Category: Hiking/Running/Caving/Zip Lining

Expedition Team:  Rosie Miller, Dave Miller                                                                                    Expedition Date:   August 2017

We hiked a 1.1 mile trail north of the marina and beach area.  As dusk approached we headed to the beach area as a thousand people were parked or had tents to observe the annual meteor shower.  The concession stand was open, they showed a Star Wars movie, an astronomy club had telescopes set up and we got to view the planet Saturn.  We did something we had never done before, we camped out in the back of the pickup truck.  We had a large air mattress, sleeping bags and blankets.  We laid there and looked up at the stars.  Unfortunately, there happened to be a full moon night which brightened the sky more than normal so we only saw a couple of meteors around 10 to 11pm.  We learned one important fact about camping in the bed of the truck, dew.  When we woke up the next morning the outer layer of our sleeping bags and our faces were covered in dew.  Still it was a fun experience.

Expedition Team:  Nick Kelly, Jacque Kelly, Dave Miller, Rosie Miller                                  Expedition Date:  July 2017

After hiking the Natural Bridge and having lunch outdoors at Miguels Pizza, a local popular pizza place, Nick drove us to the National Forest where they had over a dozen trails.  Nick led us on the Auxier Ridge Trail, a 5 mile moderate, challenging trail that led us up to a high plateau with a tight trail and a long drop if were not careful.  Along the flat, high summit, you had a majestic view of the area and could see a smaller natural bridge in the distance.  Nick did his Luke Skywalker impersonation by jumping across two rocks and it looked like he was walking on air.

Expedition Team:  Dave Miller, Rosie Miller                                                                                    Expedition Date:   May 5 & 6, 2018

We camped at the state park campground and attended the Ohio Bigfoot Conference.  But we were mainly there to try out our new travel trailer and to hike.  It was Amish country as we talked to several Amish who were fishing, kayaking and playing in the park.  One Amish man had modified his buggy to hold his kayak and fishing gear (Photo#2).  The trails were nice and diverse.  The state park has been the site for several Bigfoot sightings so I kept my camera handy as we hiked four trails.

The Morgan’s Knob Loop Trail, a one mile trail, was our favorite with both hilly, wooded and challenging terrain.  We saw dozens of chipmunks and a few deer.   The two mile Shadbush Trail was more hilly but shady.

The Hosaks Cave Trail also one mile, had a dangerous upper trail above a small waterfall and cave (Photo#6 & #7).  Another trail lead us a rugged 1.8 mile loop to the Stone House Museum and the Kennedy House, early pioneers whose house built in 1837 from locally quarried stone overlooked Sugar Tree Fork.  A strange lean-to made of tree branches and sticks looked like a Bigfoot cabin (Photo#9).

Expedition Team:  Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Nick Kelly, Jacque Kelly, Holly Miller        Expedition Dates:  March 2018

We hiked four times in March at Germantown Metropark.  Winter hiking on the 7.5 mile Orange Trail is fun but right after snow melt or rain some of the trail by Twin Creek or on the steep hills are wet and slippery.  One creek crossing was very slippery as Holly fell down and got muddy (Photo#5).  Genius Nick bypassed the creek and went overhead on a tree limb (Photo#6).  We saw a few turtles on the trail and a large animal print which turned out not to be a sasquatch print.  Someone had left a large unique hiking stick behind.  From the looks of the stick it might have been Moses.  We noticed another pair of hiking sticks leaning up against the restroom.  I wonder who was in there?

Expedition Team:  Justin Eller, Holly Miller, Dave Miller                                                            Expedition Date:  November 2017

We hiked this heavily overgrown trail on the east side of the Pinnacles just north of the Devil’s Backbone.  This was one of the last hikes in this wooded area that has now been 80% deforested in order to build Pinnacle Ridge Subdivision.  We searched for the remains of the old Darroch house.  Finally, in the trees and bushes we found the foundation.  We dug and removed a brick from the foundation engraved W.W.C.O. that dated back to 1928.  The remains of a concrete and wood bridge over a small gorge was engraved 1929.  We are not sure if that was the year it was built or not.  Along the trail we also discovered an old abandoned outhouse which gave me the opportunity to pose for a crappy photo.

 

Expedition Team:  Rosie Miller, Dave Miller                                                                                      Expedition Date:  March 2018

We frequently hike here and begin at High View Trailhead and hiked the 6 mile Orange Trail.  One stop is at Dogwood Pond where Justin proposed to Holly Photo#2 & #3).  Rosie sits and views another small wetlands pond.

Expedition Team:  Nick Kelly, Jacque Kelly, Rosie Miller, Holly Miller, Dave Miller       Expedition Date:  July 2017

Nick & Jacque guided our group on two trails at one of their favorite hiking spots. We hiked the Rowe Woods Trail about 4+ miles enjoying the trees, some open areas, butterflies and occasional wild flower.  We came upon a unique wood toilet made from a tree (Photo#5) and also a large millipede (Photo#6).  Dave ignored the danger of falling sign and fell from a bridge (Photo#7), although witnesses claimed that Holly pushed him.

Expedition Team:  Nick Kelly, Jacque Kelly, Rosie Miller, Dave Miller                                 Expedition Date:  June 9, 2018

Jacque and Nick joined us as we camped out at the Logan KOA in our new travel trailer and enjoyed outdoor cooking and a campfire.  Holly and Justin drove over to join us and we headed over to Old Man’s Cave and hiked the Lower Gorge Trail (which is part of the Buckeye Trail).  Along the trail we had the most incredible sunbeams as if God was highlighting our way.  We also saw Whale Rock, shaped like a whale.

We had a picnic lunch and then hiked the Ash Cave Trail to the beautiful waterfall.  After hiking we met in Logan at a smorgasbord to celebrate Rosie’s 60th birthday and ate until we couldn’t walk.  We then drove to the beautiful old St. John’s Catholic Church built in 1897 in Logan.

Expedition Team:  Rosie Miller,  Dave Miller                                                                                   Expedition Date:    August 2017

This trail from Old Man’s Cave to Cedar Falls and back is about 7 miles.  We hiked the Lower Gorge Trail (also is part of the Buckeye Trail) to Cedar Falls then returned on the shaded Upper Gorge Trail.  This lower gorge trail is a moderate and at times challenging trail with areas of flat land, steps or climbing up and around rocks.  This was quite the workout.

Near the end of the seven miles off of the upper trail is a stone bridge and a short rugged trail leading up to the upper falls.  Below sits the Devil’s Bathtub, a unique rock whirlpool.  Farther along the trail is the beautiful lower falls, a great place to take a break and put our feet in the water.  While resting we saw a crazy lady walking a cat on a leash.

Expedition Team:  Dave Miler, Rosie Miller

Expedition Date:  2017

This should have been Ohio’s National Park.  It is beautiful.  It is a one mile hike to Old Man’s Cave but the entire trail hike down to Cedar Falls and back is a 7 mile round trip which we greatly enjoyed.  The cave is huge and awesome.  Part of the Buckeye Trail is also the lower trail along the bottom of the gorge  This moderate trail is a combination of flat land, steps and climbing over and around huge rocks.  The upper gorge overlook trail is 2.9 miles and is shaded with a few overlooks of the gorge.  In addition to Old Man’s Cave this area has both an upper and lower falls area and a unique rock formation called sphinx head.

We visited the local town of Logan and viewed a few unique downtown shops like a 1960’s museum and a city park with a mural of local Indian Chief Logan.