I had a conversation with a friend in the middle of a park maybe in late October. I asked him what he wanted. He said he wanted to live like the Native American’s did, as a community. Confused, I asked why. We were talking for hours so I’m paraphrasing but essentially he said everything we crave, such as purpose, and belonging exists when we as a people were just tribes. Everyone has your back, and you’re acting in a unit instead of singular. With survival as a unit, you the individual would only need to work 15-20 hours a week.
So after we talked, I asked him a better question. “What do you want to do knowing you can’t have what you really want?” He seems to be still figuring it out. The more I think about it, I’m almost certain he wants a family. Stellar candidate by the way. ha 😁😏😉
Aside from what my friend wants, wouldn’t it be great to live in a world that has your back? Obviously, this does exist in various niches and forms such as the Appalachian Trail community and maybe a few cults, but more so don’t you wish this existed in society as a default? Yea me too. There is more to elaborate on here, but I more so wanted to point out this conversation to my readers so they can ask themselves what they want and implement in that direction sooner rather than later. If you want to change the world however, start with being the change.
Vantage Point of Loch Raven Dam
Anyway, this is mainly just a blog post, but I would like to mention at least one hike with its destination. I’ve recently bought a subscription for a map service called, “GaiaGPS.” This new map has given me the ability to see all of the public trails and land boundaries, which include the fire roads. With this new widened scope, I’ve been exploring areas I grew up in that I have never been to before, land that I know now is public. This said, I’ve uncovered an indirect pathway that is very well surrounded by private property that gave me not only a view of the Loch Raven Dam from the less traveled side, but also a public street I could park on in the early morning the next day to cut the hike down to minutes instead of hours for Hope (she had to work later that morning). To get there the first time, I needed to hike around 3 miles, on a fire road for the most part, sometimes feet away from the private property. It sort of felt like I was walking in someone’s back yard.
To get back, I actually, hiked out to the end of the fire road, maybe another 0.25 miles on the south end of the map and took an Uber. Not really my thing, but wasn’t wearing the right shoes to hike back in the dark. I had an idea of the mileage before starting, but I just went for it. I had meant to wake up early and hike it but slept-in. As the day went on, I committed and made a safety call as the sun was about to set. I could have taken the 90ish minute risk, but the ride was only $10, so I enjoyed my sunset and got the ride.
Yes, there is a easier way to get there, but it’s not a legal parking space so I’m not going to even bother listing it. If you want a short hike, I recommend taking an Uber to the entrance of one of the fire roads.
| Name | View Point of Loch Raven Dam |
| Location | Hampton, Maryland |
| Parking/Trailhead | 39.453738, -76.544607 |
| Trail Name | Use the Map Above For Guidance I recommend downloading GaiaGPS on to your phone. There should be a basic map, that may have some indication of paths. |
| Hike Length | 6.8 Miles (Out & Back) |
| AllTrails Link | N/A |
