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Making tracks in Wayne National Forest

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I hadn’t walked the railroad tracks since I was a punk teenager who used them as a place to party, stash beer and visit friends from Wilkinsburg to Swissvale to Braddock in ’70s suburban Pittsburgh. This time was different. I was trying to get back on track, so to speak, after drifting off course while walking a stretch of the Buckeye Trail in Wayne National Forest in Ohio.

I’d set off, as I often do, based on guidance from AthensTrails.org, a great guide to local hiking spots. I wanted a day hike. Something not at Stroud’s Run. Something up near Burr Oak State Park, which I’ve been wanting to explore.

The Long Run segment of the New Straitsville section of the Buckeye Trail and North Country Trail sounded like the perfect choice. It was about 6.5 miles roundtrip and would let me get acquainted with Wayne National Forest. Athens Trails provides great, detailed guidance on the hike. I printed it out, grabbed my day pack and drove about a half-hour from Athens to the trailhead in Glouster. So far, so good.

Trail head for the hike I took.
Trail head for the hike I took.

The first stretch of the trail was a slog, as AthensTrails warned it would be. Muddy. Rutted. Making me wonder if I’d screwed up with this choice. But as promised, it soon improved, turning into a remote, beautiful path through the forest.

The blue blaze of the Buckeye Trail.
The blue blaze of the Buckeye Trail.

The Buckeye Trail is well marked with blue blazes. And that’s where I made my mistake. At one point, I misread the instructions I’d printed out from AthensTrails, and instead of following the blazes (as I should have) I trudged up a steep utility access cut that was heavily overgrown with weeds. I bushwhacked my way through a mile or so of this before coming to County Road 21 and realizing I was off course. Checking my maps, I found I could take 21 down to State Road 13 and walk south to pick up the Buckeye Trail where it crosses the highway and heads over to Burr Oak State Park. The railroad tracks run parallel to 13 at that point, so I just followed them until I found where they intersected the trail and walked it back to the trailhead.

This is the point along the railroad tracks where I found the trail and got back on track. It crosses the tracks and then heads over into Burr Oak.
This is the point beside Sunday Creek and the railroad tracks where I found the trail and got back on track. It crosses the tracks and then heads over into Burr Oak.

In the end, I walked about 8.3 miles instead of the 6.4 I would have walked if I’d followed the directions correctly. But the hike was worth it. It was a great way to get acquainted with Wayne National Forest and although I didn’t actually get over to Burr Oak, it prompted me to return the following weekend to explore the area with Lara. It’s a beautiful lake. Best one I’ve encountered thus far in Ohio, and there are trails throughout the park —  it’s even possible to circumambulate the lake. I intend to return to give that a shot later this summer …

The route I took on the Buckeye Trail.
The route I took on the Buckeye Trail.
Cool, fluorescent fungus I saw during my hike back.
Cool, fluorescent fungus I saw during my hike back.
The trail meanders briefly onto private property, and this stile allows hikers to go over the fence to pick up the trail again on the other side.
The trail meanders briefly onto private property, and this stile allows hikers to go over the fence to pick up the trail again on the other side.
There are a series of caves -- cliff overhangs, more accurately -- along the trail.
There are a series of caves — cliff overhangs, more accurately — along the trail.
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Assorted Bob Fitness Bob Uncategorized

Stroud’s Run Vista …

The view of Dow Lake from Vista Point.
The view of Dow Lake from Vista Point.

The day was crap. Overcast. Cool. More March than June. Perfect day for a hike.

I drove up to Stroud’s Run, where I pulled into the trailhead at White Pine Trail, which is a spur trail connecting to Vista Point Trail. As is the case with most of the trails at Stroud’s, it’s in rough shape … but still quite serviceable. Where White Pine intersects Vista, I tool a left and headed north onto Vista Point Trail, hopping over to the Thunderbunny bike trail at one point and then back to Vista Point, which runs along a ridgeline before dropping down the opposite side into the campground. A quick walk through the campground allowed me to pick up Vista again near the amphitheater, where the Vista trailhead is.

Boulder's along Thunderbunny trail.
Boulders along Thunderbunny trail.

After climbing back up to the ridge on Vista, I came across Vista Point and a great view of Dow Lake down below. Not much wildlife was out during my late-afternoon hike, but I did encounter a few mountain bikers on Thunderbunny and a woman hiking with her lab. Finding Vista Point and checking out the campground make the hike well worth it.

The route I took during my White Pine/Vista/Thunderbunny hike.
The route I took during my White Pine/Vista/Thunderbunny hike.
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Fitness Bob Uncategorized

Hickory Trail: A great place to start

Redbuds bloom with the lake in the background.
Redbuds bloom with the lake in the background.

For my first hike of the season, I decided to ride my bike out to the dam at Dow Lake and then hike up into Stroud’s Run State Park. I’ve been there several times and always vowed to spend more time there. I decided to hike Hickory Trail, which is relatively flat and follows the southern shore of the lake. Good decision. While it took me a few hours and taxed me my first time out, the hike was beautiful.

Wildflowers grow near the foundation of one of the buildings from the Gillette homestead.
Wildflowers grow near the foundation of one of the buildings from the Gillette homestead.

The trail itself is mostly double track and very easy to negotiate. It circumnavigates several small coves, so it’s longer than it looks. Great views across the lake of the swimming area and boat rental shack. Chipmunks were tweaking on the May sunshine, skittering through the brush ahead of me like a reverse wake as I talked,. A flutter of blue-black butterflies hovered over scat of undetermined origin. The air was treacly with honeysuckle and buzzing bees. 

The Gillette Farmstead at Stroud's Run State Park.
The Gillette Farmstead at Stroud’s Run State Park.

When I reached the end of Hickory I picked up Trace Trail for a short bit to check out Pioneer Cemetery, featuring a few lonely tombstones from the Gillette family, who originally farmed the area. I found it fascinating that the patriarch was a tanner who worked with more than a few puma hides.

After a short break, I doubled back and returned to the dam and my bike, stopping along the way to peer into a mud puddle post-plops to see three frogs hunkered down in the mud, hoping I’d keep moving.The puddle had an odd rust tint to it. I’m assuming that’s iron oxide from the shale redbeds in the park. I also came across a pair of jubilant Labs chasing sticks into the lake, bringing chaos to a silent tree swing I’d passed on my way out.

  • Distance: About 6 miles RT hiking Hickory trail; 9.3 miles RT biking to the trail head and back.
  • Bike route: Route details from Cyclometer.
  • Highlight: First hike of the spring and I didn’t kill myself. That, and the Gillette Cemetery.
  • Link: Athens Trails
  • Critters: Frogs, dogs, buzzards, squirrels, chipmunks, blue jays …
  • Song: Fresh Air, Quicksilver Messenger Service. Something about the pristine spring day. Couldn’t get this out of my head as I hiked, though I suspect the fresh air Quicksliver was pimping smelled more of kind bud than honeysuckle.
A swing near the dam at Dow Lake. It was empty on my way out, but a it was canine chaos when I returned as a pair of Labs frolicked in the water.
A swing near the dam at Dow Lake. It was empty on my way out, but a it was canine chaos when I returned as a pair of Labs frolicked in the water.