Fall 2011 - Beginning Another Journey

This is the full length and unedited version of my 2nd submission to the Trailblazer from the Spring of 2010.  It bascially covers the fact that unless I get out and actually do something I can put it off way to long!  I let the unknown set me back in this case, the BT.  Each time I go out on a jaunt I am ever aware of just how easy it would be to throw in the towel at any given moment, but I'll save that for a later journey.

Beginning Another Journey

As a result of my “Circle Come Full” experience shared with my dad and my son’s Boy Scout Troop in the Fall of 2007 (printed in the Winter 2010 newsletter), I started discussing with my husband, Dave, about walking the Buckeye Trail more frequently in what I would later declare as a kind of a homage to my father.  However, the path didn’t rise up to meet me quite the way I had anticipated.  I just could never decide where I would begin, how I would manage it or who I would take with me.  Excuse after excuse piled up into weeks and then months of delaying.  In fact the talks about starting my new journey went on for over a year!  At some point I knew I was afraid, not so much at the thought of walking the BT, but wondering if I would be able to complete the task:  1,444 miles!  It was a rather daunting commitment and up until then I hadn’t really discussed it with too many people for fear of accidently locking myself into it or making it real by saying it out loud.  Someone I did discuss it with, however, was the Scoutmaster of Troop 435.  Always very supportive of anyone’s endeavor, Scoutmaster Carlson possibly did the best thing anyone could have to help me get into gear.  He invited me to prepare a hike for our Troop to assist a Webelo pack in meeting their hiking requirements.  Knowing full well that this was what I needed I agreed immediately! 

Still being unfamiliar with the trails I talked to my resident Buckeye Trail expert, my dad, about where to take the guys.  What he remembered the last time he walked was ending up at Mentor-on-the-Lake somewhere near Headlands Beach and so that was where I would let my journey begin.

As a creature of extreme effort up front for the most satisfying outcome at the end I took it upon myself to be even more prepared for this adventure with the Scouts.  Dave and I located a map on-line that directed us to Headlands Beach State Park and Mentor Marsh. 

"short hike"

At the north side of the parking lot we found the Bedford-Burton Buckeye Trail sign: “Follow The Blue Blazes.” 

Blaze on upper left, turn left; Blaze on upper right, turn right.

I didn’t know it at the time but later learned that the 1,444 miles of the OBT are broken up into sections. We would be scouting a trail in the Bedford section. This map showed us a circuit hike that led us up alongside the sandy beaches of Lake Erie and then out to and across Headlands Road via a park service utility road. 

Lake Erie at Mentor Headlands

A portion of Mentor Marsh at Headlands Road

Once across the street we went onto the Zimmerman Trail, a wonderful piece that wound itself through a forest, up and down steep hills, across footbridges and literally right through the cut trunks of trees that had fallen across the path. We even saw an enormous tree on its side with its root system high off the ground still encased in its frozen dirt (which turned into an excellent photo opportunity on hike day)!

Mushrooms on side of tree

Huge fallen tree

Long shadows of wintertime

The Zimmerman Trail had every element you could hope to offer a group of adventurous, energetic Boy Scouts! But then the trail ended abruptly at Morton Park. The hike had to be a minimum of five miles and this circuit hike ended in three. Rather than bore the guys walking back along the same path on hike day, Dave and I went back to get our car and searched out more blue blazes. During the walk back to the car I came to the conclusion that I did not enjoy circuit hikes. For myself, for future reference, I knew that I would want to cover distance and make time if I was going to walk the BT. I realized that I would have to develop a system that would accomplish both in order to avoid frustrating myself. Back at Morton Park we picked up the trail, in our car this time, as the blue blazes directed us down a side street to and across Corduroy Road, then along a section of Mentor Marsh and a viewing platform, then back up to and along the lake where Lakeview Road petered down into a foot path. 

The blue blazes now followed The Lakefront Trail of the Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve. After hiking that for a while we got back into the car and found our way onto Lakeshore Boulevard and driving to the other end of where we presumed the trail would come out found us pulling into the parking lot of one of my childhood haunts, Mentor Lagoons! The Buckeye Trail comes through here? I just shook my head. 

I could not believe it (I allow myself these types of moments because I just love epiphanies). I spent many a summer at this place where my father still docks the family sailboat. I had to ask myself, “What is going on?” First Scouting brings me back to the Buckeye Trail, which I did with my dad over twenty years ago, and while preparing a Buckeye Trail adventure for the Boy Scouts it brings me to yet another place from my past. I, of course, had to call my father that second and share this with him.  We scouted out the last portion of the hike with one final two mile round trip hike.
                                                                                               

                           

Sumac

Upclose - sumac

 

Convinced we had an adventurous but safe afternoon planned for the Scouts, and now thoroughly exhausted after 5 ½ hours, Dave and I drove off into the sunset as we headed for home.

Cleveland in the sunset

What would come to be known to Troop 435 as “The Third OBT Hike” went off on December 6, 2008 without a hitch!  We had 23 hikers in all that day. 

(my son, Daniel, red backpack)

The group in front of that huge fallen tree (all hikers not shown)

I’d prepared a scavenger hunt for the guys and it occupied their minds while they hiked the six miles in just over 2 ½ hours.  Knowing that my dad was waiting for me at the other end of this hike got me all warm and fuzzy thinking about the old days on the Buckeye Trail with him and how that time spent together then brought me to this moment now.  When my husband surprised me by walking out from the end of the hike to join our son and me for the last mile (orange hat) it made me smile to realize that I just had the opportunity to share in the experience of 16 Scouts, most of whom were walking together with their fathers or mothers, on a walk down the historic Ohio Buckeye Trail. 
  

Thanks to my dad the Boy Scouts were all invited to have lunch, provided by Scoutmaster Carlson, in the toasty warm Mentor Lagoon Yacht Club that afternoon (a great big hearty “Thank You” to everyone)!  It was a perfect way to end a perfect day. 

Within a few weeks the Vice Commodore of the MLYC called me and invited our Troop to assist with their Opening Day flag raising ceremonies in May of 2009, which we indeed did do!

May 17, 2009 flag raising ceremony

Life provides each of us plenty of opportunities for new or unique experiences most of which we forget to find remarkable.  Remember to let all of your experiences be remarkable!