In early October, our area got hit with the remnants from Hurricane Ian. It rained off and on from Friday to Tuesday. By Monday, I was going stir crazy from being inside. I texted two friends to see if they wanted to meet up and take a walk with Pebble and me. Then I bundled Pebble up in sweats, her rainboots, rain jacket, a hat and mittens. I wore my fleece-lined leggings, sweatshirt and light jacket, plus hat and mittens, and my boots. It wasn’t raining at this moment, but it was wet and cold, warm clothes were a must! We set off for Historic Savage Mill in Savage, Maryland as I had decided it would be fun to try the short Savage Mill Trail. It only runs 0.8 miles one way and overlooks the Little Patuxent River. It is a rail trail, and, while not paved, was hard packed enough for one of my friends to push a stroller. Parking is available along Foundry Street near the Bollman Iron Truss Bridge. I used Historic Savage Mill as my GPS guidance. It is a complex of shops and eateries inside an old 1800’s cotton mill. We ended up not parking on the street, but rather in a parking area for the complex right next to the pathway that crosses the bridge. My friends also parked there.
Ordinarily, this trail would be hopping, and parking would be hard to come by, but the weather was keeping people away. I had been to this trail once before maybe two years earlier. At the time, I had wanted to see the ruins of the old Savage Mill up close. It wasn’t the best hike I did with my family nor was it one I ever wanted to try again. The old mill is very depressing from close up, so many broken bottles, graffiti, and garbage everywhere! It is better to see the place from a distance, like the bridge and / or the Savage Mill Trail. When the weather is hot, people bring swimming gear, and take the Savage Mill Trail to places where they can access the river to wade and swim.
On this day, my friends and I were pretty much the only people out and about. Pebble was super excited about the bridge, and ran to the middle of it to watch the water swirling below. We had gotten a lot of rain, and the river was full and moving fast! I love how the old train tracks run briefly next to the walkway over the river, giving a glimpse of the area’s history. There are also historical markers and signs alongside the trail once one crosses the river. Of course, reading these informative signs is near on impossible if your companion is a curious preschooler who wants to explore.
Once we turned onto the rail trail, we spotted a porta-potty at the trailhead, we could also see benches on a platform a little ways ahead. There are trails and stairs that lead down from the trail to the water’s edge. Here, at the start of the trail, we had views of both the river and Savage Mill. Pebble happily jumped in every puddle she came across, and filled up her little exploration container that I’d brought with me. I know she always finds something when we walk, so I was prepared this time with a container for her special “finds.” Her finds today included acorns, giant leaves, flowers, even a turkey tail.
It didn’t take us long to walk the distance to the end of the trail. Here Pebble and my friend’s kiddo shared a snack, while I snapped a few quick pics of the river before we began our amble back to the car. At one point, Pebble, and I did a bit of exploring, and went down one of the little side-trails leading to the river. The trail let us out on a small sandy beach. Pebble threw rocks in, and got super excited when she saw all the tiny shells mixed into the sand. I knew my friends were waiting for us up top, but I needed a crowbar to convince Pebble we had to leave. I promised her we would come back here when it was warm out again for her to splash and play. When we were almost to the end of the trail, Pebble did a dance in a puddle and ended up soaking herself from the knee down in muddy water. One of her boots even fell off. She got mad and didn’t want to put her boot back on, but mom prevailed, and Pebble got new pants and socks when we got back to the car.
We didn’t hike for long, three moms and three kids, Pebble being the oldest, but it was a jolt of fresh air that we all needed during those bleak rainy days as the ghost of Ian pummeled our area. I have heard that there is an excellent coffee shop up in Historic Savage Mill, so that could be something we check out next time we visit the area. There is also the Patuxent Branch Trail to explore, it runs through a nearby park in Savage. We were lucky that we didn’t get rained on during our outing, but the rain picked back up that afternoon. I hope to bring Pebble back here in the spring, or even next summer to explore more. Happy trails!
