Babcock SP

On April 9, Cool Guy and I took quite a long drive down to Babcock State Park.  This is one of my very favorite places.  We hiked the Skyline Trail.  It is 2 miles one way.

The weather was fantastic.  If anything, it was warmer than we would have liked.

The trail starts from a cabin area and immediately goes up at a gentle grade and into a stand of rhododendrons and a lovely down falling stream, like a baby waterfall.  For the upward part, we were surrounded by giant rhododendrons most of the way with some parts of hardwood.  There were some amazing overlooks once we got to the top and leveled off.  I need to add that we just didn't have to climb very high to get way above the world.

Another really cool thing is that for the entire hike, we could hear the water rushing in the river below us.  So we had it all: view, water, sound.

At the end of the trail, we were next to the road.  There was a picnic area and the most amazing view.  We enjoyed our lunch and gazed at the mountains.  We decided to hike back the way we came, but Cool Guy went much, much faster this time, and we made it to the bottom in 25 minutes.  I'm glad we took our time getting to the top and enjoying the scenery on the way up.

Conkles Hollow

The entire family went to Conckles Hollow in Hocking Hills SP on March 25.  The weather was mild.  When we started the drive there, it was 30 degrees, and by the time we got home it had risen to about 45.  Perfect weather for hiking.

Conkles is the lesser-known treat of Hocking Hills SP, lagging behind Old Man's Cave.  Though I love OMC, the crowds turn me off.  Conckles is just as nice and has almost no one there.  When we arrived on that Friday morning, there were two other cars in the parking lot.  When we left, there were two other cars in the parking lot.

We did both the Rim Trail (2.5 mile loop) and the Gorge Trail (1 mile out and back).  We began with the Rim, deciding to go clockwise this time.  To get up to the rim, we have to climb a lot of stairs, but once at the top, it's pretty level the whole way.

What was outstanding about the rim trail this time, apart from the fantastic view was the icicles.  We could see them on the rock edges of the canyon, perhaps around a bend, and they were so long.  And then as the day began warming up, we would be lucky enough to see a mass of them crash below.  We got to witness that a few times.

At about the halfway point of the Rim, we came upon the lookout point and the waterfall.  When we had gone last summer, the waterfall was all dried up.  This time, we were lucky.  It was a lovely view across the canyon, and entrancing to watch and hear the water falling.

The opposite side of the canyon had quite a bit of ice on the trail, and that could be a little scary at times.  This side had more solid rock as the trail, and when it was a sheet of ice, it made us nervous about slipping.  There are no guard rails on the edge, and it's at least a 200 foot drop.  We walked very gingerly, and still, Cool Guy, Encyclopedia, and I each slipped once.  We were joking that Burt was next, and he said he'd save it for a big fall.

Eventually, we arrived at stairs bringing us to the floor of the canyon again.  We decided to do the Gorge Trail, which we had passed on last time here.  This trail is concrete paved and is for the enjoyment of those in wheelchairs, baby strollers, etc.  I thought it would be a boring walk, but it was wonderful.

First, there are all the microclimates.  A jungle of ferns here, a cave there, a gathering of slump rocks over there.  It was never the same look twice.  Then we reached the back of the canyon where the concrete ended and the waterfall began.  Oh, my.  This was the highlight of the trip!  Going beyond the sidewalk, onto the path that led us to the base of the waterfall, we were amidst rock overhangs, caves, ice sculptures.  It was so neat to be in the semi gloom, feeling very cold, surrounded by ice and water, and then look backward and see a fern forest behind us, like looking at two different worlds.

The boys had the best time knocking down icicles.  I mean, they were mesmerized for a very, very long time, just climbing among the rocks, finding icicles to knock down, and doing it again.

Burt was over at the foot of the waterfall and suddenly, he slipped.  It was an ice sheet he was standing on, and he went down hard.  The bigger they are, the harder they fall.  Yes, he was right, saving his fall for the grand finale.  Pained a little, but OK.  Nothing long lasting.

Cool Guy said it was the best hike ever, and Encyclopedia actually admitted to have a great time.

Boord Nature Preserve

This is a belated post about the last hike Cool Guy and I took in February.  On the 25th, we went to Boord Nature Preserve, which is between Barlow and Bartlett OH.  I have never heard anyone mention this place before, and I only found it because I was searching around on the internet and just came across it.  It is amazing to me sometimes what neat stuff is so near.

Being a nature preserve, we have to follow special rules, like no wandering off the path at all and no taking anything, not that we do anyway.

The trail for the preserve is only .75 miles.  Cool Guy and I have done this hike twice, and we agree that it is best to make it worth the drive and do twice, once in each direction.  It's amazing what you can see going the other way.

On this day, the sky was sunny, and the air was crisp.  When we arrived, about 10:30, there was still frost on the grass to begin the hike.  It is interesting that once we got under tree cover, there was no frost on the ground, which makes me wonder if the tree cover is also frost protection.

There was very little up or down, but that little bitty loop gave us so much.  We hiked through a pine plantation, through deciduous woods and the highlight, the waterfall and pool, which was actually running water at this time of year.

It is a quiet and lovely place.  We have never seen wildlife there, and have never seen another person or even a car on the road while there.  We've been twice and will more than likely go again soon.

Kanawha State Forest, Overlook Rock Trail

Cool Guy and I went to Kanawha State Forest for the first time Feb. 7.  For a nice change, the weather was clear and warmish, after a couple of weeks of overcast skies, rain and snow.  I chose Overlook Rock Trail because it immediately involved climbing, and I figured that getting up might get us away from snow run-off.

Finding Kanawha State Forest was very easy.  I forget how easy it is to get around in Charleston.  After taking the correct exit, I only needed to follow the signs for 6 miles.  Easy peasy.

Once we got to the forest, I checked in at the station to get our VIPP cards stamped, and the ranger was very helpful to us, recommending the best way to hike the Overlook Rock loop.  We began with the hard climbing and then at the end of the hike, we got our reward in the form of a fantastic view on a large rock.

But I'll start from the beginning.  The trail was extremely well-blazed, and the trail, though narrow, was clear and easy to follow, even with leaves all over the ground.  We began by going up, up, up, though none of it involved scrambling over anything.  Just steady upward movement.  Finally at the ridge top, we had pretty level walking.  At the top, it was evident that the forest suffered quite a bit from the storm damage of last summer.  There were trees down everywhere, though none obscuring or blocking the trail.  One thing I noticed at ridge top was that thorn brambles grew thick right to the edge of the trail.  I imagine that they only get worse as the spring and summer come along, so I was glad that we were hiking this one in winter.

There were so many beautiful sights: large moss-covered rocks, little streams babbling, trees, views.  And then we came to the rock.  It was huge and gave us the most fantastic view of the hills and valleys all around.  It was hard to believe that we were in Charleston.

After having our lunch on the rock, we trekked on, almost immediately heading down.  The hike down was easy, not too steep at all.  One interesting part was that when we got to the bottom, our trail took us right up next to a stream, and with the snow melt, often the stream was in the path.  We crossed back and forth over it a few times.  We saw a few small waterfalls tumbling over rocks.  I don't know, but I'm guessing that in drier weather, these little runs are missing.

This was a short hike, on 1.5 miles, but it had everything: climb, view, water interest.

We were the only ones there.  It was so quiet and peaceful.  Definitely going again.

Crabtree Falls

Since there was no hiking last week ( and the weather was glorious!) due to the opening of buck season and the entire male half of WV out there with guns, and also since my trip for this week got rained out, I've decided to fill in when there are gaps with some hikes that we've done before the blog was begun.  There aren't that many, but they will be out of order from the rest.

The first was my first hiking trip since Burt and I used to hike in the Olympics, over 20 years ago.  My very dear friend, Hilly Holly, arranged to meet me in Waynesboro, Virginia for a few days of hiking, touristing, tennis, and catching up after too many years apart.  She is an avid hiker, and I owe a huge thanks to her for getting me and my family involved in this great adventure.

HH researched the hiking possibilities carefully ahead of time and sent me several to choose from, Crabtree Falls being the winner. My main impressions were that we got off to a late start hiking, due to fuzzy directions from the website, and it was an incredibly hot day.  We didn't begin until 11:00, and we experienced the heat.  I still loved it.  Other vivid remembrances were that I was wearing Encyclopedia's Combat boots since I did not have a pair of hiking boots.  They ALMOST fit perfectly, but that little "almost" resulted in major blisters and pain, so I wisely switched to my running shoes, which I had packed just in case.  And finally, even though I walk the dog about 4 miles every day at a pretty brisk pace, I quickly learned that walking shape is not the same as hiking shape, especially when a mountain is involved.

All of that sounds very negative, and yet, I totally loved it and wondered why in the world it had taken me so long to get back to this.  I took notes in my journal, which I will copy down here.

Crabtree Falls
July 26, 2012
George Washington National Forest

My first hike.  Hiked with HH.  We got lost getting there and didn't get started until 11:00.  Hiked 1.5 miles to the summit, where we lunched with the most glorious view.  Nine switchbacks, lots of stairs, and view of the waterfall in its entirety.

HOT.  105 degree heat index.

That's it.  First hike.  Loved it.

Old Man's Cave

On Election Day, Nov. 6, Cool Guy, Annie Oakley, and I drove to Hocking Hills State Park to hike Old Man's Cave.  It's about 1 1/2 hours to drive there, and we arrived around 10:30.  What really stood out to me was that the parking lot was almost empty.  Old Man's Cave is one of the most popular hiking spots in Ohio, and Columbus is about as close to it as we are.  Every time we have gone there before, it has been a weekend, and the parking lots are full, and we have people in our sight at all times.  This mid-week hiking after the leaves have fallen was a brilliant plan.

One thing about Old Man's Cave is that it really doesn't matter what time of year to hike it.  There is so much beauty and wonder, that one doesn't need fall leaves or spring wildflowers to enhance it, though those are nice bonuses.  But any time of year, it is worth the drive.

We began at Upper Falls and mainly stayed on the gorge trail which allowed us up close views of the falls, pools, and caves, or really, just enormous rock overhangs.  Hiking down the stairs to the gorge, we were struck by all the work that had gone into making this such a hikable place.  My guess is that it was WPA at work in the 30's, building stone walls, hewing steps out of the rocks.  Cool Guy's favorite part was the tunnels through the rocks that the trail took us through.  We did that part twice.

After doing that part twice, we went on down to the Lower Falls, which were even more spectacular, I think.  One scene I think we'll always remember is the family of either Middle Eastern or Pakistani origin.  Two of the men in the group wore swim trunks and actually stood under the falls.  Now, it was a nice day, sunny and 50's, but not a whole lot of sunlight gets to the gorge, and the water was freezing.  It was fun to watch their fun.

After spending some time in the gorge part of Lower Falls, we went up steps and hiked along the rim of it.  Cool Guy found a rock overhang that he could scramble up, with a little help from Annie, and he liked perching on that ledge, just hanging out.  The inside of it, sandstone, was carved with names and initials going back hundreds of years, I think.  It's neat to look at the etchings.

We left Lower Falls and followed the path, thinking we might be heading to Cedar Falls, but we were on the wrong path.  Instead, we found a new area to us, Broken Rock Falls.  It's exactly as it sounds.  Enormous, ENORMOUS rocks lie about as if some giant child had flung them.  They are house size and covered with moss, lying at odd angles.  At the end of the trail, way up top, there was a small stream of water falling down onto the rocks.

The rest was just backtracking, finding another tunnel with stairs leading up to the top and back to the parking lot.

In some ways, this was an easy hike.  To see all these wonders, one really only need hike about a mile.  We kindof did everything twice, sometimes on the rim, sometimes in the gorge, and sometimes going back for a second view, so my guess is that we covered between two and three miles.  The paths are very clear and well-worn.  No getting lost, no scrambling over trees, roots, rocks.  But there are a lot of stairs, some steep and narrow carved into the rocks, others easy and wide.  I would say in general it is an easy hike, and that is obvious by the number of people who are able to bring their children and the number of people with dogs.  But it can be made as challenging or as easy as you'd like.  Cool Guy certainly exerted himself more than the average hiker, walking ahead of us, coming back to hurry us up, climbing all over the place.

Hocking Hills SP is always worth the drive.  Next time, we will do Cedar Falls and Ash Cave, hopefully all in one outing.