Spring 2013 edition - Cleveland Metroparks Trail

(this is part two of one hike.  To read the first part, scroll all the way down to the "winter 2012 edition" then come back up to continue).

To read all the adventures in order from the beginning use this link  First Post, Spring 2011 and then at the bottom of each page select NEWER POST to move through them.

A Series of Remarkable Experiences and Hiking Life Lessons

As I passed out of earshot of Sagamore Creek’s constant din and its wind ravished forest into fields created by a row of electric towers came a distinct silence. 

Field created by an electric tower pass

The warmth of the sun on my face, though momentary, was bliss before entering another wooded area. 

Steep slope up to a reclaimed railroad grade

Alexander to Kent railroad recreational reclamation - "Rails to Trails"

Popping up and out onto a reclaimed railroad grade I walked a paved path to Alexander Road.  Of the redeeming things people have thought to do, reclaiming abandoned railroad grades for recreation is right up there in my book!  Taking back the countryside one strip at a time and everyone can take advantage of them!    To date I have walked on two.  Check out this link http://www.traillink.com/trail/bike-and-hike-trail.aspx to see the trail that I walked.  Hit Trail Link to explore other Ohio Rails to Trails locations!  

Blue Blaze Bugsie on the trail

At Alexander I caught a glimpse of my location and learned I’d only hiked a small piece of section 4. I sighed; I had a ways to go before reaching 8. During the next uneventful hour I slowly continued to wind my way up to and through Bedford Reservation. I found myself talking on the phone, snacking, taking photos of fabulous fungi of multiple shapes, colors and sizes and other beautiful things........

Mushroom on a decaying log

 

Very striking; mesmerizing almost.

"Chicken of the forest" or sulphur shelf high on a tree

close up of sulphur shelf

Another tree shroom, don't know this one

close up of unknown type of shroom

I noticed a curious jagged trunk of a tree about 10 feet in height.  With the body shape and face of a swordfish, it appeared to be leaping out of the water! The only thing missing was the angler. As I got closer it became evident that someone else thought the same thing as they’d added an eye! I got a chuckle out of it as I took its photo. Lesson #18: As long as you’re not hurting anyone or anything, express yourself! I am always amazed to see that there is never an end to the creativity and expression of people, even out here in the middle of the woods!

A surprise!

Eventually the BT comes very close to Tinker’s Creek Gorge Scenic Overlook with its viewing platform that showcases the awesome valley stretching out just below and the sliver of Tinker’s Creek that winds through it.  The leaves had not yet begun to turn and with the greenery of summer still in full abundance I could barely see the creek, but I promised myself I would make my way back to see it in the different seasons yet to come.  I took some photos before I ambled around trying to pick up the trail again. 

Tinker's Creek way below from Overlook Drive in Bedford section of Metroparks

Deep into another forest of pine and deciduous trees, the view limited, you could hear the waters of Silver Creek long before you could see them.  From the direction I was approaching the waters are buried at first in a winding, steep and narrow gorge that become a  long, gentle sloping falls that gracefully step up and out to the surface at the other end:  

On approach, can't really see anything yet

The little gorge

More of the gorge

Stepping up...

Bridal Veil Falls. What a fitting name!  It was just gorgeous!  Even though the light that could penetrate the trees was limited, it still made the beautiful flowing veil of white water really pop against the sides and bottom of the little gorge.  I felt special standing in the midst of this perfectly sculpted masterpiece.

Bridal Veil Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

The platform just above the bottom of the veil’s hem perched you out and over so you could gaze peacefully well up the way. A foot bridge further up crossed a calmer section. I spent a lot of time there just taking it all in, taking photos and videoing the sounds. It was just amazing! 

Bridge and another set of falls up beyond the Bridal Veil

The falls up beyond the bridge

She was a beautiful bride today, indeed, but we were forced to part ways as I continued on.  Not long after leaving Bridal Veil it started to rain. Pulling on my heavy-duty rain poncho I pushed harder to reach my bike parked at Taylor/Egbert Road.

Footbridge

Unusual fauna

Coming up to Egbert Road and my bike.

  

Preparing myself for the ride back, I debated whether to take off the poncho and sun visor from beneath my bike helmet and decided against it.  As I started down the steep road I got a small taste of how high I’d hiked today.  As I picked up speed and flew through the curves in the road, frighteningly the poncho flaps filled like sails swaying me all over and beat at me furiously while the visor tried desperately to pry my helmet and glasses from my face. It was the scariest bike ride I’d been on in a while, but it ended soon enough as I turned onto Dunham Road, which had more hills going up than down. 40 minutes later I finally made my last turn onto Sagamore Road and after a few seconds I could see the full glory of the climb. 

View obscured at first...Sagamore Road

About halfway down the hill...Sagamore Road

Voicing a, “No way!” I pulled over and took off my poncho and visor. Stuffing them into my backpack I spied my camera.  Smiling, I looped it around my neck, turned on the video and filmed the most excellent dash down into the valley.

Three minutes later I pulled out onto Canal Road and headed back to the Frazee House.  I packed up the bike then took the camera over to the house and took some photos.  They are renovating the house inside, according to a notice outside, for some structural issues.  I could see where they’d torn up the living room and another room on the ground floor. 

Do you ever wonder what would peer back at you from the other side?

I try to imagine the scene decades ago, a slow moving canal boat, being towed slowly by the mules or horses floating right on by this house.

This hike was over seven miles long and it took me rougly five hours, including a 40 minute bike ride back.

(Bridal Veil in the dry season)  No veil!  No water.

by Blue Blaze Bugsie 
Barb Crompton

To read the first part of this adventure, scroll down. To read all the adventures in order use the index links at the right side of the page.

to contact:  reikiguide@sbcglobal.net 

Winter 2012 - Cleveland Metro Drive

A Series of Remarkable Experiences and Hiking Life Lessons

(clicking on photos will bring you to a slide show of them)

The maps I ordered had come quickly, but a hiking related injury and weather kept me off the trails for a few weeks.  With much amusement, and a touch of embarrassment, I have to share my initial thoughts about the maps; they were “….not what I expected” “...wordier than an actual map, talking pretty much about distance, section by section, big jogs in the trail, crossing major roads, etc.  The map is not very detailed [on how to get to a trail].”  I laughed when I re-read my journal.  Lesson #17:  Let experience speak for itself.   Give something plenty of tries before giving up on it altogether.  It is obvious to me today that I just was unfamiliar with the maps, but as I got used to them they have been a true blessing over these many hikes.  I still spend a great deal of time figuring out how to get to a new segment, where to park my bike and car and how to get back and forth between them, but once I am there at the trail, there are few secrets about where to go, just plenty of opportunities for adventure. 

Although the sun was out, dark clouds were hovering low in the fall sky, even my son had commented on them as I drove him to school for his birthday, so I dressed warmly adding a hoodie under my “park uniform” to protect myself from the cold and wind.  This hike, segment 4, Bedford section, actually started last hike when I crossed the Towpath in front of the Frazee House on Canal Road. 

Frazee House, Canal Road, Independence, Ohio

Using my Google directions I drove directly to the end of my hike, dropped off my bike and scouted out the route I would later take back. 

Sagamore Creek at Sagamore and Canal Roads, Independence, Ohio

Retracing my steps to where I ran into my good Samaritan on Sagamore Road I bumbled around for a few minutes trying to figure out where the next blaze was hiding, which was just on the other side of the guard rail (as indicated on the BT map), but it was obscured by all the trees so I hesitated until I finally spotted it well up the hill. 

Blue Blaze just over the guard rail....just like it states on the BT maps!

I started immediately up a steep incline through a thick forest, mixed with both fir and deciduous trees.  Here and there through the thicket I would catch a glimpse of moving water, how far down I wasn’t certain. 

Looking down to Sagamore Creek, Walton Hills, Ohio

Big tree with plants

Plants in the big tree

Up close of the bark on the big tree

There were mammoth trees with their thick exposed roots as long as they were tall clinging to the sides of the hill to keep from sliding off into the abyss.

Trees clinging to the sides of the hill

Up close of roots

Once on top the trail ran close to the edge on this woodsy ridge.  When I would pop out into a bare rock clearing I could see where the ground fell away dizzyingly, its sheer drops giving birth to plenty of falls where water was left to helplessly tumble on down into these deep, moss and leaf covered ravines so steep that no matter how I tried my photos could not capture the depth I saw with my eyes nor the awe that I felt standing at the edge. 

This was the scenery that went on forever as I wound my way back and forth through this forest and as I went from one set of mini gorges to another I would cross through their feeder creeks and storm drainage tunnels, neatly stacked with sandstone. 

The many images and colors of this fall day’s palette captured my imagination and my heart as I roamed through envisioning it as an early day pioneer might have experienced it while making their way on foot up into the next county.  I spent a great deal of time taking photos and videos of the most varying scenery which before I would have thought impossible to have in one small area.  There is a lot of real beautiful country up through here and I hope if one thought hiking the entire BT would be too much of a trial that they would at least hit this one segment.  Maybe I was able to notice because I was calmer, with trusty BT map in hand, or perhaps it was just too gorgeous to miss.  Either way this section was the most beautiful of the Buckeye Trail hikes I had taken to date and to this day still remains one of my favorites (and I had only gone half way!)…to be continued  (scroll to Spring 2013 to read the rest).

 by Blue Blaze Bugsie

To read all the adventures in order use the index links at the right side of the page or select this:  First Post, Spring 2011.

Fall 2012 - Frazee House

A Series of Remarkable Experiences and Hiking Life Lessons

Frazee House

You will be so proud of me!  Just before leaving for today’s hike I ordered the Bedford and Akron BT maps! One last blindfolded hike!  Also today is the day I decided I would employ my bike to get back to the car after my walk.  No more backtracking on foot!  Picking up where I left off I went to the CVNR Brecksville Station, locked the bike and drove over to The Frazee House on Canal Road. 

Frazee House on Canal road near the canal

Par for the course, I still managed to go the wrong way following the blue blazes south down Canal Road, which had more to do with this picture in my head of where the trail would be in reference to the river, but thank heavens I ran into someone right away hiking down Alexander Road toward me.  She had some old hand drawn BT maps with her that she had from a hiking club years ago when she first walked the BT.  She pointed out where we were and where my bike was parked.  Launching off in her same direction I told her I was in a hurry and had to go, but I knew I’d see her again when I biked back to my car.  As an afterthought I turned and took a photo of her. 

Good Samaritan's aplenty on the BT!
Diane

Realizing, soon enough, that there would be enough lonely days on this adventure, I was sorry I didn’t just walk with her to begin with as she was right behind me most of the way and would have been a great hiking companion.  Lesson #16:  Walk awhile with someone regardless of their pace.  Sometime’s sharing your journey with someone not only makes it more of an adventure for you both, it makes it less lonely.  Back on the correct side of the canal I stopped and took some photos of Stephen Frazee’s house.

Perusing the sign I note that the backdrop of it was a copy of a 1930’s painting done by local Cleveland artist, Frank Wilcox, whose family was close to and spoken highly of by the family of my great aunt! 

Painting by Cleveland artist Frank Wilcox

I got caught up in taking photos of everything around me, the fall flowers, heron’s, spider webs wet from the light rain that was falling and humming insects collecting. 

Spider web

Rain spotted spider and web

Looked like a fancy gold fish to me!

Bumble bee doing his thing

Heron

Every time I stopped I’d turn to see my Samaritan slowly fading into the distance until I finally lost sight of her altogether.  In keeping with last week’s observation there were no blazes to be found on this section of the towpath, but the low engraved posts steadily pointed the way toward Brecksville Station.

Towpath trail, now used for recreation (canal to the left)

The canal

Additionally there were interpretive signs calling attention to features of the canal I would not have noticed as some of those elements lay on the other side of the canal embedded into the side of the bank like the mud catcher, “the small dam where the stream enters the canal - which holds back silt and debris” keeping the canal from clogging or “the Pinery feeder channel” which to this day continues to feed the existing canal from the Cuyahoga River – it never dawned on me that it was being KEPT filled! 

I’d been on the Tow Path just a few times, but hadn’t taken the time to stop and read about the historic importance of the canal.  Learning about the early history of this area I felt pride for the tremendously hard work these people did using their bare hands and sheer determination as tools to achieve their goals, the remains of which are still here today for us to bear witness to.

Historic wrought iron Station Road Bridge at Brecksville

Through the trees I catch sight of the Station Road Bridge slung low over the river, 

Route 82 bridge, Brecksville.

 but knew I was close to finishing my walk as I passed under the gigantic Rt. 82 Bridge. 

Finally getting to actually cross the white historic wrought iron bridge for the first time I complete this hike. 

Brecksville CVRR station

Rt. 82 bridge in the background...getting ready to pedal

Having prepared my bike and self for my ride back, I roll forward to the tracks, looking up one side then the other to cross and see my Samaritan!  I stop to talk and after introductions it is then I learn that Diane grew up in and around Brecksville and was re-exploring the area, in particular the BT, on which she’s heading toward Peninsula.  She liked my bike idea for getting around post hike, but at the moment is calling on her brother for rides at the end of her hikes (which I find an exciting thought: one way altogether?  I like the sound of that!).

Riding across Station Road Bridge I stop and set my camera to capture me biking across and after a few tries get a good shot then peddle on my way toward the car.  After stowing everything away I took a quick drive up Alexander and Dunham Roads to scout out my next hike and the excitement of the BT maps coming in the mail made me giddy with delight. 

Crossing the Historic wrought iron Station Road Bridge

 

 by Blue Blaze Bugsie