After a long week of getting settled in our new environment, we decided to take a day to relax and take a walk along the waterfront. We started at the Canton Waterfront Park where there is a trail that wraps around the harbor. It was a beautiful day and there were many people also out enjoying an early spring day taking a stroll or jogging along the path. Not surprisingly, there are several restaurants along the water with open air patios that were packed with people enjoying cold beverages and soaking in some sun. We did stop for a margarita before heading back towards our place.
The Start of Our WalkJust Part of the MarinaWalking the Path
Overall, we spent about an hour and a half walking on the trail and enjoying the scenery. It is certainly a different atmosphere than what we would have done while we were living in Colorado. It definitely gave us a taste of what to expect as the days get warmer. Although this is literally out of our back door, the majority of people come into the inner harbor area from the surrounding neighborhoods and other parts of the city to enjoy the food and views. It is obvious why so many people choose to come to Baltimore’s inner harbor area as a destination. Fortunately for us, as you get farther away from the actual inner harbor, the neighborhoods get quieter but there are just as many choices of places to enjoy food and drinks.
Canton Waterfront ParkMany of the Yachts Margaritas Houses Along the Path
We have been silent for the past several weeks as we embarked on changing our location from Colorado to Maryland. We have finally moved into our new place in Baltimore and are starting to settle in. We still have a lot to do over the coming weeks in order get fully moved in, but we are looking forward to starting new adventures in the area and getting overseas as well. There are so many opportunities for us and we are truly excited about what will discover in the coming weeks and months.
Views of BaltimoreInteresting Architecture
Moving across the country is definitely a daunting experience and even as organized as we are, it is still very overwhelming. We can hardly wait to share our stories as we explore our own backyard in the city of Baltimore. We may have a few more days of being quiet, but should be back to “normal” in the near future.
We are Blocks from the WaterBaltimore’s Inner Harbor Area
When you go hiking in the mountains of Colorado, you expect the hikes to be fairly strenuous. Unless you’re going on a relatively short hike, there is most likely going to be a significant change in elevation. After all, you’re in the mountains and if you’re going to go hiking, it isn’t going to be flat. With that said, some hikes are harder than others. We’ve hiked to top of Pikes Peak, which is a 12 mile (19 kilometer) hike one-way to the summit and an elevation gain of over 8,000 feet (or 2,500 meters) as well as hiked on trails with ledges that were only as wide as our feet. We’re definitely not rock climbers, but from time to time you have to do some boulder scrambling in order to reach some of the more remote locations when hiking.
View from the Trail
Gorgeous Waterfall
Mountain Pond
Rugged Peaks
Mountain Summit
Cabin on the Trail
There were Lots of Waterfalls
Rushing Water
The hike that we took during one of our trips to Breckenridge, Colorado, was one of those hikes. The interesting thing about hiking when you have to scale some rocks or go on the edge of some steep cliffs is that it is usually more unnerving going down than it is going up. When you’re going up the mountain, your focus is on the trail ahead of you and the reaching the top of whatever you’re scaling. When you’re heading down, you tend to see how steep things really are and that makes it a little bit more scary.
Looking Down at Breckenridge
This was the Easy Part
Looking Down at the Trail Below
One of the Lower Ponds
Gorgeous View from the Trail
Waterfall Down to the Pond
The Peak Above the Pond
We almost turned around a couple of times during the hike, but the payoff at the end was worth the effort. As is often the case when you hike in Colorado, the views at the peak or the end of a trail are absolutely spectacular. This particular hike brought us to a gorgeous pond where we sat and ate a brief lunch while we watched the mountain goats relax on the boulders above us. It was just the two of us and nature, and it was one of the most tranquil and relaxing experiences that we’ve had hiking. Perhaps it was due to the lack of oxygen and exhaustion, but the beauty around us was almost euphoric.
Resting by the Pond
Mountain Goats
Another Waterfall
Tranquil Pond
Mountain Stream
Another Summit
Edge of the Pond
Unfortunately all hikes must end and eventually you have to work your way back down and back to reality and to civilization. On our way back down, when we reached the spot where we had climbed up several boulders along a very steep cliff, we scooted ourselves down as opposed to walking, not wanting to tumble down into the ravine. Hearts pounding, once we were down from the boulders, it was back to a normal hike and we were able to once again enjoy that beauty that surrounded us. There truly isn’t anything like hiking in the mountains and totally immersing oneself in nature.
