As I was laying in bed Thursday night I decided that I was going to do an overnight at Mohican State Forest on Sat.-Sun. because of the weather report I had just watched. Just after I finished loading my pack Friday evening I was reminded of a family obligation I have Saturday evening. Bummer! I decided to go for the day, strap on the Ohm 2.0 and get trail miles underfoot in the Forest. Here's my pack list for those interested.
I arrived at the Clearfork Gorge Overlook at 7:10 am and took this photo:
Fog on the way to the Forest delayed my arrival and thwarted my attempt to get a pre-dawn photo but I shot this shortly after sunrise from the top of the Firetower:
After climbing down I spoke with a gentleman setting up a watering station for a Trail Run that was being held in the Forest so I abandoned my plans to begin my hike from there and drove down to the Covered Bridge to start from there. On the way a flock of Turkeys, mostly goblers, crossed the road in front of me. It isn't the best photo and I only caught the last few by the time I had my camera in hand but here you go:
After parking at the bridge I strapped on the pack and headed up the Lyons Falls Trail. This is the best time of the year for viewing the 2 Lyons Falls IMO so if you're within driving distance you must come see. Here are a few photos of Big Lyons Falls:
And here are a few photos of Little Lyons Falls:
From there I continued along the trail out to Pleasant Hill Lake & Dam then returned to the bridge via the Pleasant Hill Trail. Unfortunately none of my photos at the lake & dam turned out well. Trail conditions were excellent for the most part and I didn't encounter a soul. The distance covered was approximately 4.5 miles for this portion of the hike.
After a quick snack I hit the Hemlock Gorge Trail. About halfway to the end of the trail, I began encountering trail runners. By the time I made it to the end of the trail and then returned back to the bridge I had made way for 15-16 runners. All either said hello or thanked me for getting out of the way and I greeted each in turn. Trail conditions were wet & muddy but a joy nonetheless. Distance covered was approximately 4.6 miles for this portion of the hike. Here are a few photos of the Clearfork River and the abutting Forest:
Upon returning to the bridge I hit the Hogs Hollow Trail for an out-and-back to the Firetower. I only made it about a mile before the trail was thick with runners so I decided to turn around and call it a day sooner than I had intended. Imagine that, Trail Runner driven from the trail by trail runners. I did manage to get a few photos at least. Here they are:
Over or under? I went over.
Ahh, the Forest and the River. The clean air, the wonderful aromas, the majestic sights. The sounds of the river flowing, the Cardinals & Robins singing, the Ducks quacking, the Geese honking, the Hawk screeching overhead, the Squirrels chirping in alarm at my approach. These are the things I live for and I was granted each in full measure on this perfect Ohio day. May you all soon have a day that equals or betters mine!
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