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| Friendship Trail by Rick Brown The very first time I ever hiked a stretch of the Buckeye Trail was in the dead of winter 1971. A college buddy of mine…Denny Weigman…convinced me it would be great fun for the two of us to do an overnight somewhere between Ash Cave and Cedar Falls…in sub zero temperatures…in the snow…in January. Since we both attended a small Lutheran college where, on any given weekend, 65 % of the student body left (probably because there was very little to do outside of television, studying and eating pancakes at the International House thereof) it seemed like a grand idea to my 19 year old brain. So with borrowed sleeping bag and backpack I rode down to the Hocking Hills with Mr. Weigman filled with excited angst. We arrived at Old Man’s Cave and before venturing out, took our “last crap” sitting on frigid seats of pit toilets near the parking lot. To this day whenever I pass the facility…which by the way still houses pit toilets…I remember that day…yelling over the partition to each other about how goddamned cold the seats were. Yet this seemed a Hilton Hotel compared with hanging one’s bare ass over a log…in the middle of the night…with single digit wind chills whirling around. I had no experience with this. Denny did. So I listened to his every word.
The hike itself was fine. Moving around keeps you warm. But I learned that night that although I enjoyed camping I preferred any season but winter. I still have the exploded Coca Cola can to remind me…in the event I lose my mind and think of camping in the snow again. Sleeping with my boots inside the bag with me…so they didn’t freeze…well let’s just say my list of more preferred sleeping partners is quite extensive. My memories of our overnight in Ohio’s Hocking Hills are not ALL of misery. I realized this was arguably the most beautiful place in the state I had ever witnessed.
I still believe that. And I’ve returned at least once every year since that cold January night in 1971. Now I keep it to a day hike…or my wife Yvonne and I will stay at our favorite escape from reality, Summit Haven Retreat with our pooch Henri, as we did this past spring and again in October with our West Coast friends Margaret and Craig. Just a few miles from Old Man’s Cave, the three secluded cabins are a wonderful get away…quiet…peaceful…and amazingly beautiful. The four of us arranged our cars so we could hike the section from Old Man’s Cave to Cedar Falls. While I enjoy doing the 6 mile round trip I figured a single stretch of 3 miles was plenty for an 18 pound Bichon Friese…which it was.
That evening…after dinner in our cabin…Yvonne and I decided to do a little “cabin jam”. So we got out our axes and proceeded to play music. I was impressed with the Twin Pines’ acoustics. As tired as Henri was he saved enough energy to be jealous of our guitars and promptly plopped himself down inside my guitar case!! He’s quite the charmer the French Boy!!!
A few weeks later I drove back down to the Hocking Hills with another college friend of Yvonne and me, Diane. She and I have hiked the Old Man’s Cave to Cedar Falls section of the Buckeye Trail together several times in our three decade friendship…sometimes on Veteran’s Day…sometimes when one or both of us is playing “hooky” from our responsibilities. So on a brisk November day we made the 6 mile round trip catching up on things, reminiscing about the past, and enjoying each other’s company. This time around the leaves had turned from green to exploding fall colors. And since most people don’t get Veteran’s Day off, the crowds were almost non-existent.
Of course I had to listen to Diane’s favorite subject: her KIDS!!! In her case I don’t mind at all. She and her husband Tom have the two most well behaved boys I’ve ever known. And the fact that her oldest is 14 makes it that much more amazing. While most people’s kids you see for perhaps 15 seconds because they’re too busy in the basement playing video games, these two (David and Charles) will actually sit down with the adults and have a civil conversation when you’re visiting them!! And for children they’re pretty damned interesting as well. David had just made a video with his friends for a school project. Using the context of the crude claymation “Mr. Bill” sketch from the original Saturday Night Live T.V. show, he and his buddies updated Shakespeare’s “Othello”. OH! Noooooooooooo!!!! How could this not make me smile while making my way through the beauty of the Hocking Hills?
So if you’ve never visited the area you’re missing out…even if only for an afternoon. Besides Old Man’s Cave and Cedar Falls there is Rock House, Cantwell Cliffs, Ash Cave…all gorgeous in their own right. And if you want to say a night or two check out Summit Haven Retreat. Take a lifelong friend (or two) with you. When you experience the beauty of this area you might have to remind yourself…you’re in Ohio!! The pictures here are from two different Hocking Hills experiences…hence the sun, leaves, and people differences. For more information check out these websites: http://www.hockinghills.com/summithaven/
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