CurlyShavings

The weather was perfect today for our first hike in the Cuyahoga Challenge. I'm not sure why we always wait so long to start but we do.

We saw lots of different trees (tulip, oak, maple, sassafras, pine, cherry, shagbark hickory and others), several millipedes, a toad or two, a deer, some yellow/brown slugs and a pretty grey speckled one, various fungi and some bird feathers.

We heard chickadees, woodpeckers, flickers and chipmunks.

And only saw one other person on the trail.

And it was a good hike.

The Forest Point & Pine Grove Trails (approximately 2.3 miles) can be found near the Octagon Shelter in the Virginia Kendall Unit (pdf) of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The weather was again perfect today for another hike (second of ten) in the Cuyahoga Challenge.

This hike was at Brandywine Gorge.

The story goes that the waterfall here was supposed to be overrun by the nearby Interstate 271 but was preserved by a future-thinking highway administrator who broke some rules.

I'm not sure what the real story is but it's a very pretty creek, gorge and hiking area. I'm glad it was preserved, both from a history perspective (there were several mills using the water's power) as well as from a topography and nature perspective.

We saw a garter snake. (You can see its tail disappearing into the grass.)

We bumped into a brand-new Cuyahoga Valley Interpretive Park Ranger who was out on a hike to see what trails he would need to "interpret" in his new job.

We probably extended our hike by another ten minutes talking to this enthusiastic Ranger. Of course, it helped that he's a fellow Scouter.

A huge, black rat snake that was quickly climbing a thin tall tree to get to a huge maple. By the time we lost track, it was easily 30-40 feet above the ground.

It was amazing.

We watched it over a ten-minute period and it simply slithered up the tree, reached out to another tree's branch and just kept on going.

And to think, if we hadn't stopped to allow the youngest a break while she ate her trail snack, we would have walked right past it!

It was a great day for a hike.

The Brandywine Gorge Trail (approximately 1.5 miles) can be found at the Brandywine Trailhead (pdf) in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The weather was again perfect today for another hike (third of ten) in the Cuyahoga Challenge.

This hike was at Blue Hen Falls and included a short portion of the Buckeye Trail.

The Buckeye Trail forms a loop around the great state of Ohio with a couple of spurs that allow a hiker to start on the shore of Lake Erie and end on the banks of the Ohio River.

Over the years we've hiked a total of 10 miles or so, some of it contiguous.

I was surprised, though, just how short this particular hike was.

The trail leads down from the parking area on an old asphalt road. There's a short leg and a nice bridge and then you find yourself at the falls!

We found two varieties of Jewelweed, an orange (Impatiens capensis) and a yellow (Impatiens pallida).

Even the chipmunks and chickadees were out.

And of course, there were plenty of blue blazes!

While there was one other car at the trailhead, we didn't see any signs that anyone else was on this segment of trail.

It was a great day for a hike.

The Blue Hen Falls trail (approximately 0.5 miles) (pdf) starts at the Blue Hen Falls parking lot which is located on Boston Mills Road, west of Riverview Road (pdf) in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The weather started out very questionable but ended up being a fantastic day for yet another hike (fourth of ten) in the Cuyahoga Challenge.

This hike was on the Lake Trail (pdf) in the Virginia Kendall Unit (pdf) of the southern part of the Cuyahoga Valley (pdf). We've hiked the Salt Run Trail (to the west) as well as all the trails in the Ledges Area and Octagon Area but not this one, so we were curious to see if the geography would be different.

It didn't start out this way, but today was a great day for a hike.

I'm finding that one of the ways to enjoy these hikes (and not view each one as a "checkbox" on the way to earning the Cuyahoga Challenge) is to keep my eyes open for plants, animals, insects or other interesting things along the way. It's not just about bagging the hike!

Around the dam, we saw lots of milkweed and so got started looking for monarchs.

And there they were! We saw monarch caterpillars and eventually a monarch chrysalis and then another!

One of the nice things about doing these hikes is that we end up doing them together, as a family.

We're planning on splitting up when the adventurers take on the Boston to Pine Lane (8 miles) while the others tackle Langes Run (3.5++ miles) or the Plateau Trail (4.9 miles).

It's been great and we since we're planning on completing the Challenge, we have a few more to go!

On our way through the cattail marsh, we happened upon this moth, one of the Sphingidae.

It's just amazing to have this resource almost in our back yard!

The Lake Trail (approximately 1 mile) (pdf) starts at the Kendall Lake Shelter. It is considered an easy trail.

The weather started out very questionable but today ended up being a fantastic day for yet another hike (fifth of ten) in the Cuyahoga Challenge.

This hike was the Oak Hill Trail (pdf) in the southern part of the Cuyahoga Valley (pdf).

For some strange reason, I have no pictures of this hike other than the trailhead photo.

This area is old farmland that was allowed to grow over. There are shagbark hickory, beech, black cherry, tulip, sassafras and oaks as well as conifers.

We found a few mayapples and some wildflowers growing.

It's a nice, short hike.

The Oak Hill Trail (approximately 1.8 miles) (pdf) starts at the Oak Hill Trailhead. It is considered an easy trail.

The 2010 Cuyahoga Challenge has this hike listed twice: once together with the Pine Grove Trail (for 2.3 miles) and again by itself (0.5 miles).

We decided to slip this one in on the way home today. The weather was improving (still very windy) but it was now mostly sunny and warm.

This trail changes just about every time we hike it.

The first time around this loop this season, it had been dry and all these little gopher mounds of dry dirt were everywhere. (We never did see what created them, so we're only guessing that this was gopher. Or chipmunk, perhaps.)

This time it had rained, so these were starting to wash away.

This time we found a little girl peering out from this oddly-shaped tree trunk.

She wasn't there before!

The older hikers let the younger ones run on ahead. While we were lagging behind, we heard two loud "crack" noises from a ways off the trail. It was incredibly windy and we weren't sure if a tree was coming down or if it was coming down on or near us. Or even if it was coming down today.

Well, pretty soon my wife was able to point it out.

And with a great creaking, it fell another 20 degrees, just while we were watching it!

We saw no one else on the trail.

And it was a good hike.

The Forest Point Trail (approximately 0.5 miles) can be found near the Octagon Shelter in the Virginia Kendall Unit (pdf) of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

My youngest son is frequently just a little further down the path than the rest of us. At 7.5, he's a real trooper and loves to hike.

Taken September 4, 2010 on Kendall Park's Lake Trail.

We experienced downright fall weather during our next hike (seventh of ten) in the Cuyahoga Challenge. We started just after a noon picnic at the trailhead with bright skies, a few clouds, lot of wind and cool temperatures (upper sixties F).

This hike was on the Wetmore Trail (pdf) in the southern part of the Cuyahoga Valley (pdf).

It's one of the longer ones we've planned and we allocated most of the afternoon to this hike. The NPS rates this one moderate (some places rate it difficult) and certainly it's harder than some we've hiked but it felt a little harder than moderate. There were a fair number of ups and down and the fact that we were sharing the trail with horses didn't make it any easier. Even though we didn't see any while we were hiking, the trail feels much more groomed and designed for horses and their impact on the terrain was undeniable.

This hike also showed us some marvelous fields and meadows. One was completely covered in goldenrod. (I'm resisting the urge to sneeze even now!)

Another was covered in tall, yellow flowers that looked similar to balsam groundsel (pictures).

And of course there was milkweed here and there. On the Lake Trail at Kendall Lakes we saw a monarch caterpillar and a chrysalis.

This time we caught a glimpse of a monarch butterfly. Since we aim to follow leave no trace guidelines, I didn't leave the path to get a closer look. This zoomed image will have to suffice!

We also saw a number of chipmunks, running along and behind the large number of downed trees here.

At one point, my wife saw some tails running off into the distance. Deer or something else?

At one point we had several "somethings" calling to one another from different points around us. My wife took a recording and we hope to figure out was was making these sounds. (Perhaps woodcocks?)

One of the highlights of the trek was seeing a new bird (new for us).

This hooded warbler was deep in a thicket, behaving just as hooded warblers are reported to behave.

At the time, we had no idea what it was, but this zoomed and cropped image seems to point pretty conclusively to it being a hooded warbler.

What fun!

So far, we've hiked 11.8 miles (Wetmore is considered 4.5, not 4.0) over eight days. Today was a challenging one and yet the three year-old kept up with us.

It was a great day for a hike.

The Wetmore Bridle trail (approximately 4.5 miles) (pdf) starts at the Wetmore Trailhead parking lot which is located on Wetmore Road, east of Akron/Peninsula Road Road (pdf) in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It is considered a moderate to difficult trail.

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.

The weather was again perfect today for another hike (ninth of ten) in the Cuyahoga Challenge.

This hike was on the Langes Trail (pdf) in the southern part of the Cuyahoga Valley (pdf), about 2 miles south of Peninsula.

The trail is a bridle and hiking trail although we also saw joggers and dog-walkers.

I'm becoming increasingly convinced (on a personal level) that well-used bridle trails make for less-fun hiking experiences. The horses that shared this trail before us were messy both in what they left behind and how their hooves tore into the trail and created these mudpits periodically.

There was also a high amount of trail-braiding (not following the path, but weaving in and around multiple trees on the trail) which encourages trail followers (of all kinds) to wander and choose the path that is "right" for them. It turns things into a Leave No Trace nightmare.

Once again, there was plenty to see. My littlest quickly found a number of tiny orange fungi, shaped in contact-lens forms.

She also found a black fuzzy caterpillar. (Some day she'll stop saying "callipidder" and it will be a very sad day.)

We saw our first coyote (although not the wild kind) and there were numerous breaks to observe the trees, the plants, rock formations and listen to the birds.

I may never complain about Cleveland weather again. It was cool, but not cold; bright, but not hot; breezy but not tempestuous. In short, it was a perfect day for a hike, with feelings of fall right around the corner.

The trail makes a loop and connects with he Wetmore Trail a hike we'd completed earlier. That didn't stop our enjoyment, however.

Someday I'd like to come back and hike the Dickerson Run Trail and Tabletop Trail. Perhaps when I don't have little ones and we'll bring our bushwhacking leggings. We saw entrances for both trails but it appears that since the horses are forbidden to enter, the humans don't either and it's quite grown over.

Overall, it's a great trail and yet another one in the Cuyahoga Challenge that we enjoyed.

The Langes Run Trail (approximately 4.5 miles) (pdf) starts at the Wetmore Trailhead parking lot which is located on Wetmore Road, east of Akron/Peninsula Road Road (pdf) in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It is considered a moderate to difficult trail.

Please note that the map's mileage number may be incorrect (too short).

The family split up this time to complete our tenth (and final) hikes of the Cuyahoga Challenge (pdf). This entry tells of the boys' trip, starting at Boston Store and heading south on the Buckeye Trail to Pine Lane, then west to Peninsula (still on the Buckeye Trail), then turning north on the Tow Path Trail back to Boston Store.

We've covered the Buckeye Trail segment of this hike to Pine Lane multiple times, with Boy Scouts and fully-laden backpacks, in the fall with little ones and at least once in the snow.

We've even hiked the Pine Lane to Peninsula once (in thigh-deep snow).

So what was left to do but hike the whole thing?

The Cuyahoga Challenge listed this as a loop at around 8.0 miles. Here are our official statistics:

7.26 miles
4.4 mph maximum
3.0 mph moving average
1.9 mph overall average
2 hours, 26 minutes moving time
1 hour, 23 minutes stopped

What does this all mean? When we were moving, we moved. And we took a lot of look-around breaks.

We didn't move so fast that we didn't see cool stuff. Here's a tiny fungus growing on a log.

We over-packed and over-planned. We even over-communicated with the NPS folks at Boston Store. Seeing as we'd be out for four or five hours, we thought we'd leave them a nice note telling them who we are, where we were going, what we were carrying, our experience level, cell-phone number and when we'd be back. They seemed to appreciate this when we returned to the trailhead, but I couldn't help but wonder if this would only incite some worry.

Personally, I think this will be the last time I hike this section for a while. It was a busy, busy trail (runners, walkers and hikers) and the Tow Path was a virtual highway of bikes, runners, walkers and dogs. I think I need a road less traveled for my next one.

The trail starts out flat, but quickly gets steep as it veers off to the east under Interstate 271 and away from the Tow Path Trail. This initial hill rises 242 vertical feet over the first 400 horizontal feet, somewhat unusual for this part of Ohio and it makes for a fun hike. This quick rise also gets the hiker off the Cuyahoga flood plain and into beeches, maples, oaks and sassafras.

Once over this ridge, the trail parallels Boston Mills Road, nearing the Ohio Turnpike (I80) at one point for a dramatic overlook, then nearing and then crossing Boston Mills Road.

The trail stays away from Boston Mills Road for a bit, wandering around a pine wood, then winding among some old home foundations before returning to the road and using it to cross I80 over to the south and another old pine tree farm.

The rows of old pine trees look majestic, almost cathedral and this is a good place to take a break. With the Valley Bridle Trail coming in from the west and crossing here, a loop can be made (on the VBT) back to Boston Store or the VBT can be used as a speed course directly to Pine Lane Trailhead (and Route 303). Choose the longer road through the rows of pine trees, keeping your feet aware of their "trippy" roots (my daughter's contribution to our lexicon).

At the southern end of these pine trees, another trail can be found that reportedly heads to the Hudson system of trails. Stay on the Blue Blazes and meander the ridges to the old Akron-Peninsula road (now abandoned). Also called North Locust, I suppose it's possible to follow this west into Peninsula and the train station.

The trail follows this road east a bit, then south into the Boston Run valley. From crossing the AP road to this valley, you'll hike three-quarters of a mile and drop a good 150 feet to this creek.

Strangely enough, it's another three-quarters of a mile to Pine Lane Trailhead and another 150 feet up to that point.

The trail to Peninsula follows Pine Land Road, an old, steep brick lane that drops another 150 feet to the town level. Take the sidewalks on the north side of the street and keep your eye open for the Blue Blazes!

If the train is running, you may get stopped by the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. If you're too tired, a few dollars might get you back to near Boston Store.

Otherwise, cross the tracks, head into the parking lot and stay to the south and west. You'll see signs for the Tow Path Trail and Boston Store (but no further Blue Blazes). Head north and stay to the right! This can be an extremely busy thoroughfare!

Make sure you stop from time to time to understand what you're walking along, on and by.

The Cuyahoga is to your west (left) and the canal is to your right (east). You're on the tow path where the mules and horses would tow the canal boats north to Lake Erie or south to the Ohio. The sandstone walls of the locks all have stories, so stop to read the explanations from time to time.

The path also passes through some fairly wild land: a couple saw a coyote the day we were passing through.

We got a closeup view of a garter snake and a long-range view of some turtles sunning themselves.

The Tow Path Trail is fairly flat, so enjoy your walk back to Boston Store.

Two more things: when you get back to Boston Store, make certain you stop at the museum and get a better understanding of what a canal boat looked like and how the canal system and the locks worked. You've seen them up-close now, so you'll have a greater appreciation for what's in the museum.

And stop at Trail Mix (north side of Boston Mills Road) for some ice cream.

The family split up this time to complete our tenth (and final) hikes of the Cuyahoga Challenge (pdf). This entry tells of the girls' trip, starting at Everett Road Covered Bridge and then heading into the Summit County Metroparks and taking the Furnace Run trail.

As expected, the weather was excellent. This 2.3 mile trip takes hikers from the bridge into the woods where many different species can be found.

No horses or bicycles are allowed and if you attempt to ride on certain days, you might be reminded of that fact by certain hikers nearby.

There are some extremely steep parts and the rest is fairly gradual slopes.

It's not a long hike, but water and snacks are essential.

All of the Cuyahoga Challenge hikes are loops, including this one. A portion of the trail is done retracing one's steps.

Depending on the time of day, the season and how loud you are (or how small your children are), you may get to see various wildlife along the way. No doubt there will be some chipmunks who are unhappy to see you.

This marks the final hike of our Cuyahoga Challenge for 2010.

Dear Cuyahoga Challenge Participant,

Congratulations on making it to your final destination! I hope this year you have been tested and pushed by all of the challenging trails! No matter your skill level; whether you have forged on through the mud, climbed steep hills, or braved bad weather you have rewarded yourself this summer by taking in views of this lovely valley! The trails in Cuyahoga Valley National Park are a signature source of solitude and they are one of the many things that make this park unique and beautiful.

Enclosed is the 2010 Cuyahoga Challenge patch, designed by local artist Chuck Ayers, commemorating the kick-off of TRAILS FOREVER with the Brandywine Gorge Trail Bridge. . . .

And so begins the letter that each one of us received at the end of our tenth Cuyahoga Challenge hike this past Saturday.

If you've been following along on our journey, you'll know that the letter is right and wrong.

Skill level

We had a wide variety of skill levels in our troupe. From a 3.9166 year-old girl to a 14 year-old Star Boy Scout and lots of variety in between, we finished the ten hikes. And no, we didn't carry the little girl.

Mud

Actually, we didn't find much/any mud. Just on some spots of the bridle trails. Otherwise, nope, no mud.

Steep hills

Yep! Lots of steep hills including a really nice 400 footer at the beginning of the Boston Store trip.

Bad weather

Huh?! Nope, no bad weather this September. Now, if we'd started in June, July or August, well, there were some nasty weeks of weather then.

We did it!

Much to my amazement when we picked up the patches at the Trail Mix store in Boston, I was able to quickly identify the bridge on the patch as being the footbridge over the Brandwine gorge on one of our hikes. Ironically, we followed the path from the south on the upstream side and forded on the rocks. The prettiest bridge in the whole park and we chose to wade.

Here's to the Cuyahoga Challenge 2011!