With the gift of the time change, I got to go out on my first evening hike with my brother Joe this week to Chilo Lock 34 Park and Crooked Run Nature Preserve in Chilo about 21 miles east of Cincinnati. This park sits on a peninsula right along the Ohio River. It was beautiful! The temperature was 82 degrees and we hiked about 2 miles in 45 minutes. We wore shorts and short sleeves - more about that later!
One of the things that Joe and I noticed first as we entered the trail at Crooked Run Nature Preserve was the very green grassy forest floor. We both felt that there was something different about hiking in this wooded area than other places that we have hiked. Most of the trees were smaller with some large old trees sprinkled here and there. Like when I've been on other forest hikes, I noticed large vines, but they really stood out amongst the small young trees. Later in the hike we met up with a woman who was working to clean up the trail. She explained that the property used to be a farm, which revealed that this was a young forest. Now, the unusual sites we were seeing made sense. When we walked around the park after the hike, we read on some of the signs that the park and nature preserve area are the site of where several families lived during the depression. Their fathers worked on the dam nearby. The families farmed and lived very well compared to most other people during this era.
There were some great water views along the trail. On one side of the park is the Ohio River and on the other side is Crooked Run. This is a great bird watching spot. There are nicely cared for structures for people to hide in to watch for various water birds that live on Crooked Run. The woman we talked to said to listen for the loons, but we weren't fortunate to hear or see any. The water here was so still, you will notice in the pictures that it reflected the surroundings and the sky like a mirror. As we looped around and headed back down the Ohio River, the sun was starting to set and it glimmered on the rushing water.
When we finished the hike, we walked around the park area. It's a great spot for families. There's a little museum and visitors center, which was closed while we were there. There is a nice picnic area and playground and a very cool restored paddle wheel boat, the Jennie Wade, that people can climb all over. As Joe and I were driving home, we both agreed that it was a great way to relieve stress from our day.
Growing up I always considered myself more of a tomboy than a prissy girl, preferring to wear pants over skirts (I still love my blue jeans and baseball hats best!!!) But when I started out on this venture in 2012 I was concerned about being too whimpy for the cold weather and too prissy to truly enjoy sloshing through the mud. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I was loving this until...on the ride home Joe said, "Tick!" and he pulled a tick off of his neck. YUCK!!! My immediate thought was - that's it no more hikes for me!!!! I was scratching and itching all over after that just at the thought of having a tick on myself. When we got to my house and were getting ready to eat dinner he told me he found another one and we suddenly looked like two monkeys at the zoo checking each other. I was feeling very squeamish! I'm happy to report that the inner princess didn't keep me from hiking again this week and I will post again in a day or two. I've got to keep her down as bug season comes upon us or I will never achieve this goal.
15 hikes down, 45 to go!!! If you'd like to suppress the diva in you and unleash the tom boy, join in for an upcoming hike. Of course, gentlemen are always welcome.
P.S. Haven't had many comments lately. I need some shout outs peeps!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Hiking for Dummies
Cheryl and I set out on St. Patty's Day for a hike at Hayes Arboretum in Richmond, Indiana. It was an unbelievable 66 degrees, the sun was shining, and we didn't see anyone on the trail! I couldn't believe that more people were not at this beautiful location enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. It was truly criminal. We hiked three trails for a total of 3 miles in one hour and 30 minutes. We had little difficulty finding the park. Pat on the back to us! I only had to remind Cheryl once of the 3 Mile Rule: No talking within three miles of finding the trail. I gave Cheryl a high-five when she suggested we get a map from the Nature Center before we set out on the hike. However, we had little reason to use it because these were by far the best marked trails so far, hence the name for this week's post - "Hiking for Dummies."
These trails are truly beautiful! We hiked the Blue Trail First. Between the many signs of spring and all of the interesting trees, there was so much to see. We were greeted at the trail head by a carved wooden statue. All three of the trails begin at this landmark, so it was a helpful spot to get reoriented between trails. I stopped to take a picture of the base of one tree that looked like it had a creepy face in it. A little further down the trail there were several different varieties of fungus on the trees. One was striped and shaped like sea shells. The other wasn't at all colorful, but it was huge and looked like a big shelf! Since this was Cheryl's first spring hike, she was really enjoying all of the signs of spring. I had to keep moving her along or we would have doubled our hiking time. This is not an exaggeration!
Next we headed to the red trail. There were so many interesting trees. We saw one tree that looked like someone took a gigantic vegetable peeler to it and carefully peeled off the bark. All of the bark was sitting in neat little piles underneath the tree. How does that happen? We figured it had something to do with the variety of tree, but I have never seen anything like this before. We also saw a tree that had a series of large holes up and down it. We figured Woody the Woodpecker had done the damage. About halfway through this trail there was a clearing. We hiked up a good sized hill and at the top there was a cool historic sundial that was made in France. As we headed back into the woods we noticed so many new little buds on trees starting to add color to the forest. Sometimes they looked that they were just floating in the air unattached to the trees.
The last trail we hiked was the yellow trail. Cheryl noticed that the trail terrain changed frequently. Sometimes it was thick with leaves, other times it was covered with bark or gravel. Every once in a while we would hit muddy patches. We noticed a sign for a wedding chapel, so we hiked up a hill and came upon neat little rows of benches and an altar - a very cool setting for an outdoor wedding! As we continued along the trail we came to different informational signs. One was about watching for wild turkeys. We were a little disappointed that we didn't see any. Another sign indicated that we might see coyotes in the area. Cheryl said that if we saw one, they wouldn't hang around after they heard her high-pitched squeal. There was some additional reference to her wetting her pants...I will leave this part of the story to your imagination. Thankfully we didn't see any coyotes.
14 hikes down and 46 to go!!!! Hopefully this beautiful spring weather will hold out. I have some longer hikes scheduled coming up before the weather gets too hot. I hope I have some joiners!
These trails are truly beautiful! We hiked the Blue Trail First. Between the many signs of spring and all of the interesting trees, there was so much to see. We were greeted at the trail head by a carved wooden statue. All three of the trails begin at this landmark, so it was a helpful spot to get reoriented between trails. I stopped to take a picture of the base of one tree that looked like it had a creepy face in it. A little further down the trail there were several different varieties of fungus on the trees. One was striped and shaped like sea shells. The other wasn't at all colorful, but it was huge and looked like a big shelf! Since this was Cheryl's first spring hike, she was really enjoying all of the signs of spring. I had to keep moving her along or we would have doubled our hiking time. This is not an exaggeration!
Next we headed to the red trail. There were so many interesting trees. We saw one tree that looked like someone took a gigantic vegetable peeler to it and carefully peeled off the bark. All of the bark was sitting in neat little piles underneath the tree. How does that happen? We figured it had something to do with the variety of tree, but I have never seen anything like this before. We also saw a tree that had a series of large holes up and down it. We figured Woody the Woodpecker had done the damage. About halfway through this trail there was a clearing. We hiked up a good sized hill and at the top there was a cool historic sundial that was made in France. As we headed back into the woods we noticed so many new little buds on trees starting to add color to the forest. Sometimes they looked that they were just floating in the air unattached to the trees.
The last trail we hiked was the yellow trail. Cheryl noticed that the trail terrain changed frequently. Sometimes it was thick with leaves, other times it was covered with bark or gravel. Every once in a while we would hit muddy patches. We noticed a sign for a wedding chapel, so we hiked up a hill and came upon neat little rows of benches and an altar - a very cool setting for an outdoor wedding! As we continued along the trail we came to different informational signs. One was about watching for wild turkeys. We were a little disappointed that we didn't see any. Another sign indicated that we might see coyotes in the area. Cheryl said that if we saw one, they wouldn't hang around after they heard her high-pitched squeal. There was some additional reference to her wetting her pants...I will leave this part of the story to your imagination. Thankfully we didn't see any coyotes.
14 hikes down and 46 to go!!!! Hopefully this beautiful spring weather will hold out. I have some longer hikes scheduled coming up before the weather gets too hot. I hope I have some joiners!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Four-Legged Trail Scouts
This week's post will be a treat for all of you dog lovers because the featured guests for the hike at Cincinnati Nature Center's Rowe Woods were Zoe and Lucy my brother's two Boston terriers. Also in attendance were Zoe and Lucy's "handlers" my niece Brenna and brother Bill, my nephew Ryan and my brother Joe. Sorry you guys get second billing, but truly the dogs were a hoot! It was really different pulling into the parking lot this week. The lot was almost full. Probably because the temperature was about 67 degrees!!! Amazing for March in Cincinnati. The sun was shining and spring was bursting. We hiked about 2.5 miles in one hour and 40 minutes.
This is a great place to go hiking. The trails are so well taken care of. We hiked the Upland Trail and the Fernwood Trail. Most of the path was laid with gravel and the trails were very well-cleared. The trail signs were also easy to follow which I'm finding is not true about everywhere we go. From the very beginning of the hike, Zoe and Lucy took the role of "trail scouts" (really because they always wanted to be in front.) Shortly after we started, Brenna and Bill started some "doggie shenanigans". Because the two dogs both want to be out front, Bill held onto them while Brenna ran ahead on the trail with a couple of doggie treats in hand. Then, when she was out of site, she yelled for them. I almost couldn't get a picture they took off so fast when Bill let them go! Zoe and Lucy were excellent scouts - they sniffed out the trail to make sure it was safe, they trudged through the mud to show the way to go, and they tested the walking bridges for sturdiness. Well...sort of. I really considered Zoe the leader because she seemed to be the one who was most insistent on being first. Until we reached one bridge and we each walked right past her. For some reason she was afraid to go over. Joe ended up having to pick her up to get her across.
Something neat that we saw along the trail was the tapping of the trees for maple syrup! There were spiles (tree taps) all over the place in one area. The park runs some workshops to help people learn how to select the right tree, tap it, and make your own maple syrup. There are so many activities like this at the nature center. They have full moon walks, winter tracking hikes, and a salamander celebration when you can go to the park with your flashlight and see the salamanders migrate back to the pond between winter and spring. There is also a new PlayScape area for smaller kids with places to climb and small ponds of water. It looked very popular.
I know that soon the the leaves will cover the trees so I really enjoyed how the sunlight came through the trees today and made interesting shadows on the forest floor. There is also starting to be a green covering on the ground and the landscape is changing quickly. Downed trees covered with moss and fungus were abundant. Check out the picture of this week's "How Does That Happen?" There was a huge tree that was growing out of the ground in one direction and then sharply angles in the opposite direction. Weird!
There were some good hills along the Upland Trail. We were all huffing and puffing! Bill noticed that Zoe and Lucy were now trotting in "survival mode", so they had to stop for a snack and some water to keep their energy levels up. It's important to make sure your trail scouts' basic needs are being met or danger could ensue!
This was definitely one of my favorite trails so far. I don't know if it was the temperature, the sunshine, the company, or the furry friends who joined in, but it was a great time. When I came home I calculated that I have hiked 40.61 miles so far in 2012! WOW! I can't believe it! This was hike number 13 and I have 47 hikes to go. I must confess that I am getting a little nervous. Come April I will hit two hikes a week season in order to get all of the hikes in and I'm not sure I can always be successful with that. We shall see....one week at a time, I guess.
Next week's hike is to Whitewater Memorial State Park and it's 4.3 miles. Holler if you want to join in!
This is a great place to go hiking. The trails are so well taken care of. We hiked the Upland Trail and the Fernwood Trail. Most of the path was laid with gravel and the trails were very well-cleared. The trail signs were also easy to follow which I'm finding is not true about everywhere we go. From the very beginning of the hike, Zoe and Lucy took the role of "trail scouts" (really because they always wanted to be in front.) Shortly after we started, Brenna and Bill started some "doggie shenanigans". Because the two dogs both want to be out front, Bill held onto them while Brenna ran ahead on the trail with a couple of doggie treats in hand. Then, when she was out of site, she yelled for them. I almost couldn't get a picture they took off so fast when Bill let them go! Zoe and Lucy were excellent scouts - they sniffed out the trail to make sure it was safe, they trudged through the mud to show the way to go, and they tested the walking bridges for sturdiness. Well...sort of. I really considered Zoe the leader because she seemed to be the one who was most insistent on being first. Until we reached one bridge and we each walked right past her. For some reason she was afraid to go over. Joe ended up having to pick her up to get her across.
Something neat that we saw along the trail was the tapping of the trees for maple syrup! There were spiles (tree taps) all over the place in one area. The park runs some workshops to help people learn how to select the right tree, tap it, and make your own maple syrup. There are so many activities like this at the nature center. They have full moon walks, winter tracking hikes, and a salamander celebration when you can go to the park with your flashlight and see the salamanders migrate back to the pond between winter and spring. There is also a new PlayScape area for smaller kids with places to climb and small ponds of water. It looked very popular.
I know that soon the the leaves will cover the trees so I really enjoyed how the sunlight came through the trees today and made interesting shadows on the forest floor. There is also starting to be a green covering on the ground and the landscape is changing quickly. Downed trees covered with moss and fungus were abundant. Check out the picture of this week's "How Does That Happen?" There was a huge tree that was growing out of the ground in one direction and then sharply angles in the opposite direction. Weird!
There were some good hills along the Upland Trail. We were all huffing and puffing! Bill noticed that Zoe and Lucy were now trotting in "survival mode", so they had to stop for a snack and some water to keep their energy levels up. It's important to make sure your trail scouts' basic needs are being met or danger could ensue!
This was definitely one of my favorite trails so far. I don't know if it was the temperature, the sunshine, the company, or the furry friends who joined in, but it was a great time. When I came home I calculated that I have hiked 40.61 miles so far in 2012! WOW! I can't believe it! This was hike number 13 and I have 47 hikes to go. I must confess that I am getting a little nervous. Come April I will hit two hikes a week season in order to get all of the hikes in and I'm not sure I can always be successful with that. We shall see....one week at a time, I guess.
Next week's hike is to Whitewater Memorial State Park and it's 4.3 miles. Holler if you want to join in!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Wild Tulip Bulbs
We saw the first signs of spring this week on our hike to Ault Park. We were originally going to hike at Chilo Lock 34 Park, however, there was a terrible storm yesterday with possible tornado damage in Moscow, which is along the way to that site, so we decided it was probably best to choose another hiking location. I was joined this week by Phyllis and Lorrie. We hiked for 1 hour and 50 minutes and traveled about 3.63 miles. It was another beautiful sunny winter day and the temperature was 41 degrees.
When we exited the car, it was super windy, but we were fortunate that once we got into the woods the wind was not a factor at all. As we started hiking toward Valley Trail, Lorrie and I noticed right away that the ground was not as muddy as the hike from last week. We were both grateful for this. When we got to Valley Trail there were signs saying that it was "Under Construction" and that the trail was closed. It looked passable so we continued anyway. Whatever construction they are doing, appears to be almost finished. It was difficult to tell what kind of construction was taking place, but there was a lot of temporary plastic orange fencing. The trail was all gravel and we hiked on it until we reached some railroad tracks.
From here we headed up our first good hill onto the Ridge Trail. The ground was still pretty dry at this point and the scenery was beautiful. This was one of the highest elevated points of the trail, so there were a lot of nice woodland views. As we looped around and headed back down toward the Valley Trail, we hit our first encounter with a lot of mud. Thankfully, no one bit the dust and Phyllis did not become the latest member of the F.Y.B.C. (Fall on Your Butt Club, for anyone who missed last week's post.) There was a spot where we had a choice of two paths, but they were both blocked with piles of tree limbs. Someone took a lot of time stacking those limbs and why I have no idea. We stepped around them and carried on. It was at this point that we saw one of the first signs of spring and where the most interesting conversation of the hike took place. It was about tulip bulbs and it went something like this:
Lorrie: "Someone was out here planting a lot of tulip bulbs!"
Mary: "You think someone planted all of those?"
Lorrie: "Well, yeah, how else would they get out here?"
Mary: "Tulips naturally occur in nature-they aren't manmade, so I would think that they could be wild tulips."
A few moments of silence.
Phyllis: "Maybe the squirrels had something to do with it."
Mary: "Yeah, you know like how birds eat seeds and then spread them around."
Lorrie: "I don't believe that a squirrel is eating a tulip bulb and then poops it out! I'm looking it up on the internet!"
Oh sigh...such fun on these hikes! We crossed the Valley Trail again and then started hiking Tree Trail. This was a pretty area. The tree roots had a lot of moss on them and it was a nice contrast on the winter earth. There were lots of cool trees. I am going to start a new segment called "How does that happen?" We saw a huge tree that looked almost like the bark had been peeled off, but it was more than just the first layer of bark. Weird. We saw another tree that had a skinny trunk, but had a huge knot that was about three times the size of the trunk. How does that happen???? We obviously need a scientist type joining us on these hikes!
I got us turned around toward the end of the hike and we took Cliff Trail, which was the most muddy treacherous part of the hike. We weren't planning on taking this trail, but we have proven to be directionally challenged, even when there are trail posts. This path was almost all uphill and was so muddy we were sliding all over the place! You had to watch every foot placement to keep from falling. I was looking down and WHAM! whacked my head on a huge tree limb. I couldn't see it because I was looking down and the bill of my hat covered it. I had my adorable pink and cow print reading glasses on my head - they were busted beyond repair. So sad. Doesn't everyone wear fancy reading glasses when hiking? (If they want to read the map, they do!)
Overall, this was a fantastic hike. We got some great exercise, we laughed, and took in the fresh winter air. TWELVE HIKES DOWN AND FORTY-EIGHT TO GO!!!!
Next week I hope to head to Hayes Arboretum in Richmond, Indiana for a 3 mile hike. Looking for fellow hikers!
When we exited the car, it was super windy, but we were fortunate that once we got into the woods the wind was not a factor at all. As we started hiking toward Valley Trail, Lorrie and I noticed right away that the ground was not as muddy as the hike from last week. We were both grateful for this. When we got to Valley Trail there were signs saying that it was "Under Construction" and that the trail was closed. It looked passable so we continued anyway. Whatever construction they are doing, appears to be almost finished. It was difficult to tell what kind of construction was taking place, but there was a lot of temporary plastic orange fencing. The trail was all gravel and we hiked on it until we reached some railroad tracks.
From here we headed up our first good hill onto the Ridge Trail. The ground was still pretty dry at this point and the scenery was beautiful. This was one of the highest elevated points of the trail, so there were a lot of nice woodland views. As we looped around and headed back down toward the Valley Trail, we hit our first encounter with a lot of mud. Thankfully, no one bit the dust and Phyllis did not become the latest member of the F.Y.B.C. (Fall on Your Butt Club, for anyone who missed last week's post.) There was a spot where we had a choice of two paths, but they were both blocked with piles of tree limbs. Someone took a lot of time stacking those limbs and why I have no idea. We stepped around them and carried on. It was at this point that we saw one of the first signs of spring and where the most interesting conversation of the hike took place. It was about tulip bulbs and it went something like this:
Lorrie: "Someone was out here planting a lot of tulip bulbs!"
Mary: "You think someone planted all of those?"
Lorrie: "Well, yeah, how else would they get out here?"
Mary: "Tulips naturally occur in nature-they aren't manmade, so I would think that they could be wild tulips."
A few moments of silence.
Phyllis: "Maybe the squirrels had something to do with it."
Mary: "Yeah, you know like how birds eat seeds and then spread them around."
Lorrie: "I don't believe that a squirrel is eating a tulip bulb and then poops it out! I'm looking it up on the internet!"
Oh sigh...such fun on these hikes! We crossed the Valley Trail again and then started hiking Tree Trail. This was a pretty area. The tree roots had a lot of moss on them and it was a nice contrast on the winter earth. There were lots of cool trees. I am going to start a new segment called "How does that happen?" We saw a huge tree that looked almost like the bark had been peeled off, but it was more than just the first layer of bark. Weird. We saw another tree that had a skinny trunk, but had a huge knot that was about three times the size of the trunk. How does that happen???? We obviously need a scientist type joining us on these hikes!
I got us turned around toward the end of the hike and we took Cliff Trail, which was the most muddy treacherous part of the hike. We weren't planning on taking this trail, but we have proven to be directionally challenged, even when there are trail posts. This path was almost all uphill and was so muddy we were sliding all over the place! You had to watch every foot placement to keep from falling. I was looking down and WHAM! whacked my head on a huge tree limb. I couldn't see it because I was looking down and the bill of my hat covered it. I had my adorable pink and cow print reading glasses on my head - they were busted beyond repair. So sad. Doesn't everyone wear fancy reading glasses when hiking? (If they want to read the map, they do!)
Overall, this was a fantastic hike. We got some great exercise, we laughed, and took in the fresh winter air. TWELVE HIKES DOWN AND FORTY-EIGHT TO GO!!!!
Next week I hope to head to Hayes Arboretum in Richmond, Indiana for a 3 mile hike. Looking for fellow hikers!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Another One Bites the Dust!
The hike on Sunday, February 26, at Mt. Airy Forest (West Fork Road, Diehl Ridge and Elm Ravine) proved to be the muddiest hike yet! It was a beautiful sunny day with a temperature of 48 degrees. We hiked 2.27 miles in about one hour and 15 minutes. It was so muddy...how muddy was it? It was so muddy that we had to stop three times to get the caked mud off of our boots, we used a stick at one point to keep us from sliding down the hills, and Lorrie became a club member of the Fall on Your Butt Club (F.Y.B.C.)
Finding the trail head was a little bit tricky, but we are getting better at using the map to help us out. The book stated that this was a moderate hike, but Lorrie and I agreed that due to the mud situation and the poorly marked trails we felt it was more on the difficult side. We both used trees, branches, and sprouting brush to hold onto at one time or another to keep us standing up. To give a visual for how difficult it was to walk: if we stood still at all you could see our bodies slowly sliding one way or another as if we were on an escalator. The first half of the trail was the most difficult and you can tell by the pictures that this wasn't the best trail to hike in the winter. The trail followed the road most of the way and you could hear traffic throughout the hike.
The second half of the hike was on a ridge and this helped us catch our breaths from the uphill hiking during the first part of the trail. Lorrie and I stopped and did a serious cleaning of our boots because we couldn't get any traction. The tread of our boots was filled with mud and leaves were stuck to the mud. As we descended the ridge to head back toward the car, the trail got very hilly again. The trail was so steep at one point that Lorrie piked up a big stick and used it to help herself down, then she handed it to me and I followed. I don't know how we both stayed on our feet. I guess it was that "walking stick". Slowly the trail leveled out again but there were still some very muddy spots. When we could see the trail end up ahead, I heard what sounded like a scream mixed with a loud laugh come from behind me. I turned around and Lorrie was flat on her butt in the middle of a HUGE puddle! She was such a good sport - laughing and sitting in the wet mud while I took her picture - a true Kodak moment! Needless to say, Lorrie had to sit on a towel on the ride home.
This being the end of month 2, I will close with some learnings from the month:
Finding the trail head was a little bit tricky, but we are getting better at using the map to help us out. The book stated that this was a moderate hike, but Lorrie and I agreed that due to the mud situation and the poorly marked trails we felt it was more on the difficult side. We both used trees, branches, and sprouting brush to hold onto at one time or another to keep us standing up. To give a visual for how difficult it was to walk: if we stood still at all you could see our bodies slowly sliding one way or another as if we were on an escalator. The first half of the trail was the most difficult and you can tell by the pictures that this wasn't the best trail to hike in the winter. The trail followed the road most of the way and you could hear traffic throughout the hike.
The second half of the hike was on a ridge and this helped us catch our breaths from the uphill hiking during the first part of the trail. Lorrie and I stopped and did a serious cleaning of our boots because we couldn't get any traction. The tread of our boots was filled with mud and leaves were stuck to the mud. As we descended the ridge to head back toward the car, the trail got very hilly again. The trail was so steep at one point that Lorrie piked up a big stick and used it to help herself down, then she handed it to me and I followed. I don't know how we both stayed on our feet. I guess it was that "walking stick". Slowly the trail leveled out again but there were still some very muddy spots. When we could see the trail end up ahead, I heard what sounded like a scream mixed with a loud laugh come from behind me. I turned around and Lorrie was flat on her butt in the middle of a HUGE puddle! She was such a good sport - laughing and sitting in the wet mud while I took her picture - a true Kodak moment! Needless to say, Lorrie had to sit on a towel on the ride home.
This being the end of month 2, I will close with some learnings from the month:
- Hiking is not a fashion show (as evidenced by our stylish ponchos!)
- Don't judge your outings based on the weather forecast - they were off the mark 3 out of 4 of our hikes this month.
- Never underestimate the value of a good walking stick!
- Falling down is just part of hiking and adds to the whole experience.
- A towel in your car can certainly come in handy after a muddy hike.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Unexpected Victory
When we set off on the road to hike today it was with trepidation because the temperature was only around 30 degrees, but with the windchill it was supposed to feel like single digits. Lorrie, Morgan and I decided to be adventurous, dress in layers and suck it up. I'm happy to report that the temperature was lovely. When we got out of the car at California Woods Nature Preserve, I could tell I wouldn't need my hat and shortly into the hike my gloves came off. Halfway through the hike we passed the car and all three of us left our heavy coats behind and finished the hike in our polar fleece jackets - unexpected victory!!! We hiked 2.7 miles in about an hour and 20 minutes on this beautiful sunshine filled winter day.
Instead of worrying about the temperature, we should have worried about the muddy trail and how slippery it would be. One would think that the ground would be frozen since the temperature was in the teens overnight, but no such luck. There were times as we were hiking where my heart was beating really hard because I kept slipping and skidding on the mud and wet leaves. I thought about titling this week's blog: "Another One Bites the Dust", because Morgan took her first spill hiking uphill. This was a very steep trail in some parts and there was a serious sense of accomplishment after tackling the hills. I, on the other hand, fell while traveling downhill. Unlike my first fall that was slow with a graceful landing in a pile of leaves, this fall was fast, furious and resulted in a very muddy booty! So, Morgan and I are both members of the Hit the Deck club. Watch out Lorrie, I think you might be next! There is definitely something liberating about having some falls out of the way.
It was so great to be back out in the woods this week. There were some really interesting sights. We saw a mini waterfall and a neat little cabin along the creek. There were some plants that were very green that Lorrie said were bamboo. For some reason, the fallen trees really stood out to us. Maybe it was because there was just a bit of snow still accenting the forest floor. Along several of the hikes, we were amazed at how some of the trees grow, but this week was by far the most interesting. There was a tree that looked like a backwards number 4. For my mathy friends I took a picture from both directions.
I'm happy to report that I'm ten hikes down!! I won't be hiking next week as I will be traveling out of town for work and taking a few vacation days. Maybe I will get a hike in, but it will be a California hike and won't count towards my 60 hikes within 60 miles of Cincinnati. Until next time...
Instead of worrying about the temperature, we should have worried about the muddy trail and how slippery it would be. One would think that the ground would be frozen since the temperature was in the teens overnight, but no such luck. There were times as we were hiking where my heart was beating really hard because I kept slipping and skidding on the mud and wet leaves. I thought about titling this week's blog: "Another One Bites the Dust", because Morgan took her first spill hiking uphill. This was a very steep trail in some parts and there was a serious sense of accomplishment after tackling the hills. I, on the other hand, fell while traveling downhill. Unlike my first fall that was slow with a graceful landing in a pile of leaves, this fall was fast, furious and resulted in a very muddy booty! So, Morgan and I are both members of the Hit the Deck club. Watch out Lorrie, I think you might be next! There is definitely something liberating about having some falls out of the way.
It was so great to be back out in the woods this week. There were some really interesting sights. We saw a mini waterfall and a neat little cabin along the creek. There were some plants that were very green that Lorrie said were bamboo. For some reason, the fallen trees really stood out to us. Maybe it was because there was just a bit of snow still accenting the forest floor. Along several of the hikes, we were amazed at how some of the trees grow, but this week was by far the most interesting. There was a tree that looked like a backwards number 4. For my mathy friends I took a picture from both directions.
I'm happy to report that I'm ten hikes down!! I won't be hiking next week as I will be traveling out of town for work and taking a few vacation days. Maybe I will get a hike in, but it will be a California hike and won't count towards my 60 hikes within 60 miles of Cincinnati. Until next time...
Monday, February 6, 2012
I'm Too Sexy for My Poncho
Whitewater Gorge: Cardinal Greenway Rail Trail was the site of this week's damp hike. Morgan and I set out from home around 9:30 in the morning and headed straight to Walmart to purchase some ponchos. We were both glad that we had them and they are now part of our standard hiking supplies. Luckily, it was only misting the first part of the hike and then it stopped. The rain on the drive to and from was much more ominous! It was a chilly 37 degrees. We hiked 5 and a half miles and it took us about one hour and fifty minutes.
As usual, most of the excitement took place trying to find the trail head. I studied the map before we left including looking at a street view on Google Maps. Morgan will not let me get by without sharing that I went through a stop sign where we had to turn to get to the trail head, BUT in my defense, there were no signs for the park AND the directions from the book did not indicate a turn at this point! Since the writing of the book, the trail has changed slightly and we had to stop and ask for directions at a gas station. At least we were less than a mile from where we had to park the car. We are getting better!!!
The strangest part of the hike was when we first stepped out of the car to get on our boots. I said to Morgan, "Do you smell dog food?" It felt like we were walking through a gigantic dog food bag! It was unbelievable how strong the smell was. As we walked, we were hoping that the smell would subsist as we slowly walked away from whatever factory in the area was generating this ghastly odor! Thankfully after about 5 minutes we couldn't smell it any more - ahhh, relief!!! (We later discovered that the trail head isn't just next to a pet food factory, but is actually sandwiched between two pet food factories!)
This is a paved hike and much of it meanders through parts of Richmond, Indiana. It is part of a rails-to-trails recreational pathway that covers over 60 miles (from Richmond, Indiana to Marion, Indiana). We only saw one cyclist as we hiked, most likely due to the poor weather, and a couple of other folks walking/jogging. A paved trail was fine for this soggy day. Morgan and I saw some cool scenic views of creeks, rivers, a waterfall (we didn't get close enough for a picture), and a lake. This part of the trail is definitely more "cityscape" and I left the hike yearning for the quiet peacefulness of a wooded trail. I was craving it so much as we walked that when she and I finally saw Thistlethwaite Falls, we left the paved trail and started walking through the woods. Unfortunately, the trail took us straight to someone's private property and we decided getting to the falls wasn't worth getting in trouble for trespassing, so we turned around.
Morgan and I both agreed that the park at Springwood Lake which is right near the falls would be a fun place to come back and picnic in warmer weather. It's a beautiful setting. There were many antique stores in Richmond that we would also like to explore. So, although it wasn't our number one favorite for hiking, we both said we would go back.
9 hikes down and 51 to go!!!!
This week's hike will be to California Woods Nature Preserve. It is very close to my home. The length is 3.37 miles and the trail is a series of loops. Right now the weather forecast is looking chilly, so if you're coming along be prepared to bundle up!!!
As usual, most of the excitement took place trying to find the trail head. I studied the map before we left including looking at a street view on Google Maps. Morgan will not let me get by without sharing that I went through a stop sign where we had to turn to get to the trail head, BUT in my defense, there were no signs for the park AND the directions from the book did not indicate a turn at this point! Since the writing of the book, the trail has changed slightly and we had to stop and ask for directions at a gas station. At least we were less than a mile from where we had to park the car. We are getting better!!!
The strangest part of the hike was when we first stepped out of the car to get on our boots. I said to Morgan, "Do you smell dog food?" It felt like we were walking through a gigantic dog food bag! It was unbelievable how strong the smell was. As we walked, we were hoping that the smell would subsist as we slowly walked away from whatever factory in the area was generating this ghastly odor! Thankfully after about 5 minutes we couldn't smell it any more - ahhh, relief!!! (We later discovered that the trail head isn't just next to a pet food factory, but is actually sandwiched between two pet food factories!)
This is a paved hike and much of it meanders through parts of Richmond, Indiana. It is part of a rails-to-trails recreational pathway that covers over 60 miles (from Richmond, Indiana to Marion, Indiana). We only saw one cyclist as we hiked, most likely due to the poor weather, and a couple of other folks walking/jogging. A paved trail was fine for this soggy day. Morgan and I saw some cool scenic views of creeks, rivers, a waterfall (we didn't get close enough for a picture), and a lake. This part of the trail is definitely more "cityscape" and I left the hike yearning for the quiet peacefulness of a wooded trail. I was craving it so much as we walked that when she and I finally saw Thistlethwaite Falls, we left the paved trail and started walking through the woods. Unfortunately, the trail took us straight to someone's private property and we decided getting to the falls wasn't worth getting in trouble for trespassing, so we turned around.
Morgan and I both agreed that the park at Springwood Lake which is right near the falls would be a fun place to come back and picnic in warmer weather. It's a beautiful setting. There were many antique stores in Richmond that we would also like to explore. So, although it wasn't our number one favorite for hiking, we both said we would go back.
9 hikes down and 51 to go!!!!
This week's hike will be to California Woods Nature Preserve. It is very close to my home. The length is 3.37 miles and the trail is a series of loops. Right now the weather forecast is looking chilly, so if you're coming along be prepared to bundle up!!!
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