Summer 2012 - Deer Lick

A Series of Remarkable Experiences and Hiking Life Lessons

During my hunt for the trail on my first hike I read about a Buckeye Trail kiosk at Deer Lick Cave. I must have missed the kiosk, but there was a sign explaining the BT and that at that point marks the convergence of three sections: Akron, Bedford and Medina. 

Kiosk at Deer Lick Cave

Officially I started the Bedford (segment 1) section today, but, alas, I didn’t know it and without an actual BT map I got turned around right off the bat.  With all this wandering around I’ve had plenty of time to come up with “clever” sayings for myself.  Today’s was, “The problem with traveling the road less traveled by is that sometimes you get lost” hubby contested, “You get to know the path less traveled by, because you travel it twice!”  Lesson #12 Listen to good advice the first time you hear it…get the BT maps!

Lots of sandstone structures and overhangs in the Deer Lick Caves area



 

 

Leaving Deer Lick I headed east then north down into a valley and then up out of it toward Riverview Road.  I was able to get all caught up in the early fall scenery taking photos of newly turned leaves that had fallen onto beds of moss, interesting plants with delicate strands poking out from within with little pearl-like flowers strung on them and trees with funny holes bored low on their trunks. 

Moss covered sandstone with leaves

Moss up close

Poison something going into hibernation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holes bored by woodpeckers?








 

Getting ready to cross Chippewa Creek Road

At the corner of Chippewa Creek and Riverview Roads wondering the best way back to my car all these kids kept pouring out from a hidden trail.  I approached and asked one of them if he knew where he was, no, he was just following the crowd to a picnic. Walking up the line looking for an adult one of the kids stopped and asked if I knew where their lunch was, laughing I told him no because I didn’t know where I was!  A few more kids came up to me starring intently at the bite valve and tubing from my camel pack and inquired, “Is that one of those water backpacks?”  Since it is tucked into a bigger hiking backpack it must have seemed ridiculously huge to them so I showed them how all of that worked.  Finally an adult ran into me, a one-time BT hiker, who knew exactly where we all were, but couldn’t recall where the BT went from here. 

7th graders pouring out of knowwhere

I ended up walking with him and the last of the 7^th graders to the Plateau Picnic Area, and from there, after saying my goodbyes, I kept heading back toward Deer Lick and my car asking joggers and walkers along the way for directions. 

Laetiporus sulphureus aka Sulphur Shelf

Sulphur Shelf up close

Even closer

Horses crossing Riverview Road back up by Deer Lick

Sign at Deer Lick on Valley Parkway

This was a short, uneventful hike, thank heavens! I was wearing new boots and these long run-arounds over the last week were beginning to take their toll on my feet. Lesson #13: Never wear new shoes on long outings!

Three hours later I got back to the car and decided to check out the next hike’s section. I drove back to and turned up Chippewa Creek Road and there behind this tall line of trees was the Brecksville RR Depot for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway! Now I know where all those 7^th graders were coming from, they had come by train and were pouring out of the depot. As I parked the car in the station lot, Bill, an elderly gentleman approached me asking if I was a park ranger. Dressed in dark green pants and orange scouting shirt, I thought I kind of looked like a park employee, but laughed that someone else actually thought so, too! He excitedly was telling me that he rode the CVSR and that before today had never been on a train of any type in his life! After we were done chatting it reminded me of my dad’s advice: Lesson #14: If you listen for awhile you’re going to hear an interesting story. 

After looking over the lonely yellow station building I crossed the wrought iron Station Road Bridge to the tow path I’d biked with the Scouts earlier this year. 

Although there were signs indicating the BT, I could find no blazes.  I learned later that not all parks/paths permit blazing, but that usually there will be some sign indicating which way to go.  Lesson #15:  Be flexible.  Be open to things not being the way you expect them.  Curious to know where the next blaze would appear I got back in the car and followed the Scenic Byway Canal Way signs until I was back down alongside the tow path on Canal Road.  I actually knew where I was there and there were blazes aplenty.  Although I still did not have a clue which way was what, I at least knew that my next walk would find me along the canal which

was steeped in local and national

history. 

I was really excited at what I would learn next to pass along to the Scouts.

1,442 miles to go!

by Blue Blaze Bugsie