Thank you @shasta for #bouldersunday!! You can check out @shasta's latest Boulder Sunday post here!
Today we are returning to Rocks State Park in Harford County, Maryland.
Last time I reported from the ground level but this #bouldersunday we are going up to see the King and Queen Seat! You can get up there two ways, you can take a steep trail up or drive up.
As some of you may know, I have trouble walking sometimes and there was no way I could manage a trail that steep (photo only shows the beginning part of the trail) so we're taking the easier way up.
Once we got up to the area above, we took the trail to check out the King and Queen Seat.
There were a lot more boulders and rocks on the ground level but still more up here. It is, after all, called "Rocks" State Park. In this photo you can see that it was also lightly raining off and on.
So what, exactly, is the King and Queen Seat? This plaque explains it pretty well...
...Don't worry! I translated what it says:
"ROCKS STATE PARK"
"THE KING AND QUEEN SEAT"
"The King and Queen Seat to your right is a natural 190-foot outcrop that overlooks Deer Creek Valley. This cliff affords a spectacular view of Harford County's rolling hills and farmland.
Made of quartzite and a hard quartz-pebble metaconglomerate, the King and Queen Seat was formed millions of year ago when quartz was subjected to intense heat and pressure. The surrounding ancient rocks eroded away, leaving a tall "tower" of rock.
In 1879, Thomas Wysong published The Rocks of Deer Creek, where he confessed to "intermingling fact and fancy." According to Wysong, during the 1680's, local Susquehannock Indians used the King and Queen Seat as a site for ceremonial gatherings. Tribal Chief Bald Eagle and his wife sat upon the King and Queen Seat, while braves gathered below to listen to orators. Wysong claimed that from this spot, Bald Eagle and his wife witnessed their son, Bird-That-Flies-High, wed the Iroquois maiden, Fern-Shaken-By-The-Wind. No evidence has surfaced to support Wysong's account.
For centuries, the "Rocks at Deer Creek" were a popular site-seeing and picnicking destination. To ensure the King and Queen Seat's preservation, the State of Maryland purchased the site in 1949. Rocks State Park opened two years later."
It's hard to tell in these photos but this is looking down at the trail coming up.
There are caution signs posted all around. People have fallen and gotten hurt and even died.
We are coming up to the formation now.
Turns out we are not alone. There was a group of people out on the furthest part of the outcrop. They must've taken the steep climb up. I could not go out on that part. With my foot, other physical problems and the rain, I just couldn't do it. I still think I got some pretty good photos though.
There were a few more trails up here but we didn't walk far down them.
The sun kept threatening to break through the clouds but the clouds won this round!
Last photo before we leave!
Sorry I wasn't able to get photos from the furthest part of the outcrop. Maybe I will try to get back there in Autumn. It gets pretty crowded at Rocks State Park in the summertime. I'm not really sure that I can even get up and out there but I'm willing to give it another shot if I get out to "Rocks" again. 😉
