Looking Forward to Next Season for the Mustangs!

As everyone is fully aware of by now, COVID-19 has destroyed the spring and possibly summer social lives as well as athletic lives of everyone across the globe!  The age group that was affected by this quarantine most is definitely college students.  This is because, with all of the loss of sports seasons, forced relocating, and no social interaction, college life has been flipped upside-down.

Even though we are going through a tough time with COVID-19 going on, it has already started to get better!  The peak of COVID-19 is believed to be behind us, as the numbers of recovered patients begins to overcome the number of new cases!  This is a time where we all really need to embrace each other, and be strong together with our respective households!  I really believe that this is the best way to overcome this virus, as well as to stay mentally and physically healthy!  I really want to challenge people to quarantine as best as they can for the short time we have remaining of it, as two or three more weeks of quarantine can't do any more harm.

In the eyes of the Stevenson Men's Lacrosse team, there is only one option of how to deal with their season's cancellation due to COVID-19; to beat it and be ready for next year!  This is the mindset every teammate has, as the anger of being robbed of a championship caliber season will only lead to success if they use the off-season correctly.  This is a huge part of the teams current mindset, as every team member is ready to grind each and every day of this offseason.

I know the whole team has their daily workouts delivered to them on an app in their phones, as well as eating guidelines that most athletes try to stick to.  These are two great methods to maintain and improve both physical health and mental health, and will show off in next year's NCAA lacrosse season.  This vigorous off season workout and meal plan should have our Mustangs ready to win the NCAA lacrosse tournament next Spring!!

Stay tuned for next year's season for the Stevenson Men's Lacrosse Team, and stick with them as they make a run for the Ring!!

Where to go on Hikes near Stevenson University During COVID-19

In my last post I talked about places to walk in Owings Mills, near Stevenson's Owings Mills Campus.  In this post I will be sharing 2 beautiful places to hike around Stevenson University.

Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area

• Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area is about 15 minutes away from Stevenson Owings Mills Campus.  If you follow Dolfield Blvd to its end, and take a right on Deer Park Road, it will be a few miles down on the ride hand side of the road.  There is a decent amount of parking, but you have to be careful not to block anybody in!
• This is such a beautiful hiking trail, and it showcases a lot of open plains type area.  The trail starts off in the woods and leads to a huge open plan area that is free to roam.  The picture above showcases only one of the amazing views Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area has to offer!  This trail leads very close to the end of the Red Run Valley Trail that was mentioned in the last blog post.
• I would highly recommend this trail to anyone who is adventurous and loves to be out in nature!  This is the biggest and best hiking sport inside of Owings Mills, and definitely is worth the struggle, even if you don't like to hike as much as the people you choose to go with!  This is not the best spot to hike on a rainy day, as the beginning of the trails are all filled with puddles, so plan accordingly!

Patapsco Valley State Park

• Patapsco Valley State Park is about 20 minutes away from the Stevenson Owings Mills Campus.  If you get on 795 South, and then merge onto 695 South, you're well on your way!  You take exit 15b onto route 40 West, and it is a few miles down the road, very visible with signs.  This is extremely easy to get to, and very obvious, as there are signs everywhere that direct you to the state park.
• The Hiking trail at Patapsco Valley State Park travels along the patapsco river, and is such a beautiful location!  The park also has a campground, as well as fishing, kayaking, and numerous hiking spots!  This park has so many different trails, that it would be near impossible to explore the entire park!!  There are the easy main trails that families travel on, as well as the harder, longer trails that more advance hikers travel on.
• I highly recommend going to this park during the season of COVID-19, as it is a fantastic place to spend an entire day!!  Patapsco Valley State Park is the perfect family hiking spot!!  It is complete with everything a family could want, from hiking spots, to disc golf, to picnic areas!  The trails range from short and simple, to long and difficult, so this is a spot for all ages and hiking skill levels.  I think this is one of the best hiking spots in Baltimore County!!

Tune in for my next blog post, which will feature a look into next years Stevenson Men's Lacrosse team, and how the Mustangs will move forward as a community from this cancelled semester.

Where to go on Walks Near Stevenson University During COVID-19

As we finally pass the peak of COVID-19, people seem to have figured out their day to day lives in quarantine.  One thing I have found many people, including myself, doing is going on short walks a few times a day.  This is a great way to spend time in quarantine, while maintaining your physical and mental health!!  This week Im going to talk about 2 spots in Owings Mills to get out in nature!

Red Run Valley Trail

• Red Run Valley Trail is located off of Red Run Blvd, about 10 minutes away from Stevenson Owings Mills Campus.  If you take Dolfield Blvd, and turn left at the Royal Farms intersection, it is about a mile down the road on your right.  It is really easy to miss, so look for a small parking area on the right of the road with a green gate!
• This trail actually ends up at Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area, but is a completely different trail!  This is the perfect walking trail to take your family on, whether you're biking, walking, roller blading or walking your dog.  This trail is paved, but has many unpaved trails off to the sides of the paved trail.
• I highly recommend this trail to anyone that needs to get outside, which I can't think of anyone that doesn't need to.  It is a great spot to walk alone, with your roommates, or even your entire family!  There is a few little streams that you can walk to off of the main path.  I found these little paths to be extremely relaxing, as even the sound of the stream is soothing. 
• This trail is so great to keep your mental health positive during this time of quarantine!   It also helps to go for a shorter walk and clear your head, especially when you're thinking about COVID-19.

Northwest Regional Park

• Northwest Regional Park is located about 10 minutes away from Stevenson Owings Mills Campus.  If you follow Dolfield Blvd to its end, and turn left onto Deer Park Road, it will be on your left in about a quarter of a mile.  Its easy to see by its sign out in front, and has a pretty decent amount of parking!
• This is more of an athletic field park; however there are plenty of walking trails inside the park, as well as many hiking trails that lead out of the park!  This is a great spot to go and work out, as there is fields to run and exercise on.  This is also a great spot to take your pets and family on a walk in a park!
• This is also the perfect place to organize a social distanced exercise class, or just a group of people that is willing to work out 6 feet apart.  This is because there are fields where sprints can be done, as well as any other type of bodyweight workout.  I highly recommend going out there if you're still in Owings Mills and need a place to workout, or just walk around with a nice view!

Stay tuned, my next blog post will be talking about 2 hiking spots in Owings Mills!!  Stay safe everyone, and stay active!!