Expedition Black Rock

Two weeks ago I became very adventurous and asked Ryan if we could hike Black Rock (Black Rock is a steep hill climb in Hagerstown close to where Ryan went to high school).  So many of our friends have hiked up Black Rock, but this was my first time.  I started with positive thinking:

The scenery climbing up was breathtaking.  Ryan and I wanted to escape for some quiet time in nature and this climb was perfect.  The fresh air, the quiet, the trees and hearing the birds.  It was perfect (you can click on the pictures to make them bigger).

While breathtaking it also took our breath away, especially me.  It had been a while since I had been climbing.  There was lots of Gatorade and lots of grasping a hold of Ryan's hand.

The trail was perfect, however the beginning was a little difficult.  I'm guessing it had rained the day before, because the ground was a bit moist.  Ryan was able to walk around or knew where to walk, but I unfortunately couldn't get my stepping right and ended up in the "quick sand".  The mud was pretty deep.  You can see all of my footprints below.  I'm thinking I need to buy a pair of hiking boots.  Tennis shoes aren't working.

This was also included in the beginning portion.  I've never seen a walk that was made up of bricks and cement blocks before, but we persevered.

We had walked a good distance, but unfortunately I wasn't able to finish the walk.  Ryan was doing well, but I couldn't go too much further.  This just gives us the excuse to visit Hagerstown more.  This will be my goal for the end of the year.  Maybe I'll play the "Rocky" song next time.