This tree near Cedar Falls in the Hocking Hills has been down for a while. I stopped to examine what’s happening with it on my hike Monday night and was delighted to find that it is serving an all new purpose.
There are several varieties of fungi growing on and around it now. This one is kind of fancy.
The red looks a little scary.
By the way, my apologies for the headline. I couldn’t resist the pun!
Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you happiness and bad days give you experience.
Which kind of day will this one be?
PS- Here’s one more picture from my visit to Rock House this week! Isn’t it incredible? Click here to see more.
Last night took me to Rock House, a site that’s part of the Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio.
This place is munique in this area because it’s an actual cave in the side of a tall cliff.
You can go inside to explore, catching glimpses of the outside through a series of windows that remind me of keyholes. It’s dark, there’s an occasional water puddle and the ground is uneven so it’s a good idea to take it slow in your exploration. Remember, wet rock is not your friend.
I have seen and heard about countless people getting hurt in the Hocking Hills over the years but it’s normally because they are breaking the posted rules, going off trail or simply throwing caution to the wind and behaving recklessly.
This trail is straight down a hill, across rocks and straight up the other side of the hill. It is not even a mile loop but would be challenging for those not accustomed to this kind of activity. So take your time and stay on the trail.
It is worth the trip and is something truly special to experience. In fact, I stood inside the cave thinking about how lucky I am to live so close to such beauty and how fortunate I am to be physically capable to go enjoy it.
American Indians, early settlers and criminals dodging the law are some of the groups that have used Rock House over the centuries. Today you’ll find a number of tourists along with some pigeons and some bats. Well, we heard the bats but didn’t see them.
I like the moodiness of the cave and the texture of the rock. It feels like a secret hangout. It feels ancient and magical.
I hope you like it too.
Last night, I revisited a trail I’ve hiked countless times. While it’s a heavily populated tourist area here in the Hocking Hills, most of the visitors were gone by the time I arrived after work. It was blissfully quiet.
I did encounter a woman who stopped for a moment to gush about the magnificence of the area. She had studied at nearby Ohio University but hadn’t been back since graduation fifteen years ago. I envied her fresh perspective and told her so. Everything was new and beautiful for her while it’s just another walk in the woods for me some days.
This particular trail is one of my favorites because there are areas where the dirt path turns to boulders that you must scurry over or through.
This trail parallels a beautiful stream.
A chipmunk stopped to say hi. This photo is not sharp but it was the best I could do with my unreliable phone.
This is a favorite spot on the trail. It’s a little steep for a short chick but I make do.
The views really are magnificent.
There’s a waterfall too.
I’m grateful to have these park trails so close to home and should probably try harder to appreciate them. But isn’t that human nature? We often don’t appreciate what we have and too often take for granted the things we value most.
I’ll try to do better.
This tree in the Hocking Hills State Park here in Ohio always captures my imagination. Doesn’t it look like it’s uprooting itself and starting to walk away?
It reminds me of this line that was written by J.R.R. Tolkien in his popular novel The Fellowship of the Rings
“I thought all the trees were whispering to each other, passing news and plots along in an unintelligible language; and the branches swayed and groped without any wind. They do say the trees do actually move, and can surround strangers and hem them.”
It’s a fantastical idea that a tree could whisper and move and I am quite taken with the idea that this one is trying. It’s silly, I know, but sometimes a gal just needs to believe in a little magic!
Note: I promised you some more photos from the grounds of Adena Mansion and Gardens today. I lied. Here’s a story that I want to share instead. We’ll go back to Adena tomorrow.
One of my personal heroes is a woman who died before I was even born. She was known simply as Grandma Gatewood and this is Grandma Gatewood Day in Ohio.
Emma “Grandma” Gatewood was a legendary hiker and the first woman to thru hike the Appalachian Trail. The 2,168 mile trail runs from Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. She did it solo and in one season.
That was in 1955 when she was 67 years old.
Read that again.
She was 67 years old and had never done anything like it. In fact, she reared 11 children in rural Gallia County, Ohio and was a domestic violence survivor before she ever even heard of the Appalachian Trail.
Grandma Gatewood went on to be the first person to hike the Appalachian Trail three times and she hiked 2,000 miles of the Oregon Trail. She inspired the creation of the Buckeye Trail here in Ohio.
Let me tell you something, friends. Grandma Gatewood was tough as nails and she was smart. While she only completed the eighth grade, she was an avid learner and a poet. She knew how to live off the land and knew which wild plants could be used for food or medicine. She survived an abuser.
When she hiked the Appalachian Trail, Grandma Gatewood wore Keds tennis shoes and carried only what she really required in a denim sack she sewed herself. She carried a shower curtain for protection rather than a tent. She had told her children that she was going for a walk but didn’t mention where to or how long it would take.
Let’s stop here for a second. Have you seen hikers today? They require all kinds of expensive gear, technology, clothes and boots but still struggle to make this strenuous journey. Heck, a lot of them carry all that crap for a short hike. Grandma Gatewood did over 2,000 miles with a handmade sack and some worn out tennis shoes. She did go through several pairs but still…..
Newspapers picked up her story as did Sports Illustrated. She was even a guest on the Today Show. Hers was a household name for a while in this country.
When I hike my local trails in the Hocking Hills, I frequent a trail that’s named in her honor. This hike is one that I always approach with reverence because I feel a connection with this amazing lady who proved that age, gender, education and social status are not limitations if you work hard and are determined enough.
Beginning in January 1967, Grandma Gatewood began leading a six mile winter hike in the Hocking Hills that continues as an annual tradition to this day. She died in 1973 at the age of 85 leaving behind dozens of descendants and a legacy for hikers of any age.
This is just a bird’s eye view of this incredible woman. If you are interested in knowing more, please pick up a copy of Ben Montgomery’s Grandma Gatewood’s Walk. It is widely available through major booksellers and is one of my favorite books of all time.
At the end of the Appalachian Trail in Maine, hikers sign a register to mark their accomplishment. She reportedly sang the first verse of “America the Beautiful” as she signed the book. Then she announced “I did it. I said I’d do it and I’ve done it.”
What a great end to an incredible journey.