"And the song said, that the Seneca nation that could stand against anything could stand against the whole world" (From "Great Spirit Overpowers the Cold and Frost of Winter, Stone Coats," included in the collection of Seneca Indian Myths, by Jeremiah Curtin, [1922]). "Seneca" is Algonquian for "people of the standing rock."

Everything in life changes. The Seneca Nation did not stand against the whole world. But the rocks and Seneca Creek remain as reminders in each their own way that things do indeed change and that everything is relative.

Running changes. We are seeing an increase in runners who turn to the trails.

Runners are trying out the trails. Various park authorities are connecting conservation parks via new trail construction, constructing greenways and trail corridors, and acquiring additional lands to develop as parks and trails.

Montgomery County, Maryland is on its way to developing one of the best trail systems in the region. One of the greatest trail corridors in the County to date is the Seneca Creek Greenway Trail (SCGT), which continues to be a "work in process." In the end, this trail corridor, the first of three which will connect the Potomac and Patuxent rivers in upper Montgomery County, will help link several other trails, creating a corridor and network of trails, parks, historic and cultural points of interest, and communities.

As of this writing, the SCGT connects the Potomac River at Riley's Lock near Poolesville, Maryland to the Damascus Regional Park for approximately 26 to 28 miles. The most recent connection to the Damascus parks includes use of the Magruder Branch Side Trail (MBST), which connects to the SCGT.

Following are directions and access points for the trail and a general trail review.

Directions and access points: There are several places to access the Seneca Creek Greenway Trail (SCGT) by car.

1. At Riley's Lock on the Potomac River near Poolesville, MD.
2. At River Road and Seneca Road.
3. At two places on Berryville Road.
4. On Route 28 between Darnestown and Poolesville.
5. At Black Rock Mill.
6. On Route 118, Germantown Road
7. On Riffleford Road.
8. At the Seneca Creek State Park on Clopper Road (Route 117).
9. On Route 355 between Gaithersburg and Germantown.
10. Off of Midcounty Highway in the Germantown-Neelsville area.
11. On Watkins Mill Road between Montgomery Village and Germantown.
12. On Brink Road in the Laytonsville area.
13. At Huntmaster Road in the Laytonsville area.
14. At Watkins Road (not to be confused with Watkins Mill Road) in the Laytonsville- Damascus area.
15. On Loghouse Road in the Damascus area.
16. At the Damascus Regional Park, off of Kings Valley Road near downtown Damascus.

Trail Review

For the trail runner, the SCGT offers convenience, diverse training opportunities, and an escape from the hubbub of the suburbs.

The trail connects to state, county, and national parks, the Potomac River, the C&O Canal and Towpath, several roads with trailhead parking lots, a few roads with nearby stores, and quite a few side trails, all the while following the winding Seneca Creek in the middle of Montgomery County. It will eventually connect to the Patuxent River and the Patuxent River State Park. With hours of trail running in the Patuxent State Park, hours available on the SCGT, and then hooking up to the Canal, the opportunities for long distance trail running are great. A runner could run for days on dirt trails, all within Central Maryland. Of course, the runner could also continue and run into western Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, DC, and West Virginia from any point on the SCGT, but that is another matter. For the area runner interested in either very long distance trail running or options to running trails with little repetition, the SCGT is your trail.

There is nothing particularly difficult about running on the SCGT. It is probably ninety-five percent single track and all run-able. There are sections that are relatively flat. There are hills. There are no mountains, and the more experienced trail runners would probably describe the SCGT hills as small and non- technical. There are a few water crossings and a good portion of the trail is in wetland areas; following a rain, some parts of the trail can be muddy for a few days.

The trail is blazed blue and/or blue-green from beginning to end. It is not difficult to follow; however, one should check out the trail description provided on the trail's Web site www.senecatrail.org. Additionally, the runner new to the SCGT might want to keep the following in mind.

Follow the blue or blue-green blazes. If you have not seen such a blaze for five to ten minutes, a good practice is to retrace your footsteps to the point that you pick up the blazes and try again to keep them in sight.

The creek flows downstream to the river. The creek is visible for some portion of every trail section. A trail section is generally a section of trail between one and five miles separated by a road or park. If the runner is heading upstream and gets off trail, they can look at the flow of water in the creek to determine the direction they are traveling and follow the creek to the next point they can see the trail.

Unless you are in the Patuxent or Seneca Creek State Parks, you are never more than three miles from a road. The Patuxent is a very large park with tens of miles of unmarked trails, just under 7,000 acres. The Seneca Creek State Park formal park area is smaller and is manned by the MD Department of Natural Resources. If you are in the formal park area, there are many intersecting park trails. There are also park rangers and employees to help you if needed.

The scenery is wonderful. It is not hard to leave the world of "King Farms," McDonalds, shopping malls, traffic, the beltway, and cell phones and within minutes share another world with trout, minnows, catfish, and crawdads quietly moving in the creek. Overhead, almost in hierarchal order are heron, owls, turkey vultures, red tailed hawks, blue jays, crows, and all types of waterfowl. Below the tree canopy are the song birds, the cardinals and orioles, the kingfishers and robins and even lower to the ground still and smaller are flocks of blue birds, golden finches, and an occasional hummingbird.

Ahead of the trail runner are almost always deer. If the runner is alone there is a good chance he or she might see a beaver, a red fox, a ground hog, some chipmunks, rabbits, and squirrels. Two wild turkeys were trying to hide from me this week in a field near Berryville Road. On a good day, the deer might offer the runner a pacing companion as many like to share the same single track as the runners. Trouble is, they also like to cross the creek a lot and can outrun most of us.

Besides the beauty and "escapism" the SCGT offers, there are endless opportunities for various training regimens.

Need a five-mile fartlek run? Access any section. Run the flats all out, push up the hills, and coast down. Park at the Rt. 355 trailhead and try to run even splits to and from Watkins Mill Road. This will offer a nice 6-mile out and back.

Want some hill workouts? Park at Black Rock Mill and run upstream toward Route 118. Go to the top of the second hill and turn around. Go to the top of the second hill in reverse and turn around. Go back and forth a few times covering the same two hills (maybe one and one-half miles for each out and back). Do this a couple of times a week. You should notice a difference. Bored with the Mill to 118 option? Go down to Berryville Road and run downstream. First, climb the steep hill, run the two rollers, and turn around. This is slightly different from the Mill to 118 option, but not a bad workout.

Live closer to Laytonsville or Damascus, or want a longer stretch with a few more hills?

Park either on Watkins Road (not Watkins Mill Road) or at the Damascus Park and run between the two. This is probably a five- mile out and back with one road crossing (Log House Road).

Want a longer stretch with more flats? Go to Seneca Creek State Park. Access one of the park trails that connect to the SCGT, preferably the Longdraught Trail, and then hop off and run the lake trail and then rejoin the SCGT. OK, it is not all that flat but is very run-able.

Riffleford Road to Rt. 118 is probably the flattest section of the trail. It is 2.5 miles one way and very run-able.

Training for a trail marathon or trail ultra? It is not hard to get 20 to 30 miles in with some water and fuel access. There are endless options but if you do not want to plant water and aid ahead of time and can carry much of this but not all, try parking at the Mill and running to the river and back, using Poole's store as your aid station. If you go to the river, this out and back is close to 17 miles. Poole's store is open six days a week and every year around this time on Sundays during "planting season." They are good folks.

If you live closer to the middle of Gaithersburg you can incorporate the park and the 7-11 near the Rt. 355 trailhead parking lot as your aide stations. For example, starting at Brink Road, a runner could run to Rt. 355 (~ 4.5 miles) and get a drink and some fuel at the 7-11. From there, run to the park and get more water and sometimes fuel (when the boat house is open) for another 4.5 or so. Maybe run down to the mill and back for another 10 to 11 or so on the fuel they have (of course it is simple to cut this part shorter) and then head back. It is also easy and fun to just run around the lake and explore some of the other park trails and then head back to Watkins Mill Road instead of going downstream from the park. It is simple to make this into a long run into the 20s or to keep it just under 20. You could also start this run at Rt. 355 or Watkins Mill Road.

The list of possibilities can go on and on. Why not get out there and create your own training course?

There is no need to run the same circuit time and again. Even if you do, once you get down in the woods, life is better and the circuit hardly ever seems the same even if it is geographically.

We all need to get off the roads and away from the busy environment checkered with stores, housing, and vehicles.

John Muir knew this so well: "Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountain is going home; that wildness is necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life." He also pointed out that, "The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness."