Dusting Off the Winter

I find it a little hard to believe myself, but from last Sunday to this past Sunday, I have hiked/walked right around 28-29 miles.  We have been making a point of getting out and about to pull ourselves back into some semblance of shape for an upcoming vacation which is going to involve a TON of walking.

The first big foray we did was about 9.5 miles on the York County Heritage Rail Trail.  We wanted somewhere relatively flat with a lot of mileage we could just churn out.  Last Sunday we started at the Hanover Junction trailhead and walked to the town of Glen Rock and back.  Not a lot of wildflowers were out, but there were several big patches of Bloodroot in bloom.

This is the town of Glen Rock.  Bluegrass music fans might recognize this as the town where Del McCoury grew up.  The Rail Trail actually continues south of Glen Rock into Maryland, but this was far enough for us in one day.

The Rail Trail, at least this part of it, runs along the south branch of the Codorus Creek, and the landscape is a mix of farms and forest.  

Most rail trails follow the right-of-way of an old rail line. That is, the rail line has literally become a trail.  This one in  York is a little different, because the tracks are still in place.  They were disused for quite a while.  But now, Steam Into History, a steam-powered locomotive that pulls excursion trains, uses the tracks.  So those on the trail sometimes come face to face with those on the rail!

Here's a short video I took of Steam Into History's gorgeous locomotive when it first arrived in the area back in the summer of 2013.  One of those things I just happened to luck into.

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