New Straitsville, sections 6-10 (6/27/20)

Went camping in Burr Oak State Park again, this time to meet up with Bennett and Mikayla from Cincinnati. This way we could be outside and social distance responsibly during these COVID times but still talk- much better than a phone call! Anyway, camping sites were packed and weather uncooperative when we arrived Friday to set up- Wendy and I rigged up a sheltered space with tarps, rope, bungees and clothespins that surprised us by how well it held up and worked. We did get in a nice kayak paddle on the lake before the rain began. The hike itself started late Saturday morning and was ALL forest trails. It was a special treat that it did not rain at all as was forecasted! Was one of the more beautiful section hikes we have done, but also more up and down than we are used to. The geography was much like Hocking Hills; a lot of rocky ledges with overhangs creating cave-like shelters. The trail ran all along the lake although water was mostly invisible. Blazing was a bit confusing at times. It was hot and humid, though, so we treated ourselves to a swim at the end of the day- water was rather warm, although Mikayla may not agree. We were treated to turkey vultures picking the grills clean of the previous nights scraps. Even though seeing Benjo and Mikayla was a treat, we were all ready to go home Sunday morning to get cleaned up.

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Massillon, sections 5-10 (6/21/20)

First, Happy Fathers Day to me, my brother and all my friends! As for our hike, we knew it would be hot so we started out earlier than usual at 8:30 to beat the heat…good idea, nature countered with a hotter day than promised, or maybe it was just the road radiating heat back up through our shoes. Baked from top to bottom. In short, it was terrible- all road, little shade, and we overdid mileage out of a lack of good parking locations…we vowed never to roast ourselves again like that. Took many breaks in shade where we could find it, were rationing our water at end, etc. There were some highlights, however, that helped out tremendously, both physically and mentally. First, we lunched by the Nimisila reservoir and saw/heard lots of loud splashing among lily pads as some gigantic fish were feeding at the surface- was like every minute and quite entertaining! By halfway we were dragging and came upon an abandoned YMCA camp/lake, so we walked into shaded shallows, splashed around and rested…that refresher lasted about a mile. We then crossed paths with Kay, who had just finished the same sections we were hiking and was returning to her car by bike! Don’t know where she got the energy but we ALL appreciated the shady break to chat and share stories. Finally, nearing the last two miles, we ran across Vivian, who had just put out her sprinkler to water the front garden of her cute house. We asked if we could soak ourselves, and she went beyond by giving us bottles of ice-cold water- what a life saver! Cold water is MUCH more restorative and refreshing than hot water. She was a true trail angel and life saver! Even so, we only just managed to finish the hike and immediately sat in the car with full air-conditioning. Never again.

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Massillon, sections 1-5 (6/14/20)

A SUPER day for hiking! Sunny with a cool breeze all day! Was another all road day but a little more back road traveling. Pleasant surprise right at start with a cheery pedestrian tunnel under road to school across street! Feel bad for kids who didn’t get a joyous graduation send-off from school in this time of COVID. Was again a day of barns, we were all mesmerized by the fields of wheat (?) that undulated and flowed with the rhythms of the wind- you could just sit and watch it all day, like being at the ocean. There were also these two amazing yellow maple (?) trees along our route that just popped out of background! You couldn’t miss them. We talked a lot about what is the best small camper to travel/live in as we dream of becoming gypsies of sorts some day. Passed a couple who were hiking the BT in the opposite direction- husband was carrying a large backpack in training for a (hopeful) trip to Half Dome this summer. Also passed what seemed to be a peaceful George Floyd demonstration in a public gathering space in town- such a divided time we live in now on so many different levels; politics, health, race…its nice to step away from it into the sunshine for a brief respite. Finished day with a rewarding ice cream and learned a new concept: an adult milkshake = alcohol included! Why ruin a good thing?

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Mogadore, section 24.5- Massillon, section 1 (6/7/20)

This hike should finish off Mogadore! Beautiful day as well. We began the hike calling it a barn walk because we passed so many of them, although not too many animals were interested in us today. Passed a lot of corn fields, so I decided to follow their growth during our future travels. We also came upon an old friend mid-hike as we entered woods again at Quail Hollow State Park- seems like forever that this happened. Although the trails were not well marked, and we meandered a bit among several trails, BT or not, it was nice, shady and cooler in the woods, albeit my allergies were now suddenly awakened. We still have a bit more south to hike on the Massillon section before we catch up with the south end of the Akron section, so actually a little disappointed we are not yet ready to go north and complete Little Loop.

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Mogadore, sections 20-24.5 (5/30/20)

A bit chilly today- nice for me as long as sun made it through the variable clouds. Started off on a trail along shore of reservoir; that was a nice change from recent hikes, even with the mud challenge created by days of rain this past week. Still was fun to hop along sunken logs. Lots of people fishing today. As soon as we came out of the woods we came across a turtle in a drainage gulch along side of road, seemed lost so we took him down the road a bit into woods nearer the reservoir. Naturally, about a quarter mile further down the road we came across a beautiful marsh which would have been just perfect- hope he found the water through the woods, but at least he wasn’t in sun anymore. Rest of hike was all road, back roads made up somewhat for a lot of busy roads. Along the way we bought some local honey, looked in on a garden center where the only people wearing masks were the employees, looked at a small cute pop-up trailer for sale and debated its merits, and came across another lost turtle (that has to be some kind of a daily record). We did take a ‘short-cut’ that added mileage but kept us off 224- terrible road to walk along. True highlight of this trip was to come across the home of one of the Goodyear blimps! The size of the hanger was HUGE! Also peak rhododendron weekend- all seemed in full glory 🙂

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Mogadore, sections 11-15 (5/23/20)

All road hike again on first weekend after COVID lock-down lifted as well as being first day of Memorial Day weekend…lets see who’s out and about. Answer is A LOT more road traffic than we are used to, but the roads were in large part NOT back roads either, so hard to judge fairly. This is not a very pleasant stretch of the BT, as it also runs for a long ways parallel to I-76 with its constant drone of highway traffic. We also ‘cheated’ because we started somewhere between sections 12-13 today because in previous weeks we drove from 11-12 and figured we could skip it and not miss much. If I had to pick highlights for today it was at the beginning and end. First, on the way to our starting point we came across a couple who were hiking the same BT sections as we were but they got a much earlier start in the day- very smart because it turned into a hot one. ALWAYS nice to chat with fellow Blue Blazers! Second, at the end of our journey we passed a wisteria vine that was taking over a rather large tree and was in full bloom- just gorgeous!

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Mogadore, sections 5-8 (5/9/20)

Strange as it seems, it snowed last night! When we got out of the car to begin, I thought it felt like one of the colder days we have hiked yet this year, as it was cloudy and a little windy. Turned out that once we got moving and generating our own heat it was not too bad, and when the sun came out we actually overheated since we were all ‘winterized’ in the clothes we were wearing. Another all road hike with Robin joining us again. Robin is great as she keeps Wendy company up front while April and I lag in the back. The weather and surrounding woods made this a quieter hike, much of it skirting around the perimeter of the military base in Ravenna. It was a good day for budding flowers and BIRDS- blue birds, Baltimore orioles, rose-breasted grosbeaks, gold finches, downy woodpeckers and a ton of turkey vultures feasting on less fortunate animals. Those are some pretty impressive birds up close! By the end it had become a perfect day to hike!

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Mogadore, sections 3-5 (5/2/20)

Since this hike was all-road, we thought to pick a cloudy day with less sun for our jaunt (sounds like a strange idea for NEO). Got a nice surprise when we arrived at the church parking lot to begin our day- turns out there were other BT hikers using the same launch point! Unfortunately Heather and Andy were heading south and we were heading north- we chatted a bit and all got on our way. I can’t remember in all our hikes EVER running into fellow BT hikers at a parking spot, but it was a nice way to start the day! We all had some reservations about another all road hike, but once again we were surprised by how pleasant it was on sparsely traveled scenic back roads. The first leg out of Mantua was best, as it skirted around a nature preserve. On Peck road we encountered lots of friendly farm animals- cows, donkeys and horses. They were all very interested in us, but the cows were sooo friendly that they came over and followed us along the road for a bit until they had to stop at a small gulch. The rest of the hike was uneventful but nice, except for the constant drone of lawn mowers- brought back memories of how I spent my Saturdays as a kid…would rather be hiking! As we were beginning to feel this hike in our bones, we were surprised to be finished. Remarkably, as we pulled out of the parking lot to leave, Heather and Andy were pulling in- hope they also had a great day like us!

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Mogadore, sections 15-20 (4/25/20)

Been off the trail for a long time and decided it should be okay if we brought our masks just in case we ran into crowds. Usually we don’t pass anyone once you get 100 yards from parking lots. The reservoir is a fishing and water fowl mecca and it was a beautiful day, so the lots were full but again, once you went off into ‘the woods’ there were few hikers. This section of the trail has a multi-purpose, wide pathway and seems very popular, but not even remotely as crowded as Lake View up here at Cleveland Hts on a nice day- probably because it stretches out along 7+ miles. Anyway, IT WAS NICE TO BE IN THE WOODS AGAIN! Saw and heard lots of birds, more so than usual, and many calls that were new to us. Saw many osprey, one up close and personal, egrets, loons, and maybe even coots? Saw much evidence of typical, as well as unusual, beaver activity. Nice stands of evergreens, picturesque peninsulas jutting out into the water, and marshes filled with the sounds of peepers. Just delightful! The only worry was the frequent patches of trees that were blown over as if by a micro-burst- some snapped off halfway up the tree. I will say that everyone we passed offered a warm and friendly smile, something that I have begun noticing during this crisis…I think we miss each other, even being strangers.

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Mogadore, sections 8-11 (3/22/20)

After a full week of COVID lockdown we all really needed to get out. We decided to do a loop trail this week so we would not have to ride in each others cars. Today we are (re)joined by Robin, who has not been a guest hiker with us since our second ever hike last year! Beautiful sunny day, if a bit cold and breezy- wore my sunscreen today to avoid another red nose. Had to walk a bit on road before got to trail but there was a nice spit of land to explore jutting out into lake before trailhead. Trail itself was the muddiest to date, and largely unavoidable because it was surrounded by pricker bushes to keep you on the path. That was the worst part; the good part was that it was lots of fun to cross many streams by balancing on logs, rocks , whatever was there, or moving around to find a better crossing spot! We also came across many interesting sites (like run down picnic shelters) and animals- we saw an OWL perched up high (maybe a Barred, poor picture below) and the landscape was clearly shaped by BEAVERS in many places with at least two dam sites with houses! Never seen such bio-engineering so close up- exciting! Peepers were out again as well if we stayed quiet. We also passed by the most ever fellow hikers (or dog walkers) on trails- at 6 foot separation of course- must be everyone wanted to get out. Near the end of our hike we came across a dump site littered with old tires, glass bottles, metal buckets, etc- seemed like all the stuff was probably pretty old since tires were not radial with inner tubes strewn about and NO PLASTIC. This was our longest trail hike to date, and we added to it by completing the loop to get back to our starting spot. Everyone was happy to sit at end.

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