Hibernation is not a real option for most mammals, although many attempt it in one form or another as a “winter dodge”. Cooking endless pots of chicken soup and making serious indentations in the TV sofa, many wait for the weatherman’s OK to venture out for much more than work and essential errands. “It’s not the cold; it’s the lack of daylight!” -a frozen variation on Ohio’s summertime conversation staple: “It’s not the heat; it’s the humidity!”
But if you huddle indoors to wait for spring, the chill still does its glacial creep up your front walkway… It seems more effective to simply add the extra layers of clothing and head outside to face winter’s blast (even if it does take an extra ten minutes by February because half the winter wear has been borrowed, lost, or is stylishly displayed on the front-yard snowman, and some of us still prefer the dignity of matched gloves).
We drove south on Saturday. Not for sunshine but for more ice. The Hocking Hills Region, stretching westward from Logan, Ohio, features national forest land, nine state parks, four nature preserves and a metro park.
Punctuated with caves, gorges, and waterfalls, it is unglaciated Ohio at its best. Over the years, I’ve canoed, kayaked, hiked, swam and camped in the Hills. Many bike, hunt, fish, ride horses, and rappel there as well. The Hocking Hills Region swarms with hikers and outdoor enthusiasts in the fall and channels a considerable flow of tourists through the spring and summer months as well. In the winter, though, it’s blessedly quiet on the trails.
It was slow-going over refrozen ice in some spots last weekend but the walls of dangling icicles were spectacular. I’m including some photos from Old Man’s Cave, one-time home of a hermit, as well as one of a barn that caught my eye as we traveled back roads that made the journey as lovely as the ultimate destination. I’ll post some more favorite photos from last weekend in a couple of days…
“A Winter’s Walk” (Hocking Hills Region; Part 2)
Tags: Caves, Extremes, Hiking, Hocking Hills State Park, Kayak/Canoe, Ohio by Heather Dugan
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Here are some more photos from last weekend’s trek through the Hocking Hills Region. Occasional slick spots were challenging on my surgically-enhanced ankle, but it was well worth the slipping and sliding.
