In early April, my husband and I went away for a long overdue vacation without our littles in tow. It was a much needed break, and, as a result, I also took an extended break from blogging. Now I’m back and it is time to catch up! Pebble and I have been out and about enjoying the fresh air on the weekdays, and, when we can, the whole family has been out on the weekends.
In mid-March, Pebble and I joined her friends at Patapsco Valley State Park – Hilton Area in Catonsville, MD. I’ve blogged about this place before because we love, love, love the tire playground here! On this visit, work was being done on a building at the entrance to the park where fee collection is normally done. There is a honor box that one can use to pay the $2 admission fee, but that was, unfortunately, blocked by construction. Pebble was very interested in the construction vehicles being used on the structure. She was happy to point out the various ones in use, such as a steamroller and a front loader. Def a bonus to this visit, playground time and construction crews for the win!
Pebble’s friend and her family also joined us on this playdate, and my friend and I watched all four kids run up and down the hill, happily trying every piece of playground equipment out. On this cool spring morning, there were few other people here, and the kids basically had the place to themselves. The giant slide was especially slippery, and we had to catch the kids when they came down, or they risked flying off the end and landing in a heap. The kids were both excited by how fast the slide was, and a tiny bit scared. Pebble wouldn’t go down unless I was ready to catch her. Sadly, the lone swing at this playground, a tire swing, was missing. It must have broken and hadn’t yet been replaced. The tire swing was Pebble’s favorite thing to play on during our last visit, so she was upset when she saw it was missing. Fingers are crossed that it will be repaired the next time we visit.
We had all brought a picnic lunch, and there were plenty of picnic tables in the warm sunshine for us to camp out on at lunchtime. The bathrooms were open, so we chose a table closer to the restrooms for the kiddos. It is easier to wash hands sometimes than use the hand sanitizer, especially when kiddos have been playing in mulch and dirt.
After lunch, we all decided to do a short hike down to the Saw Mill Branch Stream that feeds into the Patapsco River so that the kids could toss rocks. It had been 2 years since I last did the Forest Glen Trail, and the trail has changed drastically since I last hiked it. Once we passed the junction with the Pigs Run Trail, I had remembered the trail being rocky, and steep in spots, but that was not the trail we encountered on this visit. Instead, the trail became much narrower, no more than one or two across, with a drop off on our right side, and it was very steep! It was not a child friendly trail, at least not with our littles, who were all 5 and under. I held tight to Pebble’s hand as well as my friend’s middle child’s hand. It was a nerve-wracking walk down to the river. I don’t think my friend and I breathed until we were standing on the banks of the stream. I couldn’t believe how much the trail had changed in two years. I don’t know if the trail was rerouted, or flood damage had eroded the hill that the trail traversed, but it was not for the faint of heart!
The kids were oblivious to the danger of the trail, and were thrilled to see a body a water they could play in and around. There were plenty of rocks to toss, and a giant sand bank to play on. After a half hour or so, we began the task of rounding kids up, shaking off the sand, getting shoes back on, and starting the climb back up to the Hilton Area. It was easier going back up than down, and the kids didn’t need as much help with the ascent. Once we returned to the Hilton Area, the kids ran off to play on the playground just a bit longer.
All in all, all six of us had a great morning and early afternoon! This is a wonderful area of Patapsco, the tire playground is one of our favorites, and we will be back again! Happy trails!
https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/central/PatapscoValley/Hilton/Hilton-Area.aspx