Ohio’s Hocking Hills a paradise for hikers, nature lovers
The first time I ever visited southeastern Ohio, which features part of the Appalachian Mountain chain, was 24 years ago, and I immediately fell in love with this very unique area.
I was there in the latter part of October for a special muzzleloader deer hunt in the Shawnee State Forest with the late Dennis Knickerbocker, who was the editor for the Michigan Out-of-Doors magazine, and a great man to share a campfire with.
The fall colors were in full bloom and we experienced beautifully mild weather with blue skies, and the locals we met were very nice and friendly folks who had a distinct Southern-style drawl.
The first thing you discover in that area is that most everything is either up or down, basically at a 45-degree angle, and the main mode of off-road travel is by “shank’s mare” (on foot). The winding roads also feature a whole bunch of switchbacks.
However, I found that once you are on top of a mountain, it usually features a rolling terrain which is a bit easier to navigate — that is, until you have to negotiate one of the many steep gullies, which in that part of the country are called “hollows.”
I also learned to avoid some often large, very thorny clumps of “greenbrier,” which has extensive vines that remind me of barbwire and can tear your clothing to shreds.
The primary mode of deer hunting that Knickerbocker and I were using was still-hunting on our own, for which this spacious atmosphere was ideal, and we got to explore and enjoy a lot of ground that way. A most memorable moment occurred when I ventured into a deep hollow surrounded by steep, solid rock walls and decided to take a compass bearing.
This was the first and only time I’ve ever had a compass start twirling around like a stopwatch! Common sense says it was caused by minerals in the rock walls or some sort of magnetic field, but right while the compass was losing its mind, a very chilling breeze suddenly swept through the hollow. Evil spirits, maybe?
Yep, folks, I got goosebumps all over right then (I’d like to say such was caused by the sudden chill) and immediately vacated that hollow, and didn’t care at all in which direction! I’m not the superstitious sort, but neither am I one to ignore a possible hint from the supernatural. I could only get a compass bearing after I got out of there and back on top.
I eventually reached a ridge and spotted the winding road way down below. With darkness settling in, I decided the road was the best option to return to the vehicle, and after walking endlessly around switchbacks, I realized going cross-country over the mountain was obviously a whole lot shorter, but the road didn’t have any hollows to cross. I also didn’t want to wander into a nasty patch of greenbrier in the dark, because it could turn into being a very long night.
By the time I reached the truck parked just off of the road, it had been dark for well over an hour, and Knickerbocker was seated on a nearby log while calmly smoking his pipe and enjoying listening to the mountain nighttime serenade of great horned owls hooting all over the place, with the occasional coyote howl. He’d had an interesting day himself as well, including an unusual compass “issue” of his own. I believe the highly unusual occasion might have given him some goosebumps, too!
Fast forward to this year, and during the last week of March, my wife Ginny and I were able to join our son Josh and his wife Rose, as well as their 12-year-old triplets, Orlando, Reese and Mercedes, for a one-week stay in the notable Hocking Hills of southeast Ohio. It was spring break for our three grandchildren, and our stay there in a dandy Airbnb cabin on a mountaintop was a Christmas gift for Ginny and me from Josh and Rose.
The location wasn’t all that far from where I had hunted deer, at least from a bird’s-eye point of view, anyway, but probably a whole lot further by the winding roads!
When we arrived, the dogwood trees were blooming, as were the forsythia and daffodils, and the numerous redbud trees were covered with bright red buds which were about to bloom. It was mostly on the cool and windy side, but did reach a sunny 80 degrees on one day.
In any event, it sure beat the ongoing blustery and colder weather back in Michigan, and we had a great atmosphere for hiking and discovering what this amazing area had to offer. Thanks to a glacier carving out formations eons ago, the area offers some very amazing geological features, not to mention an outstanding diversity of fauna and flora.
We had a list of features to check out, the first being “Ash Cave,” which is enormous and which attained its name from the ashes left by numerous campfires going to way back when, not only for Native Americans, but early pioneers as well, and it sure was a great place to camp.
Names had been chiseled into the sandstone walls by somewhat more recent visitors, along with dates, and I noticed some being near the mid-19th century. Thankfully, chiseling is not allowed anymore, and there is no longer any evidence of ashes.
Our next adventure was hiking to “Old Man Cave,” which got its name, according to legend, from a trapper who lived there during the late 18th century.
The following day, we sought out “Conkles Hollow.” Each hike entailed a very picturesque landscape, only accessed by well-maintained hiking trails, many of them paved, through a very diverse woodsy setting, with numerous waterfalls in plentiful supply, dropping down from craggy rock formations towering high above, and with walking bridges crossing countless rushing mountain streams. During our visit, icicles were often associated with the waterfalls, certainly accenting matters.
Yep, folks, the only way you can truly enjoy this region is by “shank’s mare,” which requires sensible and well broken-in footwear (it is not the place or time to break in new shoes or boots). All the folks I saw, including kids, were wearing sensible footwear, with the “running shoe” style being quite prevalent, although there were also plenty of genuine hiking boots in evidence (sandals would not be a wise idea here). I was in the middle ground by wearing my waterproof leather “New Balance” shoes that are just high enough to offer ample ankle support, yet are light and quite comfortable, and can be readily found in a wide enough size to fit my big feet.
Having a hiking/walking stick is always a good idea, as it helps take the weight off your feet and is real handy for maintaining balance and easing stress on the legs while climbing up or down steep grades. What I used for this adventure was a pair of “trekking poles,” which worked marvelously for me. When you have as much “rough mileage” as I do, you need all the help you can get!
A great place to check out is the Visitor’s Center at the Hocking Hills State Park, where maps and recommendations can be readily had. Besides a campground, very nice cabins can also be rented through the park, but it usually pays to reserve these well in advance. We found Airbnb has plenty of offerings, and in all different sizes to accommodate small or large groups. We were plenty comfortable during our five-day stay, and easing tired muscles into a hot tub on an open porch after dark, while listening to great horned owls hooting all over the hollow down below, offers a very unique ambience.
We hardly scratched the surface of what the Hocking Hills area has to offer, and I’m sure looking forward to another visit.
The sooner the better, folks!
Email freelance outdoors writer Tom Lounsbury at [email protected]
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