Steve's Hiking Page

9/10/2010 Forest Run Nature Preserve (Part 2)

2010-09-10T20:21:00.001-04:00

I made another trip back to this nature preserve, which is within a mile of where we live. There are some nice loop trails cut through the thick vegetation here. I walked up on a coupl eof deer and surprised them when I came around a corner. You might spot them in a couple of the photos I took. i got my Butler County Metroparks sticker for the car, so I am good to go for parking at all of the parks here in Butler County for the rest of the year.

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9/6/2010 Forest Run Wildlife Preserve

2010-09-06T20:16:00.002-04:00

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I checked out the Forest Run Wildlife Preserve, which is just around the corner from where we live. It is an 82 acre preserve with a creek, woods, a small prairie, meadows, and a wetland area. There is a neat observation deck that you can walk up to from a trail in the prairie area. You can get some nice views of the surrounding area.

The address is 1810 New London Road, (Ross Township)Hamilton, OH 45013

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7/11/2010 Miami Whitewater Forest - Shaker Trace Trail

2010-07-12T10:28:00.001-04:00

I had one more trail at Miami Whitewater Forest that I had not walked. This is the outer loop of the Shaker Trace Trail, which is a paved trail that is just under 8 miles in length. The entire trail is paved and gently graded with distances marked every .2 miles. There are some great views along the trail of restored wetlands and prairie, creeks and farmland. There were many different wildflowers in bloom. Unfortunately, I only had my Blackberry camera, so I did not get great photos of the wildflowers. There were quite a few bees that were interested in the flowers, so I kept my distance.

I walked this loop trail counter-clockwise. The sign said I should be able to walk this in 2.5 hours, and that is about what it took. I am not in as good of shape as I was when I started to hike the Buckeye Trail a few years ago, so 8 miles was a good distance for me for now.

There was a Ranger “courtesy cart” that I saw go by once. The cart patrols the trail with cold water for those that don't bring enough water. Some of the bicyclists did not carry any water, which I thought was a little odd. It is a short loop for a bike, but if I had a failure, I would want some water on a hot day like it was today. My cycling shoes are not good walking shoes either. There is water at the 1.9 and 6.1 mile markers, and I carried about 2.5 liters, which was plenty. The heat managed to warm up a couple of the metal bottles, so I did stop for the colder water at the stops.

I saw a few people walking within the section of the trail that is part of the shorter 1.2 mile inner loop, but I was the only soul walking the longer outer loop. I met a couple of horse riders who were riding the Shaker Trace Horse Trail, which intersects with the walking trail in a few spots. We passed each other a number of times over 4 - 5 miles of the trail. The horses have the right of way at all of the bridges, and I had to wait a couple of minutes at one bridge while one of the riders had to coax her horse across a short bridge that spans one of the creeks.

I prefer walking the wooded nature trails over paved trails, but there isn't a nature trail that is this long. There is not a lot of shade on the Shaker Trace trail, and the sun warms up the pavement to add to the discomfort. The best alternative is to walk the three short loop nature trails that are close together at Miami Whitewater. These are the Badlands, Oakleaf, and the trail that used to be called the Parcours trail. They have a new name for it, but I can't remember what it is.

A portion of the American Discovery Trail (which runs from Delaware to California) passes through the Shaker Trace Trail, however, I did not see any signs that marked any part of it.

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Olive Branch City Park, Olive Branch, Mississippi 6/9/2010

2010-06-09T16:13:00.004-04:00

I have been getting out and doing some walking and short hikes, even though I have not been keeping this site up to date. I have been walking a lot of the same park trails that I have already discussed here, and I originally intended this blog for describing new trails and parks that I have discovered.

I have to balance a lot of things, and when my job takes me somewhere I have never been, I always try to find somewhere close that I can go for a walk, no matter how little time I have.

I found a nice city park in Olive Branch, Mississippi that goes by the easy to remember name of the Olive Branch City Park. The park features three small ponds(one has a pier), a complete paved walking trail that is two miles in length. This is a city park, so the trail winds around tennis courts, ball fields, etc. It also goes through some wooded areas and passes all of the ponds on the 135 acre park.

For more info, go to Olive Branch City Park.

It was a hot day, and I should have gotten up sooner, but I have been working from 8:00 PM until 2:30 AM in the area, so I don't wake up before the heat of the day grabs hold of everything. I just walked the two mile path one time, and I wish I had brought my good walking shoes, however, the $25.00 baggage check fee at the airport means that I pack less and do laundry more.

When I walked by the ball fields, I could not help but notice the familiar yellow drainage tubes used on the warning track. I read the label, and sure enough it was Poly-Drain from Baughman Tile Co., Inc., Paulding, Ohio. I have to put that in here since I was born in Paulding!

I apologize for not having a better camera. I had to settle for the Blackberry camera phone.

1/12/2010 Creekside Nature Park - Zionsville, IN

2010-01-12T22:11:00.001-05:00

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped for a short walk at the Creekside Nature Park in Zionsville, Indiana. It is located just south of Lions Park, across State Road 334.

The park had a path that leads to Eagle Creek, and a hiking trail that follows Eagle Creek and leads back to the parking lot. It is not a very long path, but it was nice to be out for even a short walk. This trail is not far from the Zionsville Rail Trail that I hiked last month.

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Zionsville Rail Trail 12/12/2009

2009-12-12T17:15:00.001-05:00

I had a short day at work today, so I decided to get some walking in on a trail that I have never been on before. When I Googled "Indiana trails", the top result is a website called http://www.indianatrails.org/ This is an excellent website with information on many trails here in Indiana. It looks like there is a plan in place to interconnect various trails in the state, which will be great when done. After a brief search of the website, I realized that the Zionsville Rail Trail is very close to the hotel I am staying at.

I have been working some long hours the last cople of months, and I have not been able to do any hiking or backpacking. I am trying to stay in shape, but it is always a struggle where I jhave to set a side a block of time in my crazy schedule.

I drove to Starkey Park, which is a 77 acre park in Zionsville, Indiana that is named after Lucile Starkey who bequeathed a large section of the land to the Town in 1974 for use as a nature park.It is a very beautiful park with several connecting nature trails.

There are two separate trails with steep wooden stairs that lead down to Eagle Creek. From here, it is a short distance to a massive boardwalk that has a long ascent to the rail trail. The trail starts from here. There is a nice picnic spot and view from the top of the old railroad bridge that overlooks Eagle Creek. I took a few pictures of Eagle Creek over the top of the fence on the bridge before heading north on the trail. I only had the Blackberry 8300 for taking pictures, so they are not as good as I normally take with a better camera.

The southern 1 mile of the rail-trail, is also called the Nancy Burton Trail. It passes the small Nancy Burton park, which has a porta potty for those who are curious about where the restroom facilities are located. The southern 1 mile of trail is covered with crushed limestone, which I happen to prefer over the paved trail any day. It is very nice to walk on. It also would not be difficult for bicycling unless it was a very wet day. The southern part of the trail is up on a large embankment and passes through some beautiful woods.

The northern 2.5 miles of the Zionsville Rail Trail is paved, which I don't like as much as the dirt nature trails or even the crushed limestone, however this is a multi-use trail for bicycles, walkers, runners, etc. I have had issues with plantar fasciitis in the past, which causes terrific heel pain. I now wear some good New Balance walking shoes with Powersteps arch supports, and have not had any problems for a few years now.

I have to admit I am one of those people that gets all tingly when I am on a trail. I really love being outdoors. It puts me in a zone, and is not only health exercise, it really helps the mind also. When I have more time, I would like to explore this trail further north.

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10/08/2009 Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail - Gatlinburg, TN

2009-10-26T15:28:00.004-04:00

View from the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

Baskins Creek Trail

Bud Ogle Farm

I took a trip with the family around the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail outside of Gatlinburg, TN. This is a five mile, one way tour that is known as a "motorized nature trail". From the main parkway in downtown Gatlinburg, (Hwy 441), turn at stoplight #8 onto Airport Road. You will come up on a confusing intersection, but continue straight.

I recommend stopping at the historic Bud Ogle Farm that you will pass on your left as you enter the park area. There is a scenic short nature trail that goes around the farm that we walked through in the month of June when we were last here. It is worth the stop before continuing on through the motor nature trail.

Roaring Fork Creek was not running very fast, but in the spring, it is something to see. It was still very beautiful in October. The "Place of a Thousand Drips" was beautiful, although not dripping like it did back in June. This is a very nice waterfall not far from the road.

There are many photographic opportunities for those who are not up to a long hike by foot. There are many trails that cut through the motor nature trail, however. One of my favorites is the Trillium Gap Trail that leads up to Grotto Falls and beyond.

Eagle Creek Park Indianapolis, IN 8-18-2009

2009-08-18T21:57:00.003-04:00

One of the trails in Eagle Creek Park

Eagle Creek Reservoir

Eagle Creek Reservoir

I made a trip to Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis to walk some nature trails today. This park has a 1,400-acre lake, nature preserve, Earth Discovery Center, trails and park. I drove from Brownsburg. IN to the park, which should have only been about 6-7 miles, but road construction detours turned it into a 12 mile trip one way by car.

I entered the park at the 56th Street entrance on the south side of the park. I paid my $5.00 daily fee to enter by car. If you are a bicyclist or a walker, the charge is only $3.00.

I had looked over the map on the website, but I was unable to print one out, since I do not have a printer back at the hotel. I neglected to ask for a map at the entrance, and I wish I would have, since the nature trails were a little difficult for me to find at first.

I drove around until I was able to see a nature trail cutting through the woods by the park road. There was a pickup parked in a small parking area big enough for about 5 cars. I guessed correctly that this was a trail head. It is a little difficult to locate trail heads (at least in the area of the park I was in).

I walked and tried to take not of some of the trail signs. There were some colored arrows in places and designations like M5 and M7 at different points along the trail I was on. Somewhere there must be some maps that can help relate to what these symbols mean. The markings were plentiful, but I did not have a map to make sense of them. The maps on the website do not show these symbols.

I walked toward the Eagle Creek Reservoir, which is a beautiful sight. I stopped and took a few pictures near the marina while the sun was getting low in the late afternoon sky. There were a few small boats out on the water, and the way the sun reflected off of the water was beautiful. I took it all in, and then started back along the trail in the general direction of where my car was.

I wondered off on some side trails, and ran into a lot of deer along the trail, who did not seem to care that I was there. I have never seen deer like this where I was able to get so close before they moved off. The deer never ran. They watched me, and if I was too close, they slowly walked in the other direction. None of them ran. I guess the deer here are so used to people, they do not spook very easily.

I eventually got back to my car around 7:45 PM, and called it a day.

The park address is at 7840 W 56th St. Indianapolis, IN 46254-9706. The phone number is (317) 327-7110. The website of the Eagle Creek Park Foundation is http://eaglecreekpark.org. There is even a YouTube channel for Eagle Creek Park which is at http://www.youtube.com/EagleCreekPark.

The link to the complete photo album on Photobucket is http://photobucket.com/EagleCreekPark_20090818

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Tactical Defense Institute - Tactical Shotgun Course Review 7/18/2009 - 7/19/2009

2009-07-19T23:28:00.002-04:00

I just returned from a two day tactical shotgun class at the Tactical Defense Institute near West Union Ohio. I have been wanting to go for a number of years, after someone I used to work with told me about this school. I finally followed through and went. I am glad I did.

When I was younger, growing up in rural Defiance County, Ohio, it was pretty common to learn how to shoot at an early age. When I was young, I learned how to shoot a 22 rifle, but was a little intimidated by shotguns. I never had any formal training, but my friends and I used to setup targets, cans, bottles, etc. and see if we could hit them. I just never got around to the shotgun.

I currently don't own a gun, but if I was going to pick a home defensive weapon for a home with small children this would be it. From some of what I have read, I can limit over penetration by using the right defensive load. Sending rounds through the wall into an adjacent room is a big concern for me in a home defense situation.

Since I am settling on the idea of owning a shotgun, I decided that rather than go buy one and then figure out the right way to use it, I would spend the money to learn how to use one first. I am so glad I did.

The best description of the Tactical Defense Institute is at their website which is www.tdiohio.com. The school has been in operation over 15 years, and is run by John Benner, who is a Vietnam veteran,a veteran police Lieutenant of 37 years, and spent 25 years with the Hamilton County Police Association Regional SWAT Team. I will let the TDI website explain the rest of John's many credentials.

I have read a number of reviews on TDI, and the one common thread was how there was a good student to instructor ratio, and how the instructors were constructive in their criticisms. In the tactical shotgun class, there were 23 students. I cannot recall the exact number of instructors, but I would estimate that on the first day at the lower range, there was no more than 2-3 students per instructor. On day 2, when we were doing some of the other exercises, it was one instructor working with one student at a time.

The first day was spent at the lower range. The hours were from 9:00 AM until 5:00PM the first day. Night shooting training ran from 7:00 PM until 9:30 PM. TDI suggests arriving at 8:45 AM, which allows time for filiing out the waiver, taking care of payments, etc. The students all met in the class room by the lower range where John Benner introduced himself and about ten instructors. Safety requirements were explained which included safe muzzle direction, keeping the finger out of the trigger guard and parallel to the gun barrel when not shooting.

I was the only student that did not have a gun of some sort to bring. A number of students had multiple shotguns. I saw a good collection of Remingtons, Mossbergs, Benellis, etc. There were a lot of different mods from stocks to rails, sights, etc. One student even had an interesting high capacity magazine that I had never seen before. There is a line on the application to the class that asks whether or not you need to borrow a gun from the school for the day. This was great, since I would have likely bought something that might not have survived the first day. I did not know enough about what to look for in a shotgun, and considering the amount of ammo required for the class (300 birdshot, 25 buckshot and 15 slugs), a cheaper gun might have not made it.

I asked Mr. Benner at the start of the class about using a gun, and he asked me if I preferred a pump action or an auto loader. I picked the pump, figuring this might be the type I would eventually purchase based on a number of factors (including cost). I was presented with a modified Remington 870, 5 shot, with a Vang Comp barrel. It belonged to one of the instructors, and was a great gun for the first day.

The first day consisted of lots of range time, timed drills, and some shooting on the move lessons. One of my favorites was the team competition where five team members start by shooting one round down the line in order, and then two, then three, with the last round of five shots. After each member shot, they had to try and load as many as possible to be ready to shoot the next quantity. It was a good drill for working with loading. I was fortunate to be in a team with some skilled members. We managed to have the lowest time in this drill.

I had my share of problems. I failed to lean into the gun throughout the day, which helped to make the right shoulder a bit sore. I was reminded each time by an instructor, and I think by day two, I was starting to catch on. I occasionally forgot to put the stock to my cheek, and I neglected to sight the gun properly. I never felt that I was being left behind. I had the least experience in the class, but the criticisms were constructive, and my mistakes pointed out where my weaknesses were. I failed to reload regularly, and ran out of ammo a few times. We had some drills that forced us to shoot and re-load, that helped me with this.

In the evening, we learned about using a tactical flashlight. Since I did not come with a gun, there was no point in buying a gun mounted light in advance. I used a handheld light with the pump action Remington. It was a bit cumbersome to work the action with the light, but this served as a backup plan drill in the event that my weapon mounted light (if I had one) failed. For those that follow gear, I used a Coast LED Lenser LL8836TS, which can be weapon mounted. I used it as a hand held. It had decent illumination and used AAA batteries, instead of the coin type.

Day 2 started again at the lower range with some good lessons on quickly deploying the shotgun from the hip or held out in front. I was given an 8 shot Benelli auto-loader, which was a great gun to work with. By extending the left arm fully, I found I could shoot pretty accurate at close range with no sighting of the gun. We ran though some more shooting on the move exercises, which helped me learn how to shoot while moving forward, backward or sideways. The proper technique really allows for proper control of the gun while on the move.

I learned how to shoot slugs on the rifle range. We tried shots at 25, 50 and 75 yards. I had some trouble steadying myself in the kneeling position, and working the sights, but some pointers from the instructor (David Bowie) helped me improve as we went through this exercise. I could use some more practice, but this was a good lesson for understanding the sights that I had on the Benelli.

We briefly covered the room clearing tactics for working around corners, and minimizing our exposure while sighting a potential bad guy around the corner. This came in handy later in the live fire house.

The live fire house was the chance to put to use all of the previous drills in one place. Keeping my finger out of the trigger guard was important here, since some of the silhouette targets were friendly, and some were not. The best part was when the instructor (Jeremy Decker) debriefed me at the end and walked me back through the rooms. He pointed out my mistakes, and offered some great tips on utilizing the space in the room to my advantage. I hesitated on the last target, which was a hostage being held by a gunman. The instructor who was behind me acted as the voice of the gunman. I tried to give verbal commands, which failed. I took the shot with 00 buckshot, and managed to only hit the gunman on the target. I hesitated too long under the circumstances, but it was a good test of quick decision making and staying cool enough to be able to take the shot when needed. Much better for me to learn these lessons here in the class. I could have done a better job of moving through the rooms, and not exposing myself. I also need to work on my left side shooting. I had a tendency to flip the safety on the Bennelli back on when trying to shoot from the left. This exercise gave me a lot to think about for a long time to come.

The "Jungle Lane" exercise was an observation exercise to help with identifying targets while walking down a wooded path. I did not sight the gun properly a few times. I managed to hit whatever I shot at, but I failed to sight the gun as I should have. I might get away with that at close range, but this mistake seemed to be one of my worst bad habits. I also missed some secondary targets. I would shoot the first, and lower my gun, missing a second target that was a little further back. I seemed to be more concerned with moving forward than indentifying the targets properly. I would have done better, if I had taken more time as I moved down the trail. I also failed to keep my gun running loaded, and ran empty right at the end. When I finished I got to follow the next shooter and instructor. This was great for reinforcing some of the things I needed to work on. The shooter I followed missed spotting a target, but kept his gun running loaded, and was more careful about getting down the trail.

The last exercise at the upper range worked muscles I did not know I had until I tried to get out of the car two hours after I left the school. On the upper range, I learned about shooting and loading behind cover, shooting on the move, then loading from cover, etc.

I am the farthest person from a "shooting expert". I considered myself a raw novice coming into the class, who still has lots to learn. What I did learn was invaluable, and money well spent. I feel like I have a basis for continuing down this path I started. I would recommend the Tactical Defense Institute to anyone interested in learning how to use their shotgun with the best technique. I learned more in two days than I could have figured out on my own in how ever many years I have left in this world.

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Arbuckle Acres Park - Brownsburg, IN 7/9/2009

2009-07-09T22:39:00.002-04:00

Another short couple of miles today. I walked twice around the nearly 1 mile of the paved loop trail here. It looks like much of my summer will be spent in the Indy area, so I will be looking for some good short walking areas I can hit after work. Arbuckle Acres is a short drive, so it makes for a good training trail.

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Arbuckle Acres Park
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Testing Posterous

2009-07-04T23:05:00.001-04:00

I am testing out Posterous.com. This is a great way to post content everywhere with a simple email. I am testing automatically posting to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Blogspot all with one simple email. As I hope to start some short hikes, I was looking for a simple way to post trip info. This looks like it will do the job. As I test it out, I will let you know.

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Information for Dog Hikes in Cincinnati Area

2009-07-04T12:00:00.003-04:00

If you have a dog, and you are looking for information on where to hike in the Cincinnati area, as well as some tips, check out this link: Hike with your dog.

There is a link to the first 32 pages of the book called "A Bark in the Park - The 44 Best Places To Hike With Your Dog In The Cincinnati Region"

To see the first 32 pages, go to: First 32 Pages

Miami Whitewater Forest - Hamilton County Ohio 7/3/2009

2009-07-04T11:25:00.006-04:00

Badlands Trail

Tallgrass Prairie Trail

Tallgrass Prairie Trail

I added a few pictures from a short hike around the Tallgrass Prairie and Badlands Trails.

Arbuckle Acres Park - Brownsburg, IN 6/24/2009

2009-06-25T00:24:00.004-04:00

I have been staying in Brownsburg, Indiana which is near Indianapolis. I was looking for a place that would be close by that I could take a walk. Arbuckle Acres Park was nearby, and has a nice paved trail that cuts through the middle of the park. The mosquitoes were pretty rough, but I walked fast to avoid them. There were no signs with distances, but it is a short easy loop that is pretty flat. The trail crosses a stream over a nice wooden bridge.

Trillium Gap Trail to Grotto Falls - Tennessee 6-19-2009

2009-06-19T14:32:00.013-04:00

Trailhead

Grotto Falls

Grotto Falls - Trillium Gap Trail

I hiked a portion of the Trillium Gap Trail to the Grotto Falls. This hike is a 2.6 mile out and back hike. I reached the trailhead by driving on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, which is a one way five mile route that leads to a number of trail heads and beautiful views.

From Hwy 441 in downtown Gatlinburg, turn at stoplight #8 onto Historic Nature Trail-Airport Road. At the intersection, continue straight on to the right. This is a very confusing intersection, but you will want to go straight along the rightmost road. You will pass the Bud Ogle place on the right, and should see a sign that will direct you to the narrow one lane nature trail that eventually leads to the trailhead.

I went during the morning on a Friday, and the parking area was filling up fast. When I left, there were even more cars and trucks that had to park off to the side of the road. I would recommend hiking this trail to the falls early.

The Trillium Gap Trail runs for 6.5 miles, and you can reach the lodge on Mt. LeConte. I did not have time to hike the rest of the trail to Mt. LeConte, and I turned back after taking a lot of photos of the falls.

There is a Llama train that re-supplies the Mt. LeConte Lodge. There was a mention of this in Kevin Adams' book, so I was not completely freaked out when a saw a long stretch of odd looking animal dung in the middle of the trail. I had already "Googled" bear dung, and saw enough photos to know that I had not come upon evidence of a black bear. I was not sure of the Llama train schedule, but from the looks of the dung, the Llama train must have come through recently. Kevin mentions that you might want to reconsider trying to filter any water from the stream near the trail. I wish I would have caught a glimpse of the Llama train. The book has a neat picture of the Llama train passing behind Grotto Falls.

Unfortunately, my camera's memory card got corrupted, and I lost a number of photos and movie clips that I took. This is the second memory card that I have had from the Micro Center that has done this to me. I was able to recover a lot of the photos using a program called CardRecovery. I tried BadCopyPro, which only recovered one photo. I guess when I buy cheap memory cards, I get what I paid for. I'll stick to the name brand ones from now on.

The trail climbs toward the falls, and is an easier trip back down. There is really not much of an elevation gain toward the Falls. It might be 200 ft. or so. Had I had time to hike up to Mt. LeConte Lodge, the elevation gain would have been over 3000 feet.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Noah "Bud" Ogle Nature Trail 6/15/2009

2009-06-15T20:13:00.007-04:00

Tub Mill

Mossy Rocks

Log Bridge

Noah "Bud" Ogle Cabin

Noah "Bud" Ogle Cabin

Before arriving here in Gatlinburg, I ordered a copy of a book from Kevin Adam's called "Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park". This is a great book that categorizes hikes for "those training to be Navy Seals" and those "training to be couch potatoes". (I love the way the author broke down these categories).

I was looking for a short nature trail hike that I could take the kids on. I picked the Noah "Bud" Ogle Nature Trail. It is a short 0.75 mile trail, that the author listed as one of the best in the park for the distance. A lot is packed in this short hike.

There is plenty of parking at the trailhead, but there are no restrooms or water here. Make sure these are taken care of before arriving.

When I walked it with the family, we walked it in reverse, since we were drawn to the barn and cabin right away. After we explored these, we walked the loop trail clockwise.

There are a few neat log bridges over streams, and the trail runs through several clusters of large rocks.

Along the LeConte Creek is the Ogle Tub Mill, which I have added some pictures from on this page.

Shawnee Lookout Fort Trail 5/9/2009

2009-05-09T21:33:00.006-04:00

The photos are from a walk around the Fort Trail at Shawnee Lookout Park.

Hueston Woods Hiking and Camping 2-28-2009

2009-03-01T12:38:00.017-05:00

The American Discovery Trail in Hueston Woods

Hedge Apple Trail

This tree belongs in a horror movie.

Blow down on the Big Woods Trail

View of Acton Lake from the Sycamore Trail

Cedar Falls Trail

Cedar Falls Trail

Cedar Falls Trail Stream Crossing

Hueston Woods Resort

Mud Lick Trail

Mud Lick Trail

Mud Lick Trail

Campsite (Eureka Spitfire tent)

I drove to Hueston Woods State Park on Saturday to hike some of the trails and try out some winter camping, which I have not done for a couple of years.

I have never been to Hueston Woods before, but I had printed out a map of the park that I got from the state website at Hueston Woods Park Map.

I also printed some very nice trail maps from Trailqwest. They have a few maps of Hueston Woods trails as well as a few other parks. There website is at Trailqwest.

I first located the Hedge Apple Trail on my map, parked the van and began walking toward the trail head. I met someone who was hiking along the road, which also happens to be part of the American Discovery Trail.

The Hedge Apple Trail also runs into the Big Woods Trail, which I hiked part of also. There were some very big blow downs in one of area near where it meets the Hedge Apple. I am sure it was from the big windstorm of September 14th that wiped out a lot of trees across southwest Ohio.

Once I finished the Hedge Apple Loop, I continued on to the Sycamore Trail and Cedar Falls Trail. I finished up by hiking the Mud Lick Trail.

I got a late start getting to Hueston Woods, and I wanted to get a camp site before it got very dark. I located the camp store at the entrance to the camping area. It was closed. I drove ahead toward the non-electric campground area and found a large chain across the road. This area was closed. I backed up, and drove up to the electric campground. There were a few cars that drove around while I was checking out the sites. I located several sites that have red "Walk In" tags in front of them. I learned that these are sites that you can walk in and claim if no one is there. The rest must be reserved in advance.

I returned to the camp store and found envelopes that you can use to "self-register". I filled out the form, drove back up to my campsite (I selected F23), and placed an "occupied sign" on the post. I returned the envelope with my $20.00 in it and went back to the camp site.

I almost had the whole campground to myself. Dinner was a Mountain House pasta primavera. I heated water with my Esbit pocket stove. I also had some tuna and a Clif bar for desert. I had a nice fire going, and I was finally able to get my cell phone to work long enough to call my wife and let her know I was ok.

I think I now realize why I get up so early when I camp. When it gets dark I don't have a t.v. to watch, or the internet to surf. Other than watch the campfire, there isn't much to do but sleep.

When I packed and left this morning (3/1), the outdoor temperature was 18 degrees. I had 8 layers on, and was cozy in the 20 degree mummy bag.

I would love to do it again!

Mitchell Memorial Forest Mountain Bike Trail 1/18/2009

2009-01-18T20:16:00.006-05:00

End of the Trail

I walked the mountain bike trail, which is a 3.9 mile route. Although designed for mountain biking, hikers are permitted to use the trail. There were a couple of mountain bikers that passed me by, but with a temperature of around 25 degrees F, there were not many in the park today.

Mitchell Memorial Forest is part of the Hamilton County Park District, and is a beautiful 1,300 acre park. I think the mountain bike trail opened last summer. It was a cooperative effort between the Hamilton County Park District and the Cincinnati Off Road Alliance.

The trail has plenty of switchbacks and gentle climbs, and is not very strenuous as far as a hiking trail. The trail is in good shape, and there were no deep ruts. The ground was frozen, but I didn't notice any icy conditions anywhere. The footing was great.

With all of the switchbacks, and the way the trail loops back and forth, it is easy to see when mountain bikes are approaching. I had no trouble stepping off of the trail to let the bikes pass. The trail is very well marked, with mileage markers every 0.2 mile.

For a good walk in the woods of about 4 miles, this is a good choice. There are some rules posted at the trailhead, which is at the Tall Pines Picnic area.

For more info about this park, please visit the Hamilton County Park District website for info at: Mitchell Memorial Forest

For more info on the mountain bike trail at Mitchell Memorial Forest with a link to a detailed trail map, check out this link: Mitchell Memorial Forest Mountain Bike Trail

Shawnee Lookout Park 1/10/2008

2009-01-10T19:57:00.018-05:00

Map of Blue Jacket Trail

One of the fields - Blue Jacket Trail

Where I was on the Blue Jacket Trail

Blue Jacket Trail

Little Turtle Trail

Little Turtle Trail

Indian Burial Mound on Little Turtle Trail

Little Turtle Trail

Map of Miami Fort Trail

Indian Mound on Miami Fort Trail

Overlook of the Ohio River. Note the I-275 Bridge in the Background

Power Plant Viewed from the Miami Fort Trail

Miami Fort Trail

Memorial on the Miami Fort Trail

Clearing on the Miami Fort Trail Near Daniel Beard Memorial

Miami Fort Trail Overlook

After a nice walk at Miami Whitewater again last weekend, it was time to try some trails I have never walked. I picked Shawnee Lookout, since there are three nature trails there. This park is part of the Hamilton County Park system and is near the Great Miami and Ohio Rivers. Cincinnati Gas and Electric made some large donations around 40 years ago that helped this park expand to over 1,400 acres today.

I walked the Blue Jacket Trail, Little Turtle Trail and the Miami Fort Trail.

The Blue Jacket Trail is 1.25 miles in length and named after the famous Shawnee chief. This area was a good hunting area for this Indians. This trail continues through a short field and passes under some large electrical lines. The trail then becomes a loop with an overlook of the Great Miami River. You can see into Indiana from this overlook on a normal day. As you can see from the pictures, the fog was very thick today. I started on the trail around 2:00 PM, and the fog seemed to be at its worst then.

After I completed the Blue Jacket Trail, I completed the Little Turtle Trail, which is around 2 miles in length. This trail has a nice view of the Ohio River, which was obscured by fog. There are some Indian mounds marked out along the way.

The last trail I walked was the Miami Fort Trail, which is about 1.4 miles in length.
There is the remains of an old Indian earthwork at the top of the overlook to the Ohio River. Some old Adena Indian campsites have been found in this area.

Here is a link to information about this interesting park:
Shawnee Lookout Park

Triple Creek Park Parcours Trail 12-27-2008

2008-12-27T13:41:00.001-05:00

Today I had just enough time to enjoy a short walk around this 0.8 mile trail. The weather was very warm, and I was dressed in shorts, t-shirt and tennis shoes. The forecast was for almost 70 degrees, and it felt great. As I walked with my daughters it was hard not to dream about some good winter hikes I want to do this winter.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Miami Whitewater Forest - Oakleaf Trail 12/14/2008

2008-12-14T18:10:00.004-05:00

These photos are from my short walk through the Oakleaf trail this afternoon.

Miami Whitewater Forest 10/26/2008

2008-10-26T15:02:00.010-04:00

Oakleaf Trail

Parcours Trail

Badlands Trail Outer Loop

Badlands Trail Outer Loop

Badlands Trail Outer Loop

Tallgrass Prairie Trail

Tallgrass Prairie Trail

Shaker Trace Inner Loop

Shaker Trace Inner Loop

This morning was great for walking at Miami Whitewater Forest. I started at the Oakleaf Trail, which is one of the shorter nature trails at 9:00 AM. The temperatures were in the 40s,and I love hiking when the weather is cooler in the fall. The Oakleaf Trail is only 0.8 miles long,but I love the fact that three nature loop trails are all very close to the parking lot where there is a restroom and water. I saw a bag tied over the drinking fountain handle, so the park might have turned off the water for the winter. I am not sure, and since I carried my own water, I did not check.

Once I finished the Oakleaf Trail, I walked the Parcours Trail, which is a 1.4 mile figure 8 loop style trail. I have never hiked this one before, but it is also another beautiful nature trail.

I completed the Parcours Trail and then walked the Badlands Trail Outer Loop, which is 1.7 miles long. I really like this trail with the small ups and downs, turns and short bridges. This is probably my favorite nature trail in this area, although I have to admit there are a lot of trails I have not walked.

After I completed the Badlands Trail, I got in the car and drove to the Tallgrass Prairie Trail, which is a short 0.6 mile nature trail.

If I would have more time to hike today, I would have liked to have tackled the entire outer Shaker Trace loop, which is a paved 7.8 miles, so I chose to finish the morning by walking the inner loop, which is only 1.2 miles. An interesting fact, is that the Shaker Trace Trail is part of the American Discovery Trail, which runs from Delaware to California. The trail is routed over 6,800 miles through 15 states. For more information about the ADT, check out

I did not put in a lot of miles, but it was about 5.7 miles when I add up the mileage.

Miami Whitewater Forest Badlands Trail (Outer Loop) 10/11/2008

2008-10-11T15:37:00.009-04:00

Damage from the Sept. 14th Wind

Today was a great warm Saturday to be out for a hike. I went with my daughters to Miami Whitewater Forest, and we walked the outer loop of the Badlands Trail. This is an interesing trail with a number of short bridges, small ups and downs, and plenty of great views of the forest. The distance of the outer loop trail is 1.6 or 1.7 miles.

The damage from the Sept. 14th windstorm that hit southwest Ohio was evident everywhere. There were fallen trees and sawed up logs from many that fell near the trail. It looks like a lot of work was done to clear it all up.

As we neared the exit of the trail, we could hear the cracking sounds of a tree falling against another. It was safe, since it was far off of the trail, but we could see and hear the tree as it began its fall. As it leaned up against another, we could hear the slow cracking sound as the weight was beginning to overcome the tree next to it. A few others stopped to watch.

On the way back to I-275, we saw a Metlife Blimp slowly drifting to the northwest. As I watched it meander through the sky, I wished I could have 8 more weeks of weather like today, but I know the cold weather is not far off. I really love hiking in the winter, so I am looking forward to continuing to explore some new trails when I can find the time.

Kingfisher Trail Winton Woods 10/5/2008

2008-10-05T21:21:00.004-04:00

I originally planned to walk the Miami Whitewater Forest Badlands Outer Loop, which I have not yet walked. I have waked the inner loop, but have not had time to walk the outer. Well, it turns out I did not have time today either.

Fortunately, Winton Woods is a short drive from home, and one of my favorite short nature trails is open again after suffering some damage from the wind storm back on 9/14/08. I could see where a lot of the older and weaker trees took a beating from that storm off on the sides of the trail. The trail itself is in great shape after being closed for repairs.

Harbor Trail Winton Woods 9/21/2008

2008-10-05T21:11:00.004-04:00

I started by parking on the west side of Winton Rd. and walked a short distance on the West Trail, which passes under Winton Rd. and leads to the Harbor Trail. The Harbor Trail circles Winton Lake, and it is about 1.2 miles in length.

For a little history about Winton Woods: The park was created in 1939 when its first 905 acres were leased from the federal government. The park now has a total of 2,465 acres.

I have hiked this trail a number of times, and Winton Woods is a favorite destination for me, since it is so close to home.

Miami Whitewater Forest - Oakleaf Trail 9/7/2008

2008-09-07T19:06:00.006-04:00

Trailhead sign

One of the ponds

This is a short 0.8 mile loop trail that slips past two small ponds. The trail was closed earlier this year when I tried to hike it. There was some heavy flooding in the spring that caused the Oakleaf trail, parcours trail, and the restrooms to be closed. The restrooms near the trailhead are open, and so are the two nearby trails.

Miami Whitewater Forest is part of the Hamilton County Park District, and daily vehicle passes are $2.00 to enter the park. An annual vehicle pass is only $5.00, and is a great deal if you make a lot of trips to the county parks like I do.

North Myrtle Beach 8/11/2008

2008-08-11T10:12:00.001-04:00

I went for a short walk around 7:15 AM from the condo we are staying in to the Cherry Grove Pier. I am not sure of the exact distance, but it felt like at least 2.5 miles out and about 2.5 back. I walked pretty fast and only snapped a few pictures near the pier.The tide is lower in the morning and the beach is nice and wide, It is also less crowded the earlier you can get out here, which is true for most beaches.I hope to get a couple of short walks/hikes during the week, but I will need to get out earlier.The beach makes a nice trail!

Winton Woods Kingfisher Trail 8/2/2008

2008-08-03T10:08:00.007-04:00

The bone dry bed of Kingfisher Creek

I went for another walk on this short 1 mile trail Saturday. It is still one of my favorite short walks. This trail is part of the Hamilton County Park District near Cincinnati, Ohio. It is within Winton Woods Park.

Oldfield Beach Trail at Indian Lake 7/9/2008

2008-07-09T19:03:00.004-04:00

Grassy side path

Trail Start

I went for a short walk after work on the short Oldfield Beach Trail by Indian Lake (near Lakeview, Ohio). I had originally planned to hike the Pew Island trail on the east side of Indian Lake, and the Cherokee trail on the west side, but I ran out of time.

The Oldfield Beach trail is a short 1.1 mile trail. There is a much longer paved bike/hike trail that runs along the southwest corner of the lake not far from Oldfield Beach. The bike trail has several restrooms apaced along the trail.

The Oldfield trail is paved and passes through some interesting wetland areas.

Buckeye Trail Videos Caesar Creek 5/29/2008

2008-06-08T16:42:00.005-04:00

This post contains some of the videos I shot while hiking on Thursday 5/29/08 in the Caesar Creek section of the Buckeye Trail. They are not real clear, since I was using my small Nikon Coolpix point and shoot to take the video.

I have uploaded several more of this short video clips to YouTube.

Buckeye Trail Caesar Creek Section 5/29/2008

2008-05-29T17:11:00.008-04:00

Saying goodbye to the bike trail for now (End of the Loveland BT Section)

Looking back at O'Neall Rd. from the other side

Caesar Creek Reservoir

Trail Miles: 8

Today was a perfect day for hiking. It was warm, but not hot. There were no mosquitoes, and only a few large bees that did not bother me. It has been a long wait for me to get back to the Buckeye Trail, and I couldn't have asked for a better day.

I started back in Oregonia, which is a couple of miles from the end of the Loveland section, that I started hiking on July 1st of last year. There are really no decent places to leave a vehicle, and I did not take the time to ask around. There are plenty of no trespassing signs in the area, which makes me think a lot of people that use the trail must like to park where ever they please. I decided the best place to leave a car was all the way up at Caesar Creek State Park.

I was looking forward to taking a break from the paved bike trails and road walking and getting my first chance at some good old dirt trails. When I got to the end of O'Neall Rd. at the guard rail, it looked like there might be a lot of vegetation to hack through, but once I entered the small opening by the guard rail, the trail was in good shape.

There was some heavy erosion in some areas, and I wouldn't walk it at night, but the trail was nice and clear. I continued on along Caesar Creek and crossed a bridge. I took an abandoned paved road up to a grassy mowed area that led to Clarksville Rd by the Flat Fork Recreation area. I continued on toward the visitor center, and then walked back to the Flat Fork parking lot to move my car up to the visitor center.

I had originally planned to camp at the horseman's camp further up along the reservoir, but tomorrow is one of my daughter's last day of school, and there is a school play I shouldn't miss. I hiked with my full pack anyhow.

After I moved my car up to the visitor center, I walked around a short loop trail that I originally throught was the Buckeye Trail. If I had read my map properly, I would have seen that the BT starts above the old farmer's pond. I walked back up toward the pond and continued down the right trail.

Since I was not going to camp tonight, I decided to not hike all the way to point 5 on the trail map, which is the Day Lodge near Middletown Rd. I walked about half way there and turned around and walked back to the visitor's center. The next time I come back to the trail, I will start from the visitor center again and continue as far as I can.

There was one stream crossing between points 4 and 5, which was not a problem, since the stream was low. I am sure the level gets much higher, so it is a good idea to have a plan for crossing streams in this area. I had some cheap sandals I bought that I could have used if I had to.

I could have gotten more miles in, but I did not have a way to shuttle the car again, and I did not feel like walking out and back the rest of the day.

I always like to read up on the history of the area. I learned that the Caesar Creek area was named for Caesar, who was a black slave captured by the Shawnee during a raid along the Ohio River. The Shawnee adopted Caesar and gave him the valley to be his own hunting ground. It is said that Caesar went on raids with Blue Turtle, who was the Shawnee war chief at the time.

To see a set of all my photos for this trip, go to:

http://s294.photobucket.com/albums/mm96/SteveHikes/Buckeye%20Trail%202008/

To get maps for the Buckeye Trail, please visit the Buckeye Trail Association website at:

http://www.buckeyetrail.org/

For maps and info for the Caesar Creek State Park, visit:

http://www.ohiodnr.com/parks/tabid/720/default.aspx

Miami Whitewater Forest: Badlands Trail Inner Loop 5/4/2008

2008-05-04T20:32:00.004-04:00

First of all, the Oakleaf and Parcours trails are still closed at Miami Whitewater Forest for repairs. I posted a picture of the sign and fence in front of the Oakleaf Trail.

Oakleaf Trail Closed for Repairs

Today, I did not have a lot of time for walking, but decided to check out Miami Whitewater Forest again. I re-walked the inner loop of the Badlands Trail and went to check out the Oakleaf and Parcours trails, but both were still closed. The nearby restroom area was re-opened, though.

With the three kids in tow, I decided not to attempt the longer outer loop of the Badlands Trail, which is 1.6 miles. I want to get back here by myself someday soon, so I can walk the whole trail. The Badlands Trail is one of my favorites here.

The trail looks much like it did in April, when I made a post here after my walk then. It is a little greener now, and there are a few more animals and a bee here and there.

Winton Woods Great Oaks Trail 5/3/2008

2008-05-03T17:49:00.002-04:00

The fork in the road....

My last trail of the day was the Great Oaks Trail at Winton Woods. It was looking dark in the west, and some more rain was on the way. I figured I could walk the 3/4 mile or so before it got too close.

This is one of those days when I did not expect to get out and walk, and I was not prepared like I should have been. One of the lessons I recalled from the Get Out More tour was to have your gear stored away for quick retrieval. This includes day hiking gear. I will have to work on how I
store my things.

Winton Woods Kingfisher Trail 5/3/2008

2008-05-03T17:03:00.000-04:00

Map of the Kingfisher Trail

A view from the Kingfisher Trail

The stairs lead down

More of the Kingfisher Trail

The boardwalk

The Kingfisher Trail is a short 1 mile trail at Winton Woods, but I think it has to be my favorite one in the park. It has some ups and downs, and some nice scenery. It is a good little trail for a quick walking fix. I wish it was 10 miles long.

A link to mo0re information on Winton Woods from the Hamilton County Park District is at:

http://www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/parks/winton.htm

A link to a map of the park is at:

http://www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/aboutus/ww_map.pdf

Videos from the Kingfisher Trail:

Video of the boarwalk area

Winton Woods Harbor Trail 5/3/2008

2008-05-03T15:51:00.000-04:00

Winton Lake

The closed bridge

The bridge is closed ove the lake

Harbor Trail

Today was one of those unexpected days when you don't have any plans to go hiking, since the day is already filled up with a track meet, etc. Well, the heavy rain took care of the track meet, and someone volunteered to watch the kids for a couple of hours. All of a sudden out of nowhere, a rare window of opportunity.

I considered going to Miami Whitewater Forest, but I knew my time was limited. I settled on Winton Woods, since it is close, and I have not walked the wooded trails there yet this year. Hey, I know it's not the Buckeye Trail, and it sure isn't the AT, CDT or PCT, but when I have to walk, I take what I can get. I need to get my legs and lungs in shape for this summer when I am going to take some time to enjoy some longer hikes. These trails can be nice if you walk enough of them in a day's time.

I wanted to start with a nice walk around Winton Lake on the Harbor Trail. A sign told me that the bridge was closed for repairs. I walked up to the fence and snapped a picture. It looks like this will be closed for awhile. This splits the Harbor Trail in half for now. I walked one half of the Harbor Trail, and then I decided to go walk the wooded trails.

Backpacker Magazine "Get Out More" Tour 4/29/2008

2008-04-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

I attended the presentation by Randy and Sheri Propster at the Benchmark Outfitter in Cincinnati from 7:00 PM until 8:00 PM.

I had to work in Troy, OH today until 4:30 PM, and thought I would have no trouble making it to this event. I was about 60-70 miles away, and had plenty of time. (I thought so at the time). Traffic was stopped dead for over 45 minutes in Dayton on I-75 due to an accident, I had not eaten lunch yet, and started to worry about making it. By the time I had eaten, and driven the distance, I arrived tired, but excited at the Benchmark Outfitter at 6:55 PM. Ok... enough about me and my obstacles to fun.

Sheri and Randy are an interesting couple who have hiked the Appalachian Trail and have hiked the American Discovery Trail. They spend a lot of time backpacking, and have a lot of experience to share.

They covered 11 basic essential categories of things to take backpacking, which is an update to the circa 1930 "ten essential items" list. They showed some interesting gear and had some fun questions to test our knowledge. I won't reveal the questions in case you go to one of these events yourself. There were also lots of great prizes. There were so many that I even won a prize.

I highly recommend that anyone check this out who is a backpacker, or is interested in getting started. I consider myself a novice, but I am always looking for ideas and information from the more experienced. Attending this event could steer a new hiker away from making some expensive gear mistakes, and from making bad decisions on the trail. I would have never started the Buckeye Trail last year with my ill fitting Swiss Army surplus pack if I had been to this event before.

To find out more about one of these events near you, go to backpacker.com/getoutmore.

For more info on the Benchmark Outfitter, go to Benchmark Outfitter

Miami Whitewater Forest: Tallgrass Prairie Trail 4/6/2008

2008-04-06T20:59:00.001-04:00

Trailhead

The prairie area

Small creek

A portion of the trail in the woods

Wooden walkway through some of the wetter area of the trail

The Tallgrass Prairie Trail is approximately 2/3 mile in length. It is a short trail, but has a lot of beauty in its short distance. The small prairie area at the half way point is very nice, and has an interesting sign with information on the history of prairie regions in Ohio.

This trail is about as far as it gets from the busy harbor area, and is a small trail that should not be missed.

For more information on Miami Whitewater Forest, checkout the link:

http://www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/parks/miami.htm

Here is a link to a small Google Map that I made for the Tallgrass Prairie Trail:

Google Map

To subscribe to the RSS feed for the images from this trail:

Image Feed

Miami Whitewater Forest: Badlands Trail 4/6/2008

2008-04-06T20:03:00.000-04:00

Badlands Trail

View from the Badlands Trail

This is the point where you can choose the Inner or Outer Badlands Trail Loop

Today the temperature was around 65 degrees F, and sunny. This was the best day of the year so far for being outdoors. Today the trip was to Miami Whitewater Forest, and the first trail walked was the inner loop of the Badlands Trail. I had hoped to walk the Oak Leaf Trail and the adjacent Parcours Trail. I am not sure if it was caused by the recent flooding in the area, but both trails were closed for repairs, and the restroom was closed. There was a porta potty next to the restroom that is at the parking lot by the Oak Leaf Trail. The water fountain outside the restroom was also shut off. Fortunately, I had brought plenty of water, and could use other restroom facilities in the park. Since I could not walk these two trails, I crossed the road to walk the Badlands Trail, which was open. It did look like there were some trees that had fallen across the trail, but they had been cut through.

There are two options with the Badlands Trail. There is an inner loop that is about 0.8 miles in length, and an outer loop that is listed at 1.6 miles. Sinced I was with the kids, I concentrated on the inner loop, so I did not wear them out too much. The trail is listed as a Level 4, which makes it somewhat of a moderate hike.

To find more information and directions to Miami Whitewater Forest, the link to the Hamilton County Park site is:

http://www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/parks/miami.htm

A nice PDF map of the park and trails is at:

http://www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/aboutus/mwf_map.pdf

I added a small Google Map, but there is not much detail since this trail is heavily wooded and difficult to make out from the aerial views. It might help pinpoint the location and shows a little about what the area looks like. This should compliment the PDF map above.

Google Map for Badlands Trail

Winton Woods West Trail 4/5/2008

2008-04-05T20:59:00.001-04:00

Distance marker at the start of the West Trail

View of the Winton Woods Boathouse neat the start of the West Trail

Trail passes near the lake

Small pond near the trail

The West Trail is a paved trail in Winton Woods that is a short "out and back" style of trail. It is 0.9 miles one way, which makes for a nice 1.8 mile out and back walk.

Today was a beautiful day that was near 60 degrees, and plenty of sun. The West Trail is to the west side of Winton Road, and is less travelled than the trail that circles the lake on the east side of Winton Road, and has some nice views of the western side of Winton Lake. It is a convenient place to drive to for a little exercise, when I don't have time to drive further. There are somewhere between 5 and 6 miles of paved and unpaved trails in the park, so there is a little bit of everything. Here is a link to a map of the trail. (You will need to have the Adobe reader to be able to view this PDF file):

http://www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/aboutus/ww_map.pdf

A link with more information about the park from the Hamilton County Park District is here:

http://www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/parks/winton.htm

The address to Winton Woods is 10245 Winton Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45231

The following is a small Google Map I created for this trail:

Google Map of West Trail

Caldwell Preserve Cincinnati 3/30/2008

2008-03-30T19:46:00.001-04:00

A view of one of the streams from a bridge

One of several bridges and a view of some of the "stairs" leading up a hill

I hiked in the Caldwell Preserve, which is a great small park that is one of the Cincinnati city parks. I hiked with the Tri State hiking club, and I hiked about an hour and a half with the group, until I had to head for home at 2:30 PM.

The original land donated to the park in 1915 was donated by J. Nelson Caldwell, who claimed that the land had been first transferred to a member of the Caldwell family in 1796. The land was transferred from John Cleves Symmes, who had received a patent for the land from George Washington. There is some more background information on the history of this area on the City of Cincinnati park page listed further down.

The park has some great overlooks, and a few short steep climbs. We hiked a mix of the trails to make a loop that was somewhere around 2-3 miles in length.

The web page for more information on this park is:

http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityparks/pages/-3440-/

You can find a link to a map of the various trails from this site.

The park is really a nice one for its small size. If you are looking for a short 3.5 mile hike with some nice ups and downs, this is a good one to check out. There were plenty of bridges, so it was never necessary to make any wet stream crossings, like in Mt. Airy Forest. The restroom by the parking lot was locked, and there were no trail maps available at the Nature Center at the bin outside. I am not sure what the regular hours are for this being staffed. Fortunately, someone knew the trails pretty well, and since is is a small park with loop trails, it would not have been easy to get lost. To be on the safe side, go to the web page and print out a map ahead of time like I should have done.

Sharon Woods: Gorge Trail 3/17/2008

2008-03-17T17:53:00.000-04:00

Today, I took a short walk during my lunch hour at Sharon Woods. The gorge trail is a great shorter trail that is unpaved. I wore my Rocky boots, but it wasn't very muddy. There is a lot of gravel mixed in to the trail, and it appears to drain pretty well.

The trail is listed at about 0.8 miles each way. It is an out and back trail, not the typical loop trail you might find in a park. For the short distance, there is plenty to see. Since I was short on time, I walked the 1.6 miles in about 30 minutes, but managed to snap a few pictures along the way.

Triple Creek Park 3/16/2008

2008-03-16T16:26:00.001-04:00

Today was a nice overcast day for taking a short walk. I went with my two oldest daughters to Triple Creek Park, which is in Colerain Township in Hamilton County. There is a nice little parcours trail loop that is only about 0.8 miles in length, which is perfect for younger children.

I needed to get out for a short walk in the woods, and Triple Creek Park is close. I could have used a few more laps around the trail, but it was nice for a quick fix of fresh air.

I hope to update this blog with some interesting longer trips in the near future. I am trying to work out some plans for some weekend hiking/backpacking trips. I was scheduled to go to Salt Fork State Park for a backpacking trip last weekend, but the snow storm prevented me from making the 3 hour drive there.

Hamilton County (Ohio) Hiking Staff Program 2008

2008-02-21T21:02:00.000-05:00

I noticed that the Hamilton County Park District has posted information for this year's hiking staff program. If you are not familiar with it, the hiking staff program is a neat program where you can hike 7 Hamilton county park trails within the course of a year and then qualify for a hiking staff or emblem. It is a neat little challenge and a great way to introduce younger family members to some of the great park trails in the county. Many of the trails are under a mile in length all the way up to the 7.8 mile outer loop of the Shaker Trace Trail at Miami Whitewater Forest.

The link to an Adobe PDF file that can be printed out is at:

http://www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/rec_trails/Hiking_Staff_Record_2008.pdf

You will need a copy of the free Adobe Reader to view this file. It contains more information on the program, and a list of trails and the parks they are located in. The hiking staffs are only $3.00, and then you can purchase emblems for $2.00 for each following year you complete the program.

It is pretty simple to complete 7 trails within a year, and there are probably a few who could easily do it in a single day. I think it is a fun way to introduce kids to the fun of hiking, and they should get a kick out of working toward their very own hiking staff. I completed this for the first time last year with my three daughters, and plan to do it again this year. I will be sure to add my trip reports and photos as each trail is completed.

McFarland Woods Mt. Airy Forest 2/16/2008

2008-02-17T13:16:00.000-05:00

It was a beautiful day for a hike. The temperature was in the 40s, the sun was shining, and there was no wind. The trail in McFarland Woods in Mt. Airy Forest (Cincinnati, OH) had a lot of ice on the path. It was funny, since the ice seemed to cover the trail and not much else. It made for some slick hiking, but my Rocky boots really had good grip. I carried a small fanny pack with 1L of water in two bottles, some energy bars (that I did not need) and a few other items.

I might switch to a small daypack, since I always have a hard time putting the water bottles back into the fanny pack water bottle holders. It is an Outdoor Research fanny pack from Walmart. It was cheap and does the job, but it is too much effort returning the water bottles after a drink. With a light daypack, I could use my Camelback on the warmer days when I do not need to worry about the tube freezing.

I went on this hike with the Tri State Hiking Club, and about 40 to 50 people showed up for the hike. It took some getting used to the ice at first, but I gained more confidence and slipped only once. We followed much of a trail that was marked as the "E" trail. We did not follow it completely, since we were trying to stick to about a 4 mile loop. It had a few ups and downs, but was in no way as strenuous as the Fort Hill Hike in Highland County last month.

We completed about a 4 mile loop in an hour and 45 minutes. We held up a few times to wait for some of the slower hikers. This was fine, since it was a beautiful day and it was nice meeting some members of the club I had not had a chance to talk with before.

I did not take the time to download a map like I usually do. When I hike in a new area I have not been to before, I like to get an idea of the trail length, terrain, etc. A good source for maps of the area is at the City of Cincinnati website at:

If the link does not appear, copy and paste the following to your web browser:

http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityparks/pages/-3066-/

If you click on the maps link at the city's website after clicking the link above, you will see another page with a link called "Trail Map #1". This is the best map I have found yet of the area. If anyone else has a link to a better one, please feel free to share it with me and anyone else who might read this blog.

Here is a link that should take you directly to a view of the map:

If the link does not appear, copy and paste the following to your web browser:

http://dynamic.cinci-parks.org/images/park_media/326.jpg?55

Fort Hill Hike 1/20/2008

2008-02-16T14:27:00.000-05:00

Overlook point near the earthworks.

Looking down at one of the rock formations.

The fisrt stream crossing. Check out the tunnel on the other side!

This was a challenging hike for me. I grew up in one of the flattest areas of Ohio (the Till Plain of Northwest Ohio). The Fort Hill Nature Preserve has a challenging climb of over 400 ft up a decnt switchback trail to the top of the old Indian ruins.

I went with the Tri State Hiking Club, and we had a group of about 20 people or so. It was nice to be able to hike with a group to have the extra support.

We started out on the trail about 1:00 PM, and the temperature was probably around 15 degrees Fahrenheit. It was very cold. I actually got a little warm toward the end of the hike from all of the heat I was generating from hiking.

I had never been to this trail before, and I was under the impression that when we had completed the first big 400+ foot climb, the hard part was over. I was mistaken.

We had to make several other climbs, and the trail had many ups and downs. The temperature made it a little dificult for me. I almost felt like I was having cold weather induced asthma. It felt like I was hiking with half of one lung most of the time. It was hard to catch my breath a few times.

We had to make a couple of crossings of the main creek that runs through the area. I beleive it is called Baker Creek. There were logs across the stream for both crossings, but the water was still flowing and higher than the tops of my Rocky boots that I was wearing. I had spare socks in my backpack, but I did not want to test how waterproof my boots were in 15 degree weather.

The first crossing was the easier of the two. It was right before an area where there is a rock tunnel on the other side. I stuck my Lekis into the cold water and slowly walked across the log to make it to the other side.

The second crossing came much later in the hike when I was tired, out of air, and a little dizzy and dehydrated. My tube had frozen long ago on my Camelback. I had to take it out of my ULA Conduit pack and unscrew the lid to drink right from the bladder. I emptied it out before the second stream crossing. The log was high in the air and required walking across it without the aid of my Lekis in the water. I was so dizzy, I decided to scoot across the log on my rear. This was tough, since my fleece pants did not want to slide along the log. I made it across with a lessened sense of pride, but I stayed dry.

When we got to the end of the loop to the parking area, I would guess that we had hiked 7 or 8 miles. I really do not know the exact distance. Much of the trail we followed was part of the Buckeye Trail, and it was well blazed.

One of the neatest parts of the trail was the restored log cabin that we walked through. The Gorge Trail goes right through the cabin!

I think we finished up around 5:00 or 5:30 PM. Fortunately we made it back before it got dark. Overall, it was a good workout and made me realize that I need to hike some more hills and get used to that type of hiking. I hiked about 50 miles of the Buckeye Trail last year, but it was mostly flat. My legs are not used to climbing.

We ate at the Ponderosa in Hillsboro. I had the dinner buffet. It was not all that great, but I was so hungry, tired and thirsty I did not care. The Tri State Hiking Club is a great group, and I look forward to going on a lot more hikes with the group in the future.