Trip Reports 2020
Mar 8, 2020 Dayhike Canal Lands Park, Zoar 1:00pm Terri
__We were fortunate to have beautiful weather and a great turnout on what became our last hike before the coronavirus shut everything down. 29 hikers joined our March 8th hike at Canal Lands Park in Zoar for a wonderful day of walking the Tuscarawas County portion of the Ohio Erie Canal Towpath Trail followed by dinner at Donnie's Tavern in Zoar. Joe Ress had a great idea to split the large group and give attendees the option of doing either a faster pace or a more leasurely paced hike and a choice of hiking 5.9 miles or 4. The trail was in great shape and the views of the Tuscarawas River, woods and surrounding countryside were very nice. Those on the longer hike saw the connector point at State Rt. 800 where the canal trail ends and the Zoar Valley Trail continues.The 2 mile northern portion of the ZVT is scheduled for improvements this summer and will join the already improved portion behind Dover Dam that runs south another 2 miles. I can see the club checking out that trail sometime in the near future! Thanks to Joe, Judy and June for helping the group at the turnaround point and to everyone who hiked the trail that day. --Terri H.
__We were fortunate to have beautiful weather and a great turnout on what became our last hike before the coronavirus shut everything down. 29 hikers joined our March 8th hike at Canal Lands Park in Zoar for a wonderful day of walking the Tuscarawas County portion of the Ohio Erie Canal Towpath Trail followed by dinner at Donnie's Tavern in Zoar. Joe Ress had a great idea to split the large group and give attendees the option of doing either a faster pace or a more leasurely paced hike and a choice of hiking 5.9 miles or 4. The trail was in great shape and the views of the Tuscarawas River, woods and surrounding countryside were very nice. Those on the longer hike saw the connector point at State Rt. 800 where the canal trail ends and the Zoar Valley Trail continues.The 2 mile northern portion of the ZVT is scheduled for improvements this summer and will join the already improved portion behind Dover Dam that runs south another 2 miles. I can see the club checking out that trail sometime in the near future! Thanks to Joe, Judy and June for helping the group at the turnaround point and to everyone who hiked the trail that day. --Terri H.
March 1, 2020 short notice hike at Wooster Memorial Park (Joyce P. ) 1:00 pm
__On a sunny winter afternoon six hikers explored the outer loop trail at Wooster memorial park. We slipped and slid in the mud, climbed over hills, crossed the creek twice and explored some interesting “snow lace”. It was a great day for a hike. -Joyce
__52 deg today. Trails were thawing on north-facing slopes. Hike was 3.8 mi. with assent/decent of 740 feet.... so hilly. -ken
__On a sunny winter afternoon six hikers explored the outer loop trail at Wooster memorial park. We slipped and slid in the mud, climbed over hills, crossed the creek twice and explored some interesting “snow lace”. It was a great day for a hike. -Joyce
__52 deg today. Trails were thawing on north-facing slopes. Hike was 3.8 mi. with assent/decent of 740 feet.... so hilly. -ken
Feb 16, 2020 Winter Picnic -- Summit Metro Parks - Mingo Lodge
__As usual our hiking club with the eating problem went all out for the winter picnic. Altogether 26 people were there at one time or another. The morning hike led by Paul was a good one-icy, hilly, and a good morning for a hike. The afternoon hike led by Charlie was hilly and muddy due to the sun warming up the day for us and melted the ice. There was plenty of food for lunch and afternoon snack before going home. It turned out to be a beautiful day for us. June ( 46 deg and sunny )
__As usual our hiking club with the eating problem went all out for the winter picnic. Altogether 26 people were there at one time or another. The morning hike led by Paul was a good one-icy, hilly, and a good morning for a hike. The afternoon hike led by Charlie was hilly and muddy due to the sun warming up the day for us and melted the ice. There was plenty of food for lunch and afternoon snack before going home. It turned out to be a beautiful day for us. June ( 46 deg and sunny )
Feb 2, 2020 Dayhike Groundhog Day Hike at The Wilderness Center 2:00 pm (Ken/Cheryl)
__Unseasonably warm weather and some sunshine really brought out the hikers for this winter hike. This was probably a near record dayhike as 32 hikers attended to take a tour around the trails here at TWC. It was good to see that many of our newer members are now becoming "regulars". We also had members that invited guests along so there's prospects for more members. Having the club prosper is good. We get a strong club, and because our club has been sponsored by TWC (since 1983) club members are required to be members of TWC as well. That gives us access to a meeting place and equipment for programs...plus many other perks. And then, some of us belong to other sponsored clubs as well.
__Having such large hike turn-outs does pose some problems. For some hikes it becomes difficult (maybe impossible) for a trip leader to keep tabs of all the hikers. We usually have someone in the rear (the drag) to make sure we don't leave anyone behind. It becomes really hard to keep a group together if an area has lots of connector trails with lots of turns, and a large group all strung out. Occasionally in some areas it's not ethical to have a really huge group. So far everything has worked out just fine but we do have concerns.
__Another issue with large groups is the "tradition" of going to a restaurant after a hike. Trip leaders are NOT obligated to arrange for after-hike dinning. It's fun, but, with groups of 15 or so finding suitable dining can be a challenge.
__Anyway, enough sermon, for your statistics... the hike at TWC was 4.0 miles long and if it felt a bit longer that was because there was 740 feet of accent & decent as we traipsed up and down the hills. The hills are good for your sole (and soul). --Ken M
__Unseasonably warm weather and some sunshine really brought out the hikers for this winter hike. This was probably a near record dayhike as 32 hikers attended to take a tour around the trails here at TWC. It was good to see that many of our newer members are now becoming "regulars". We also had members that invited guests along so there's prospects for more members. Having the club prosper is good. We get a strong club, and because our club has been sponsored by TWC (since 1983) club members are required to be members of TWC as well. That gives us access to a meeting place and equipment for programs...plus many other perks. And then, some of us belong to other sponsored clubs as well.
__Having such large hike turn-outs does pose some problems. For some hikes it becomes difficult (maybe impossible) for a trip leader to keep tabs of all the hikers. We usually have someone in the rear (the drag) to make sure we don't leave anyone behind. It becomes really hard to keep a group together if an area has lots of connector trails with lots of turns, and a large group all strung out. Occasionally in some areas it's not ethical to have a really huge group. So far everything has worked out just fine but we do have concerns.
__Another issue with large groups is the "tradition" of going to a restaurant after a hike. Trip leaders are NOT obligated to arrange for after-hike dinning. It's fun, but, with groups of 15 or so finding suitable dining can be a challenge.
__Anyway, enough sermon, for your statistics... the hike at TWC was 4.0 miles long and if it felt a bit longer that was because there was 740 feet of accent & decent as we traipsed up and down the hills. The hills are good for your sole (and soul). --Ken M
Jan 26, 2020 Dayhike Muskingum Trail, Canal Fulton, Oh 1:45 pm (Paul M)
__Twenty-six hikers joined Paul and Linda for a 5.6 mile hike on the towpath and Muskingum Trail from Canal Fulton to Forty Corners. We met in Canal Fulton and spotted cars at Forty Corners. starting our hike on the towpath trail, we crossed over to the Muskingum Trail at Butterbridge. Pleasant weather, very few people and a flat surface made for a social hike on a January day. After returning to our cars we gathered at Canal Grill for a nice dinner at the end of the day. -Paul M
__Twenty-six hikers joined Paul and Linda for a 5.6 mile hike on the towpath and Muskingum Trail from Canal Fulton to Forty Corners. We met in Canal Fulton and spotted cars at Forty Corners. starting our hike on the towpath trail, we crossed over to the Muskingum Trail at Butterbridge. Pleasant weather, very few people and a flat surface made for a social hike on a January day. After returning to our cars we gathered at Canal Grill for a nice dinner at the end of the day. -Paul M
** Hikes / Outings that a few of us submitted after Covid started and club activities halted.
**Paul Conrad posted 4-22-20
4-21-20____Paul and I along with Mahlon took a backpacking trip at Zaleski State Forest, April 20-21. We hiked in yesterday and selected a really nice camp site. The backpacking trail had some steep hills, but we enjoyed seeing all the wildflowers, trees, and big rocks. The primitive campground had plenty of space for the three other groups we saw camping. This morning we hiked back out, and then took the Olds Hollow Trail. Besides taking our hikes, we learned some history of the area by visiting Hope Schoolhouse and Iron Furnace, located near the parking areas.
**Ken and Cheryl posted 4-22-20
4-19-20____We had a two hour walk this afternoon (Sunday) at TWC today on the Pioneer, Sigrist, Fox Creek & Sugarcreek trails. Cloudy and cool even at 56 degs. The woods would have been a total carpet of Spring Beauties except they were all cold and not quite opened up. Some of the usual sightings: blue, white & yellow Violets, Rue Anemone, Toothwort, Marsh Marigold, only one Trout Lilly (but it was huge), Bluebells were mostly in bud with only a few open. We also observed four different Dandelions: Marsh, Woods, Field and our favorite, Roadside. We expected there would be many other folks there especially on Sunday, and there were, but not a crush, and mostly at the main building, but we stayed to the outer trails and only saw a couple of other hikers. Also had a brief chat with member Becky So. just as she was leaving the trailhead for a walk. -Ken
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**Paul Conrad posted 4-13-20
4-11-20____We are staying inside today (too windy), but on Saturday we hiked in two Ashland County parks, Cool Springs Wildlife Conservation Park and Byers Woods. Both are near Jeromesville. We saw wildflowers and birds, including a phoebe that swooped past me to a nest in the kiosk at Cool Springs. The trails at Byers Woods circle the closed county landfill, so that makes for a different kind of park. Now we're waiting for a warmer,calmer day for our next hike.
**Ken and Cheryl posted 4-13-20
4-12-20____Went to Zoar Woods today. The road going in is solid now with only a couple of puddles and not too rough. Surprise! No one else there...at least until one car came in while we were having our lunch. I had scouted the property lines earlier this year and found a section of woods that I always thought was private property. We took a walk on and off of deer trails and did a bit of exploring before finally returning to the official trail. This property is a mix of woods and old strip mine pits with some pretty steep grades so walking off trail can be a challenge. Seems like spring hasn't quite arrived here yet but we did see some flowers...spring beauties, toothwort, blue,white and yellow violets. bluets, one mystery yellow flower, lots of spicebush blooming. For about an hour it was a warm and almost no breeze at all. Beautiful...except for a cloud of small gnats that stayed right in our face. We almost didn't open our mouth to talk. And then I had a thought! What I needed was .......................a mask! Eventually the wind kicked up and a light rain started so the gnats disappeared for the walk back to car.-----KenM
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**Rebecca Soehnlen posted April 10
4-4-20____Don't plan on going to Dundee Falls (Beach City Wildlife Area) on a weekend!. On Saturday, April 4, Kim McCarthy and I went there to check out the trails. I hadn't been there in years and wanted to make sure the trails were OK for hiking. It seems everyone else had cabin fever and wanted to get out. Both parking lots were full and we had to park along the road. There were many people hiking, but surprisingly the trails did not seem crowded. We hiked to both falls, then back to the rocks where people were rapelling. We then followed the creek back up to the big falls - all the minor falls were beautiful. it was a little strenuous with crawling around rocks and muddy in spots but great to get outside. We hiked about 2 hours. When we got back to our car, there were police there with megaphones saying that if you were parked along the road you had to move your car. By then, the line of cars parked along the road stretched for about a half mile. It was crazy! It was great to see many families with children enjoying the great outdoors. Keep healthy!
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**Paul Conrad posted 4-8-20
4-6-20___Paul and I took a hike this week on Monday, April 6. We hiked at the Honey Run Highlands Park in Knox County. We had been there before, but this time we explored many more of the extensive trails. This park offers diverse areas, from wide, level trails to woods and prairies, which we want to see later on when in bloom. A distinctive feature is many large ant hills. Across the road from the park is the Honey Run Waterfall and a short hike down to the Kokosing River. We really enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and beautiful weather. We didn't encounter many people at either place, maybe because the park is in a rural area. There were only seven other cars in the parking lot after our hike. We did see some parents out hiking and splashing with kids, taking advantage of a perfect place to be.
**Lois Hochstetler posted 4-8-20
4/3/20___Six TWC hikers (Terri, Donna, Kim W, Dan, Joyce A, Lois) explored parts of the Killbuck Marsh near Shreve, OH on Friday, April 3rd. Killbuck Marsh is the largest inland marsh in Ohio, 5,671 acres. We were on the lookout for a particular spot within Killbuck Marsh called Wright's Marsh. Although we got lost several times, no one seemed to mind because around every new corner and new road we encountered beautiful water vistas & many amazing bird sightings. Thanks to Dan's exceptional directional skills we eventually found the "Wright" Marsh. We hiked & observed many more birds (hundreds of ducks) & beautiful water views. Some of the birds sighted: Canada Geese, Trumpeter Swans (we were excited to see these), Blue Herons, Egrets, Eagle, Mallard Ducks, Bufflehead Ducks, Ospreys, Vultures, Hairy Woodpeckers & many more. Char & her son, Mike went to the marsh on Saturday & sighted 56 different bird species!
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**Joyce Porter posted 4-7-20
4/6/20___Just wanted to report the spring flowers at the Wooster OARDC are beginning to transform the gardens into a wonderland. I especially enjoy the white magnolia trees. On my walk there today, I spotted a red fox! The campus has closed off one road so walkers have more room to practice social distancing. You can park in the lot close to the welcome center and enjoy the grounds.
4/4/20___Lois and I enjoyed a walk at Wooster Memorial Park. I noticed several wildflowers just beginning to bloom. The valleys of the park are really green already! As of 4/4, the trails are not muddy. The public is really enjoying the park, unfortunately, you can see it in the trail surface, the paths are getting wider and more trodden. WMP remains one of my favorite places to explore and I look forward to many more club hikes there!
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**Cheryl Sat April 4, 2020
__Be prepared to change your plans if you are going out to hike. Ken and I went to Salt Fork State Park Thursday 3/26 thinking we would hike i the network of trails just off the campground area. We found the road into the campground area was closed, with a one mile road walk to the trailheads. After a look at the map, we opted for a good 3.8 miles out and back on the BT. And not another hiker to be seen. Best to check destination websites. Some might have restrooms, some not, or like CVNP's site "some" restrooms are open.
**Ken & Cheryl Thursday April 2, 2020
__It warm and sunny. Wildflower have to be coming out! We took a ride down to the Beach City Backwater area (Dundee Falls). Hardly anyone goes there. HA! The parking lots were FULL. I guess it was party time down near the falls? We drove around to a different, less used area. Found the road was gated because of high water. No one here. Parked and walked down to bridge and a dirt road (oil well) that goes back in along some nice big mossy slump blocks along the S.Fork Sugarcreek. Flowers! Bloodroot, spring beauties, hepatica, cutleaf toothwart, yellow violets, may apples were starting to come up, spice bushes were flowering.
**Ken & Cheryl Sunday March 29, 2020
__We wanted some exercise so went to the Iron Horse Trail (Alliance) which is close to us. This is a flat, level, packed limestone road but it's ok for exercise, Two miles out and back. We observed a number of families out walking. Good for them. They didn't look like they were much used to walking.
**Ken March 25, 2020
__My first time out this year to paddle. Walborn Reservoir. click... The Frog paddle.
**Ken & Cheryl Sunday March 22, 2020
__Cheryl and I went for a walk. We hadn't been up to Magadore Reservoir for a while. Several miles of Buckeye trail run along the lake. We were going to walk from the marina up to the dyke and back (about 4.5 miles). These trails are not normally used very much. WELL... The parking lot was just about FULL! Several with boat tralers but mostly cars. 25+ other cars at least. I thought at first there was some huge hiking/running club here. This was our first experience with our new reality. When there's nothing open people go to the park and walk. Good, I guess, but we decided not to go hike with a crowd of other walkers. We went around to the west side of lake where there was only a handfull of cars. Out 2.1 mile and back we saw about 6 other walkers. It was a nice sunny day but the stiff breeze coming off the water was brisk. KenM
**Conrad Paul Tue, Apr 21, 2020
__Paul and I along with Mahlon took a backpacking trip at Zaleski State
Forest, April 20-21. We hiked in yesterday and selected a really nice
camp site. The backpacking trail had some steep hills, but we enjoyed
seeing all the wildflowers, trees, and big rocks. The primitive
campground had plenty of space for the three other groups we saw
camping. This morning we hiked back out, and then took the Olds Hollow
Trail. Besides taking our hikes, we learned some history of the area by
visiting Hope Schoolhouse and Iron Furnace, located near the parking areas.