I decided to hike in the Shawnee State Forest in Ohio. I
planned out a 17-mile loop out of two different loops. I used parts of the east
and west day hike loops and part of the North loop of the backpacker’s trail.
Some of the characteristics of forest I did not expect. the
section of forest I hiked through was young. I mean less than 40 years overall
if I had to guess.
One of the many reasons I bring this up is because of the
canopy coverage of the trees. Unlike many older forests they have much denser
canopy where the sun can't penetrate down to the trail.
While hiking now I carry 5 litres of water. For me this is
good for 90-degree weather and 20 miles. With the lack of water resources on
the ridges, it could be extremely dangerous for others who are not prepared.
Along with the minimal water available one needs to be
concerned about other heat-related injuries. I'm not attempting to be Debbie downer
but being real and preparing for anyone who hikes down there or who is thinking
about it.
The backpacking trail has undergone major renovations. Some
storms have rained down havoc on the trail.
I guess by the tracked vehicle marks they have had at least
one Bobcat type of vehicle in there to clear the obstructions.
They have a lot of them gone in the North section I hiked.
They back dragged the entire trail that I saw. They added water bars and made
other terrain changes.
I departed from Turkey Creek Lake, and I was on my way. The
sun was trying to peak over the hills.
The first ascent was 379 feet in 0.86 miles, and you could
tell in the winter this would be a great view. It’s obstructed by trees, but it
would still be nice.
The back-to-back ascents here in the first 2.25 miles are
nearly the same.
Approximately at mile 5 I would begin my road work. Maggie
joined me until she found someone else “story of my life”. Lol
This road grade would be over 2.60 miles and ascend 520
feet.
It was a nice work out and then the Shawnee roller coaster
would begin.
After getting off the road I would be greeted by an ascent
of 308 feet over 0.55 miles.
Again, here you could tell a piece of equipment that had
been used to back drag the trail.
I was really hoping that all the trails would be single
track, but one never really knows what they are going to find until they get
there.
Sometimes a much-needed breeze would hit me to cool down
even more.
Water Spigot @ N38° 46.246' W83° 09.703'
For this loop I think the best view in the winter of late
spring would be here N38° 45.508' W83° 11.241'.
The exposed bed rock and finger you are standing on makes it
extremely scenic. I also think you could hike out to the end of the finger, and
the view would be even better.
The growth of the young forest would make the views so
impressive with no leaves on the trees IMHO.
In closing this winding and hilly trail is not designed for
a new hiker. The hydration requirements for this hike are very demanding. This trail being a ridge runner for the most
of it the ephemeral streams this time of year are dead low.
If you go, plan ahead and do not take any chances.
Well, this was one of the more humbling hiking experiences I
have had in a long time.If you spend time
outdoors doing what you love at one time or another mother nature is going to
remind you that you’re only human.
On this day like any other day I check the weather and head
out. I am wearing convertible pants, wicking long sleeves, and a wicking short
sleeve underneath.
I would be carrying 3-litres of water and in normal hiking
conditions this for me would last for a 16 – 20-mile hike. What has not been realized
yet until I have 1.5 miles left in a 13-mile hike is I will run out of water. The other sign would be my body having heat
cramps in my leg one at a time, but we will get to that later.
Starting at 41.556185, -77.375912 aka Gillespie Point Trailhead
being mile 0.0. I looked at a topo map and saw yes it would be a climb up to
the scenic view, but what I did not do was see what the average percent of
grade it would be to get there.
Starting at the trailhead and immediately started the accent
with an average grade of 18 percent I grinded it out.After ascending 932 feet I had a beautiful
view of the Pine Creek Gorge.
The next leg would be the nearly 2-mile decent into Brill
Hollow. There are two ephemeral water sources while hiking into the hollow.
After crossing Big Run Road, you will need to do a stream
crossing at mile 2.3. During this creek crossing you will see a few small and
beautiful waterfalls and the waterfall spotting will go on for about 0.70
miles.
After passing the waterfalls you will start another accent.
This ascent will be 1.12 miles long, with an average grade of 10.4%, and with
an elevation gain of 609 feet.
I had been used to grade changes, but none at this point lasted
this long. Sweat was pouring out of me. I should have right then changed up my
clothes. I knew better but pressed on. I should have converted my pants to
shorts and removed my long sleeves. This would be the start of my dehydration.
I should have also checked my water bladder level.
After that you will start your accent into Hoyt Hollow. This
hollow has several beautiful creeks in them. As has been said by others, this
is no place to be during a high-water moment.
The cold and at times chilling temperatures of the runoff
from the mountain springs can be overpowering and at times dangerous.
Trout Run was running well but nothing that would stop
someone from crossing it. I just did not want to get my boots wet on this day.
I began breaking trail along the north side of the creek to
work up to what I call Anvil Rock Falls. The rock formation looks like the
front edge of a blacksmith’s anvil.
I was walled out and needed to go to higher ground or wade
the creek. I chose to get to higher ground to traverse the walled-out section.
I was walking along a ledge that I thought was surprisingly flat-ish.
The ledge was also covered in dead leaves. The sandstone was also prime habitat
for snakes. I oddly enough did not see or hear of any snakes.
I made it back to where I started to break trail. I began my
hike out of the creek bottom. For the next nearly 2-miles I would be going up
hill with an average grade of 6.4%.
On the hike back at nearly mile 9 I felt something I had not
experienced in decades. I felt heat cramps in my left leg and at first it was
just a nagging feeling. This would get worse to the point I needed to lay on
the trail.
I made every attempt to rub it out and stretch it out. It
nearly migrated to my crotch.
I then realized I was in the starting stages of heat
exhaustion. I was ok for now and knew I needed to drink more water “but really
it was already too late”.
I also needed to cool my core temp down slowly and not allow
myself to go into any type of shock.
I got up and pressed on to find a water source for cooling.
I found a shallow source of water. I took off my pack and stowed all the non-essential
gear. I soaked the long-sleeved wicking shirt and began with my head to cool my
core.
I did this for my neck as well as armpits. The cool water
that came out of the water seep was a life saver. I did this until I felt confident, I made a
good choice to press on for the remaining 2-miles.
I was already out of water “big miscalculation”. I held off drinking the remaining two tablespoons
of water left in the bladder.I would
need to reach Gillespie Point before taking this drink of water.
The next 0.78 miles, percent of grade being average of
13.7%, and the final push up the steep grade with an elevation gain of 562 I
rested again. At the top of the gorge it provided a nice breeze and further
helped my core cool.
After what seemed like forever I put my pack on and made my
final descent.
I had already thought
I would not be able to make the 2-hour car ride back to camp and might have to
stay in a motel for the night.
Last thing I needed to do was pass out at the wheel. So, I
took it step by step down the hill for nearly a mile and 900 feet down. I also
was motivated by the fact that I knew I had packed extra water bottles and left
them in the car.
I got back to the car and had not been as happy as I was in
that moment for a while seeing the car. I did not hop in automatically I took
my pack off and got one water bottle. While still walking a little I drank the
water slowly.
I felt better than I thought and I would drive but still
stayed on high alert if I needed to pull over.
I was lucky because this all could have been much worse.
We love doing what we love doing. It’s a passion that many don’t
understand. Like going to bed at 2000 to wake up at midnight and after making
breakfast to watch a sunrise on a fire tower that’s 3.5 hours away.
Those experiences for the people who know it is amazing and
for others they say I would never.
After making a pot of fresh ground bean coffee and having
breakfast I headed out to the Hocking Hills State Park area.
I had read other reviews about the fire tower and how
unsuitable it is for some people. Yes, the stairs have no risers. The small
platforms at each landing do have some chain link fences on them. You cannot
enter the structure, but you still can see an amazing view. I will attach the timelapse
below of the sunrise.
I would also be chasing a few waterfalls today. I would be staring
at the hike a little earlier than normal for myself and that’s only because I was
trying to stay ahead of the number of potential hikers today.
As I hiked up into the gorge of the Twin Sisters Falls you
could see the erosion damage from the storms from last year. A good amount of
soil erosion had taken place, and it exposed new rock formations. This also has
exposed quite a bit of tree roots and they have also fallen.
Some of the newer smaller waterfalls you could see them
because of the ice dams that they left behind.
I was only going to do a short hike because of the amount of
time I was going to spend driving there and back. I would still get in a miler
with an elevation deviation of over 3000 feet throughout the hike.
I changed my GoPro settings to shoot in 9x16 format because
it was more important to see the high walls of the gorges.
I chose to wake up and drive over to the Cuyahoga Valley
National Park. The overnight low was going to be 18 degrees.
I knew that only the silliest of hikers would be out this
morning. I saw four woman that must have started when the sun came up lol. They
were in their 70’s you go girls!!!
One of the hardest things I think of while hiking below
freezing temps is how do I dress?
I carry a pack so I can always take layers off, but if you
leave it in the car, you can never have it. So, with that said you need to
think of what your pace is going to be and will the heat transfer adequately enough
so that your skin stays relatively dry enough.
If the sweat stays on your skin because of the clothing you’re
wearing will not allow the sweat to transfer though your layers you will be
miserable and cold!!!
I had chosen a nearly 12-mile hike. I had to create this
trail loop because it’s a combination of three trails. The two trails are The Wetmore Bridal, Lake
and Salt Run, and part of the Cross Country Trail.
I saw several deer foraging in the woods for food. I did see
all kinds of small birds. It was supposed to get to 25 degrees, and I can
attest that did not happen ..lol….
Mount Davis is in the Laurel Highlands Region of
Pennsylvania. Mount Davis is the highest point in Pennsylvania at an elevation
of 3,213 feet or 979 m.
In past visits to this area, really enjoyed my time there.
I chose to look at Alltrails.com to see what estimated mileage they would give
me for any trails around there.
I also need to add that the Forbes State Forest is broken
into a few different areas. For example the one area is Forbes Sate Forest –
Mount Davis Natural Area in Elk Lick Township, Quebec Run Wild Area in Gibbon
Glade, Roaring Run Natural Area in Doegal Township Pennsylvania.
The website estimated length was 5.7 miles and because I
know that they are never correct unless its flat ground it would be longer with
all the elevation deviation I would most likely encounter.
The trail ended up being a loop of 6.5 miles long. It was
not an extreme up and down, only one long grade climb. The footing was a little
techy in some areas and that’s because of loose rocks with snow and ice on
them.
The beautiful mountain laurel was everywhere in some areas.
They recently did some trail care and cut back the mountain laurel, so the
trail is more obvious.
I did see bear tracks in the snow and a bevy of coyote scat.
When I first arrived on Tuesday the 23rd the fog
was so thick and navigating harder than it needed to be I decided not to
attempt any hiking on Mount Davis.
I pulled into the little sleepy town of Meyersdale to get
some breakfast. IMHO these little sleepy towns have the best food.I found the best little breakfast place in
town. It was called Donges Drive-in Motel, and they can be found here https://www.dongesdriveinmotel.com/
Everything is made from scratch, but if you want sausage
gravy they only do that on Saturday. The
prices are very low and the food is delicious.
I chose to head up to Wolf Rocks and Beams Rocks instead to
see if I could get a break from all this fog. The next area would be about 1300
feet lower than Mount Davis and my hope was it would be below the fog.
The conditions of the roads were not bad and they were only
wet. It was not until I reached the dreaded sign that said “no winter
maintenance” is where the driving conditions got bad.
My Subaru Legacy was doing well on the slick roads and that
was until the road grades got steeper. I felt the back end slip a bit and
thought on this narrow forest road with these deep open ditches on the side if
I slipped into one, I would have to be pulled out.
I chose to do a 6 point turn to turn around and get back to
the main road.
After a little bit of anxiety, I got back to the main
road.I did not get to see the two rocky
ledges and will return some day.
So, I decided to head to the hotel room and beg them to
allow me to check in early.
They did and I stayed in the Days Inn off the turnpike in
Somerset. The Days Inn was hmm clean and the rooms over feel were below
average. I know I was only paying 150.00 dollars for two nights tax included,
but the finishing touches on the room left a lot to be desired.
The new pain on the walls was missing in spots. The TV
console covers one of the electrical outlets. The doors to my room had a gap so
big you could see the carpet in the hallway.The lock to the door was good and substantial.
It’s been a while since I stayed at a hotel that has
multiple floors. Normally when I have stayed at such hotels you need a key to
get into the back door of the first floor. Well at this Days Inn its free range
and anyone can come and go through the back door to get into the hotel.
I told this to the manager slash hotel owner I am guessing
and his remark to me was “they can’t get into your room”. I thought well isn’t
that a strange way to say you’re not concerned about the safety of the people
who stay at your hotel. Yes, they have a camera inside the building in the
hallway, but if a person has an altercation, it’s already too late they are in
the building.
I will never stay here again and if you’re just a worker in
the area in the oil and gas field I can see this being a place you would stay
at. It’s cheap and it is close to the highway and to shopping. For you to
minimize a person’s personal safety that’s says you don’t care and so I don’t
care to stay there again.
I checked in and cleaned up and went to go find some place
to eat. After a little driving I found the perfect tavern. It is called Glades
Pike Taverne and you will not find a better place to eat, drink, and they have
live entertainment. You will also not find a more diverse menu either!
The Stromboli I had was made from scratch and it was a
medium and the large are nearly double this size see photo below.
After a few beers I headed back to the hotel.
I was in the for the night and with the thick fog,
non-maintained winter roads, and high winds I was having a planning dilemma.
Where do I go and what time should I get there?
I thought I could return to Mount Davis and attempt at a
time lapse of the sunrise. What time should I get there, I was thinking. I will
get there later than I want to make the odds in my favor that the fog has moved
out. I knew I would miss the sun
breaking across the horizon, but I wanted to make sure the weather had pushed
through.
Sure, enough I had missed the prime part of the sunrise, but
there was still a window for some decent cloud formation time lapse photography
opportunities left.
After I got off the fire tower, I drove down the road to the
trail head of the Mount Davis Highpoint Trail. It was possible to make this a
longer hike but starting at noon and making it longer would not make it a great
idea.
I started at roughly at noon and it took me basically 4
hours with all the stops for photo opportunities. Most of the trail I would
call rolling down and up. The first takes you to the valley bottom of Tub Mill
Run and in the second part you climb up out of the valley for 1.95 miles. The
slopes are not tough, but they could be strenuous depending on how physically
fit you are.
This video depicts the grades you will need to hike.
By the time I got to the fire tower and was on the last leg
of the hike I only had about 2 hours to get to my car. With a mile left I
nearly jogged to my car. At least I was going downhill and maybe 3 mph walking,
but I was not going to miss this sunset.
I rolled to the car and got in as quickly as I could and
drove back to the fire tower. I was a little shocked that no one else was here.
I grabbed all my gear plus a couple of extra layers because
as the sun drops the temperatures would plummet.
I set up my tri pods, one for my GoPro13 and the other for
my Olympus TG6.The GoPro13 would be set
up for timelapse only.Once I started
the session, I would need to not touch it until it was time to leave.
I arranged my gear to still allow others to enjoy the fire
tower if anyone else had shown up. After watching the sun take its final breath
I had had enough. It was cold and the wind was starting to blow harder.
I stopped the GoPro from recording and as soon as I did that
a coyote let out a howl so loud I thought it was up in the fire tower with me.
I flipped on my head lamp and got my gear together quickly. I have never heard
of a coyote attacking a human, but I did not want to test that theory today.
I got my pack stuffed with gear and pulled my bear spray out
and then I heard a few more coyote’s howl. They were not that far away, and I
moved a little quicker to the car. My head lamp was on, and I was not trying to
be too quick, but just quick enough lol.
Finally, I got back into the vehicle and headed back to the
hotel.
This area has so much to offer everyone. It just takes time
to explore so go out and enjoy it and be courteous to others.
As you may or may not know I was sick and within the last week and half felt better. My voice still sounds like Froggy off the Little Rascals. I did a short four-mile mellow hike last week and needed to see how much stamina I had lost being sick for nearly twelve days.
For this hike I would choose to do a leg of the seventeen miler I did in the spring of this year in the Moraine State Park in Pennsylvania. I would hike about 9 miles and have an accent and decent through out the hike of 4000 feet. This would be broken up in sections throughout the hike.
This would also test myself. Well, it was fun except for the last three miles. We will just say I sounded like a four pack a day smoker at the end with my breathing lol.
Then my backpack decided to be too unalive itself! The shoulder strap sheered itself in half.
I also wore my bear bells so the hunters would be less likely to think I was a deer!
This would be the first day my friend would join me on a
hike. I chose for us to hike up to Spruce Knob. This hike would be 11.2 miles and ascending
and descending over 1300 feet. We would follow the Huckleberry Trail. This is the highest peak in the Mountaineer State,
being 4,863 feet.
Looking back, I do regret we did not go to a better vantage
point that day to get better views. The
constant climb up was challenging but not too strenuous so that it was unbearable.
You do have to really concentrate on
where you step 70% of the time due to exposed roots and displaced rocks.
The way down was the same but with the assistance of gravity
lol it was easier.
This would be a day or rest. I would do errands into town. I would get the gallon water jugs filled and have to go to Elkins West Virginia Walmart. I needed to find another Mini SD card because mine was almost already filled!
This is me driving out of the Monongahela National Forest.
