Just Jump!

Hiking Maryland’s Catoctin Mountain

Standing at the edge of Chimney Rock, high above the emerald-green swoops and rises of Maryland's Catoctin Mountain National Park, the only thought scrolling through my mind was, "jump!"

Lush, hardwood forest raced in every direction. The deep green waves rolled toward the horizon and were pockmarked only by a few aerie outcrops similar to the one on which I currently stood. Atop this crag, one of many located in this small grouping of mountains that make up a sort of Appalachian range offspring in northwestern Maryland, the sun shone in a clear blue sky and the land fed my eyes with overwhelming generosity.

But despite the extraordinary view, that nagging feeling just wouldn't go away. It was that familiar, strange lurch you get in your stomach on the timorous approach toward a sheer drop. You know the feeling; we all get it. It is simultaneously thrilling and terrifying. You get it on bridges, tall building balconies, and double black diamond trails. And mountain tops, of course. At a base level, it is far from masochistic. In fact, it is more pride than suicide; an internal jab that taunts Death, “nah nah, nah nah you can’t get me.”

Still, at Chimney Rock, I really wanted to jump.

Immediately in front of me a crevasse carved down into the mountain range. It was shallow enough to see the forest floor but deep enough to end the life of some poor soul with an unfortunate foothold.

The masochistic pride slid over into foolish courage, I took a half step backward, inhaled and lunged forward in oblivion.

Before I could close my eyes, my left foot touched solid ground. The right foot immediately after. I steadied myself and glanced over my shoulder. What was a gorge three seconds before, was now just a two and a half foot crack. Granted, a crack that plunged 30 or more feet to the jagged mountain slope below. But hindsight is a great confidence booster.

Over on the side where I started was where the hiking trail emptied out onto a grouping of terraced rocks that clung to the mainland mountainside. They stepped down towards the crack, like a natural, uneven staircase. There were stunning views of the mountain range but I knew the full effect was waiting atop the rocky island rising high above the forest floor.

To be fair, especially to the teenager nearby who was jumping airily from one side to the other and scampering over the cliff edges like a caffeinated, daredevil squirrel, I had taken the easy way over. I lunged over the crack onto a wide-open platform walled by a six-foot high ledge, marred with handholds for easy grasping. But further up where the crack was a little smaller, was a deep scar that shot down the side of the island. Braver folks than I – and by braver I mean dumber and by folks I mean the teenager – had reached across, gripped the inside of the crack, pulled their body over the gap and wedged up the scar.

Good for him. I was over too and I didn’t need the blind invincibility of youth to get there.

Despite my pride and sense of accomplishment at taking a giant step over a moderately scary hole, I was only on the first tier of Chimney Rock. So I gripped the ledge and hoisted myself up to the top of the island.

I got my foothold on the reddish-pink rock and when I rose, opened my eyes to an unrivaled panorama.

The world fell away from every side of my rocky pillar, collapsing into emerald hues that swept off undulating to the horizon.

I crept out to the furthest point and looked down at the top of a tree. Prudence bade me sit.

Coupled with a blue sky and sunshine, the spot reminded me of the great mountains far west of there in places like Yosemite or Colorado. Smaller, of course, without that sweeping grandeur, and yet a whole lot more attainable. Catoctin’s size is an asset; it’s location a pleasant surprise.

Earlier, the hike up was somewhat taxing, uphill with a fair amount of switchbacks. But it was quick, well maintained and not crowded. The National Park Service website claims it is the most strenuous hike in the park due to the steepness, but I’d mark it as an overall moderate 3. 8 mile roundtrip loop. A few different trailheads start from various locales, making Chimney Rock a manageable two hour hike to its peak elevation of 1419 feet.

I had started on the Wolf Rock / Chimney Rock Loop from the Catoctin Visitors Center. From there, it was 1.8 miles up to Wolf Rock, the lesser attraction along this woodland carnival route. A half mile later, the trail dumped out at Chimney Rock. 

Many visitors to Baltimore or Washington, D.C. rarely venture far from the Inner Harbor or National Mall. But this upper corner of Maryland was offering more stunning sights than either city.

And history, of course, is not far from anywhere in this region. As I sat on my perch, I began to wonder if I might catch a glimpse of the Leader of the Free World. Camp David, the Presidential retreat, is located in Catoctin Mountain National Park. The location of high-powered secret meetings, peace accords and tales around the campfire with world leaders was somewhere below me, hidden in the labyrinth of trees that crawled up hillsides and down into valleys. Who knows, maybe Obama, Putin and Netanyahu were roasting marshmallows and singing Kumbaya?

International politics aside, there really is nothing like clean air and a mountain top view to erase your mind to the point of ease. For a few blissful minutes, I sat atop Chimney Rock thinking of nothing. No feelings but a warm draft caressing the edge of the outcrop.

The calm was broke by an enormous bird that launched up from the trees countless miles away. It caught an updraft and soared to the clouds, which, for me, seemed just barely out of reach. It was too far away for me to tell what kind of bird it was.

Nevertheless, I was a bit envious while I watched him fly. In a few moments, I could use a pair of wings. That terrifying thrill was returning to my stomach. I still had to get back to the other side. But this time, I wasn’t nearly so eager to jump.

 For more on hiking to Chimney Rock in the Catoctin Mountain National Park, go to http://www.nps.gov/cato/planyourvisit/upload/ChimneyRockloop.pdf