Hardy Lake State Recreation Area has a really nice trail. As we set off, it was unbelievable the thick layer of leaves on which we were walking. It was so loud, that if we wanted to say something to each other we either had to stop to say it or shout at each other. There were plenty of leaves on other hikes recently, but for some reason the dryness of them on this day made them extra loud, along with the crackling of twigs and branches we couldn't see under the layers of leaves. The first landmark that we reached was McClain Cemetery. The sign said that the oldest occupant is John McClain who was buried in 1770. There was a cement wall surround the graves that were so old you could read what many of them said. As we continued on the trail, we reached the lake. The scenery was beautiful on this sunny day. My favorite part of the trail was when it followed along the edge of a peninsula jutting out into the lake. We didn't realize how peaceful it was until we stopped to really appreciate the scenery. At this point after hiking about 2 miles both Joe and I agreed that between the snapping of the twigs, the loud crackling of the leaves and the sniffling from our noses due to fall allergies the sound was getting really annoying! After taking quite a few pictures we headed back to the car and on to find Pennywort Cliffs.
Here's what Tammy York writes in her book about Pennywort Cliffs Nature Preserve: "Finding the trailhead is an adventure in itself. It is easy to miss-repeatedly. The entrances to Pennywort are simple cut-ins through the standard overgrowth of edge species such as multiflora rose and poison ivy. This alone probably discourages less-adventurous hikers who would turn around and head for a trail system in a more civilized setting." Really, Tammy? I travel over 100 miles to get to this trail and that's the best you can do within 60 miles of Cincinnati? I am baffled, befuddled and bewildered by this choice. Let me just say that finding this trailhead was just as Tammy described and thankfully we were hiking in what was not poison ivy season, so we were probably more game. When we thought we found the trailhead, Joe said, "I don't care if you want to skip it." I said, "What? Skip it? I am three hikes away from my goal. I am not skipping this hike." We drove up and down the road like Tammy said would happen. Her landmark was "barns" which there was only one across from a gap in the woods that had a white sign that wasn't much bigger than a sheet of copy paper and was as white, with no printing on it. I had the sports tracker going so we could watch the trail. We decided we would hike until we felt like it got too hard to follow and then we would just turn around and travel back the way we came. As we hiked along on top of the leaves wondering if we were even on a trail, we came upon a picnic table which I told Joe was on her map, so I got out the sports tracker and compared the map in the book to the map on the sports tracker and sure enough they matched perfectly. I was shocked that we were actually on the trail. It felt like we were wandering through the woods. Finally we came upon a fork in the trail that didn't looked cleared and you could tell not traveled on frequently. We decided this was the point to head back the way we came. I was satisfied that we made at least an effort to tackle this location.
Between the two hikes we hiked over 4 miles in about an hour and a half of hiking time. I don't even want to think about the travel time. UGH!
Today I set out for hikes 59 and 60 with a band of merry hikers. The temperature is supposed to reach 60 degrees and be sunny. It's amazing the outstanding weather that has prevailed throughout this whole experience. I'm not sure how I'm feeling that we are completing this today, but I'm sure I'll be ready to write about it when it's all said and done.
This is awesome, Mary! Great to see you are near completion.
ReplyDelete