A walk in the woods.

There comes a time in ones life where something like a worldwide pandemic gives you extra time with your sister in laws to go for a walk in the woods. Ok...it was less of a walk and more of an intense hiking experience with 2 days of supplies strapped to our backs, maps in hand, ready to conquer anything that dared take us on the woods. 

This trip was made possible by our amazing husbands who had their own challenge ahead....taking on single parenting for the weekend. They deserve medals. And chocolate. But they did it willingly and sent us off with well wishes...and weapons...and maps...and a sat phone for tracking, in case our smart phones decided to be dumb. All of these things ended up in my bag, where I quickly earned my trail name of "Protector". I definitely felt like I needed war paint or something to look more intimidating. 

The excursion began with a drive to southern Ohio, our bags packed, adrenaline pumping. Our "last meal" was McDonald's McChickens and fries (because salads aren't available right now due to Covid) which left a lot to be desired in terms of healthy-ness however it was food in our belly that someone else cooked. Hashtag winning.

The wilderness was calling and we were ready. Ok it's just a 13 mile loop and it's remote but not THAT remote. But STILL. We were pumped.

After reading reviews we decided we could do some water "caching" or drops along a road that the trail crosses in case there weren't good water sources along the way. Spoiler alert: we're so glad we did. 

One of the places we dropped our water was quite unique. Actually it was just plain creepy. Picture below.

I don't know what kind of people spend the time hauling their worn furniture to the great outdoors in order to sit comfortably (or not?) around a campfire, but what I DID know was I didn't want to meet them. 

To make matters worse, the next day when we got to this exact spot, this is what we saw:

Upon closer observation, we realized the fire was still smoking. Needless to say, that was a quick water break.

So the water drops delayed our start a bit. By the time we began the hike in, it was 5:30 pm. The sun was going to set at 7. 

The plan was to backpack for two nights so we knew we had the following day to make up for lost time. So the first campsite we spotted, we were ready to set up camp. I won't mention that it was about 300 feet in. Yeah, we're pretty hardcore.  

But we camped next to a cave. The Great Cave to be exact. If it was up to Tody (trail name given because she brought a Venezuelan chocolate mix called Tody) we would have camped IN the cave. 

But the cave was at a lower elevation and we didn't want to get flooded in somehow. But it wasn't going to rain apparently. Until it did. 

As soon as we set up camp it began to rain. A little rain turned into a lot of rain. We decided that it was too early to sleep so we hunkered down together in one tent and played some card games to wait it out. There's nothing like thunder and lightning when you're out in the woods to make you feel small and vulnerable. Thankfully the hard rain didn't last and we eventually were able to turn in for the night. Tomorrow was a big day.

Though we didn't sleep great that night and the rain pattered on our tents all night, we woke with renewed excitement for what lied ahead. After a quick breakfast of coffee and oatmeal we packed up like we'd been doing it for years, and headed out. 

The trail was beautiful. With about 2,500 of elevation change (ups and downs), we had our work cut out for us. We each were carrying about 30 lbs on our backs.

The trail had a lot of rock outcrops that made it unique and interesting. We had fun taking pictures with the rocks :)

All of this water we had the foresight to drop off made this hike comfortable. Couldn't say the same for a group of guys we passed. We had so much we even offered some to them. But they refused. I choose to believe it was something to do with the male ego...but what do I know? 

The water was a blessing because though there were riverbeds, there were no real flowing streams but rather stagnant ponds. 

So we drank to our heart's content. One of my sister in laws drank twice as much as all of us, for which she earned her trail name "Peedy"...because well, she peed a lot. But on the plus side, she was the most hydrated of us all and probably could have walked several more days, just for fun.

Our hiking success was largely due to the fact that we had an experienced hiker with us. That's right. My other sister in law hiked the Appalachian Trail for 2 months right after she got married. She knew exactly what to bring, how to hang a bear bag (which we also became experts at), hiking etiquette, and much more. She earned the trail name of "Hulka" because she was fearless, protective, and her hiking shirt happened to be green.

Our hike took us up on the mountain ridges, through many switchbacks, by many oil drilling sites, across streams and roads, and through tons of magical wooded meadows. We sadly didn't see a bear (ok we didn't really WANT to see a bear) but we saw deer, birds, and lots of chipmunks. The weather was perfect....chilly but warm while hiking. The trees were just beginning to change their colors and we trudged over beautiful autumnal vegetation.

We stopped for a couple rests and a longer lunch break along the way. And at the end of the day came across the perfect campsite where we all agreed would be where we wanted to  set up camp. One one side there was an overlook down to the dry river bed below, and on the other side was a steep hill upon which was a long row of giant rocks that looked like rock trolls in military formation.

After a long day of traveling in the woods, it felt good to sit down, prop our feet up and warm them by the fire. We explored where to get firewood, where we'd hang our bear bag, and the best places to use the bathroom ;) We had more daylight so we enjoyed making s'mores, hot drinks and eventually our dinner all while laughing, sharing stories and marveling at God's beautiful creation around us.

Unfortunately Tody had a run-in with a flaming marshmallow that burned her chin quite severely. Hot marshmallow burns are unforgiving. Thankfully we were able to treat it as best we could, though there wasn't much we could do. I think she'll be avoiding s'mores for a little while.

While we were sitting around camp, two hikers came up the trail. After chatting for a little bit it became clear that they were quite lost and had just hiked several miles too many. We were able to give them one of our THREE maps and explain what was ahead, since they were hiking the opposite direction on the loop. These men were humble enough to admit that it was their first backpacking trip (this was mine as well) and were grateful for any tips we could give them. We sent them on their way, a little worried as to their fate. Thankfully we spotted them the next morning on their return to the trailhead.

We turned in for the night after the darkness closed in and enjoyed a better night's sleep than the last. I still had a hard time sleeping, wondering if the sticks breaking and rustling outside was a bear?...or just a chipmunk. I guess I'll never know.

The next morning we decided to walk up to check out the rock trolls.

It was a beautiful, secluded wonderland. For some reason it reminded me of my childhood, just enjoying the great outdoors, running down the hill, collecting sticks and not worrying about the cares of the world. It was my happy place. And I got to spend time there with some pretty cool people.

On the last 2 miles out, we did hit a little snag where we thought we might have gotten on the wrong trail. But we went with our instincts and kept going, thankfully spotting a yellow blaze about a quarter of a mile later. We were on the right track. Because it was Saturday we ended up seeing a lot more hikers, and when we got to the parking lot, instead of the one car that was there when we arrived, there were about 15 cars total. We were glad we had the trail mostly to ourselves at the beginning.

We finished the trail with big smiles on our faces, proud to have conquered the woods, and excited that we had warm showers and a comfy bed to look forward to. We were able to enjoy the next night at a hotel on our way home and even had time to go out to eat and explore downtown Cuyahoga Falls. I didn't want the experience to end! I am so thankful for this family of mine that I can be myself around with no judgement, where I can laugh til my belly hurts, share my deepest fears and anxieties, all while sharing experiences that will be fond memories for years to come. I love you Tody, Peedy, and Hulka. You're my kinda crazy.

We're already planning our next backpacking excursion. Recommendations welcome!

**If you're ever in Wayne National Forest in Southern Ohio, I highly recommend the Archers Fork Loop. It's described as "hard" but any experienced hiker would probably say this is actually "moderate/difficult". It was remote enough and the scarcity of water makes it tricky. But because it is also a mountain biking trail, the hike was very straightforward and well-maintained. So thankful for the fun memories we had!