HOCKING HILLS REVISITED

The tunnels along the trail add interest and are unlike anything I've seen out west.

There are times when it’s worth a second visit.

The folks at work had really hyped ‘Hocking Hills’. I was expecting something grand. Hocking Hills isn’t magnificent. 

It’s not stunning. Interesting? Yes. Pretty? Yes. But it simply doesn’t rise (literally) to what we have out in the great Northwest.

 Last week, on the way out, I talked to the ranger who seemed to understand my mild disappointment. She was from New Hampshire and the key thing lacking in the Columbus area is elevation gain. But she did give me some tips and one of them was a longer, slightly more challenging route around ‘Old Man Caves’ up to Cedar Falls. I did some research on local hikes and that very hike stood out among the available alternatives. So back to Hocking Hills it was.

After doing the 6 mile loop, my views changed. OK, it’s not the Cascades or Olympics. There are no stunning views. But there’s a quiet beauty. This morning there weren’t many on the trail and once I got out of the primary ‘Old Man’s Cave’ area, I only saw 4 folks in 3 miles. And there’s enough up and down to get a work out.

The blazes must be an east coast thing

The trail through the valley (blue trail) is a little more interesting than the upper trail back (red trail), but both are nice. The red trail seems built for conversation; two possible three could walk side by side and chat. All in all a great walk / hike and a nice way to start the day!