. Darling Wife was doing laundry on Sunday night, and the dryer started making a loud banging sound. She evened out the load, started it again...and the loud banging continued. I went to take a look, and spotted the problem - there was a large rock loose in the dryer...and I knew where it came from.

On the Lloyd Creek part of my hike, when the trail came down to the beach, it was full of what my dad called "Maryland gravel" - sand mixed with small round pebbles that have been polished smooth by the sand. I saw a small white disc-shaped rock, liked the look of it, and put it in my pocket. And then forgot about it until I saw it bouncing around the dryer.

I told Darling Wife that I'd found the problem, explained about the stone, and showed it to her. She was touched that, at an age where some men have grown hopelessly cynical, I've retained my boyish sense of wonder.

At least that's my interpretation of what she was thinking. The actual conversation went something like this:

DW: A stone in the dryer? That you picked up on your hike?

Me: Yes.

DW: You saw a stone, picked it up, and put it in your pocket?

Me: Ummm, yes.

DW: (shaking her head) What are you, five years old?!?

Sassafras NRMA, 9/27/2014

With some time to myself and a beautiful day in the forecast, a hike was a definite. I thought about Hawk Mountain or The Pinnacle - but decided I'd take a vacation day sometime soon and go up there. I also had some things to do at the River, so I decided on a hike down there.

Sassafras River, looking toward Kentmore

I did some hiking and geocaching at the Sassafras NRMA near Turner's Creek a few years ago, and the views are so beautiful that I decided on a return visit. The trails are not long or extensive, but they're pretty, and they lead to river vistas and to the river's edge.

A PDF map of the reserve is here. From the parking lot, you walk up a sand/gravel path, at which point you come to a junction, and can go left, right, or straight ahead. I took the right-hand path first, and went along the edge of a soybean field, passed a hunter's camp (with two hunters in residence - perhaps I should have been wearing my fluorescent orange cap?), then the path became sandy as I neared the river.

Lloyd Creek overlook

At the river's edge was a sandy clearing near the entrance to Turner's Creek. It was protected by overhanging trees, and would probably be nearly invisible from the water. I was looking across at the far side of Ordinary Point, and could see the back side of the red barn on the Decker Farm.

I wound back around to the junction point, and took the left-hand fork, which I knew would take me near the entrance of Lloyd Creek. After going along another soybean field, I came out at a gorgeous clifftop vista of the lower Sassafras. From there, the trail descends until it comes at on a sandy beach at the river's edge, just up from the mouth of Lloyd Creek. Maybe on a warm day, wearing shorts and water sandals, you could walk to the sandbar at Lloyd Creek. I'd like to try it sometime.

Cliff top view of the upper Sassafras

I re-traced my steps again, and back at the junction point, I decided against the third fork. It was unseasonably warm, and I was thirsty and hadn't brought anything to drink. (Well, I had, but it was back at the car and not in a day-pack.) So I decided that I'd had a good hike, walked back to the car, and spent the rest of the day at the River. According to the GPS, I hiked 4.67 miles in 1 hour 28 minutes.

If you're looking for a strenuous day-hike, this isn't the one. If you're looking for an interesting trail (in terms of technical difficulty or a new vista around every corner), this might not be the one. But if you're looking for river vistas, this is very highly recommended.

Photo album from the day is here.

Hiker Killed by Black Bear

Black bears are numerous in many places I hike. The first time I saw a bear in the wild was on the Appalachian Trail very near Hawk Mountain. I've seen another one near there, and I've also seen bears in the Shenandoah, and in the Great Smokies. Each sighting was memorable and thrilling - a genuine thrill to be sharing the woods with such big and beautiful creatures.

Darling Wife's reaction to talk of bears is alarm, and I assure her time and time again that black bears are timid and want no part of confrontation with humans. And that's my experience - I've been aware of the presence of a bear when I hear the noise of the bear running away from me. Of course you have to be smart with food and food smells - if you leave food out, you're likely to attract a bear who's following his nose.

Bottom line, I'm not afraid of black bears. I'm careful and respectful, but not afraid. Now out west, in grizzly country, is a completely different story. They can be extremely dangerous. But black bears are not grizzlies.

Then Darling Wife presented me with the story of a New Jersey hiker who was killed by a black bear. I thought there must be a mistake, but it's true. CNN story is here. Five friends went hiking, saw a bear, and scattered. When they re-formed later, one was missing, and was later found dead.

I'm wondering if he ran from the bear - which seems like the wrong thing to do in any wildlife encounter. First, you're never going to out-run or out-climb a bear. And second, running away will make you look like prey and will trigger a hunting instinct. Though bears are more foragers and scavengers than hunters.

This is sobering news. But it also doesn't change my attitude toward black bears, and won't change my hiking/camping behavior. They're not killers. Be smart, be respectful.