I've been pleasantly amazed at the excellent hiking weather we've experienced on this Cuyahoga Challenge.
This was our eighth (of ten) hike in the Cuyahoga Challenge, so we're nearing the finish line with nearly three weeks left to go!
We started just after a one o'clock picnic at the trailhead with bright skies, a few clouds, lot of wind and cool temperatures (upper sixties F).
The Cleveland area seems to have a reputation for bad weather. I think folks tend to forget these late summer and early fall days when the temperature is warm enough to get outdoors but not cool enough for specialized gear. The skies are partly cloudy and yet lots of sunshine gets through to set off the millions of shades of green that are quite firmly attached to all the branches.
This hike held a couple of firsts for us.
Our first mammal, a (very dead) shrew (OK, the deer and squirrels are mammals, too) and our first turtle, a red-eared slider.
OK, maybe it was a mole. The kids thought it was a mole.
The water in the pond was quite foul-smelling and covered in green weed, probably duck weed. We didn't get close enough to find out, but after snapping the photo of the turtle, we ran on along the path to see what else was out.
We also saw our first black rat snake on the ground and close up. Our previous experience with this reptile was watching one climb a very tall tree at Brandywine Gorge.
We also found some apples and pears growing wildly but didn't find any in shape to eat. Not sure if it's too early or too late in the season.
And we found an Ent. Probably. At least the tree looked like it had a face.
However, we didn't see it walking around. The pines around this tree were all in nice rows (remember, this was a tree farm at one time), so if this was an Ent, it had been doing a good job of shepherding these trees before we arrived.
It was another great day for a hike. The weather was nice, the route was well-chosen, the hikers performed admirably and the scenery was inviting. The company was particularly enjoyable as well!
The Tree Farm Trail (approximately 2.75 miles) (pdf) starts at the Tree Farm Trailhead which is off Major Road (Google Map) between Riverview Road to the east and Stine Road to the west (pdf) in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It is considered a moderate trail.
