Ohio backpackers

“Hey I was woundering if there was anyone out there in ohio that likes to backpack and is some where around 16 years old. I like to backpack a lot but the problem is my parents dont want me to go solo on trips and I need to find a few people who want to take some trips between like 10-20 mile a day.

capnelson”

“Thats the spirt go for it!!!

20 a day I like that!!!!!

Blaze it!!!!!!!!

8)”

“plenty from ohio but 16?? i doubt it, i live in cincy and hike a ton!
if your parents would let you go your welcome”

“bring your permission slip!!”

“well I dont think they would have a problem I guess I will just see when you plan on going. Have you ever been to a place called east fork? If so what did ya think about it?

capnelson”

“WAY to many ticks right know!!!

DONT go!”

“I can see his dinnertime conversation now...

[cue dreamy, wavey sequence]

Cap: Mom, can I go hiking this weekend? I found another person to go with.

Cap's Mom: Where did you meet this person?

Cap: The internet.

Cap's Mom: Well what's his name?

Cap: Prowler.

LOL!

Prowler's right East Fork is forking crawling with the little blood suckers this time of year.”

“Hey, anyone ever try backpacking at Mohican State Park/Forest near Loudonville? I'm going there this weekend for some hiking. I hear they have backpack campsites.”

“hey capnelson, check it out.

click here. These guys can probably get you started.”

“Ticks are all over the planet now. That's why they call it Summer. Put your gear up in the closet for hibernation. It'll be ready to go about late September when the world is starting to see some respectable temps.”

“walkindude

you dont pack in the summer? I know it isnt the best weather but its better than freezin. I say grab a hammock throw a net and your set for summer.

capnelson”

“winter
-you dont get to hot
-no bug bites
-breath easier
-not to much sweat
i still like summer thow”

“Actually I just bought a hennesey Hammock. I'm going to try to get out more this Summer.
I'm mostly a Fall & Winter backpacker.”

“Dudes! Where is it summer? It was about 40 degrees tonight for my evening hike. I had to get the winter headband back out. Been mostly in the low 50s for the last few weeks. Perfect hiking weather. I'm having a blast.”

“I'm glad somebody is able to enjoy some cool weather. Maybe I need to move to Michigan.”

“"I say grab a hammock throw a net and your set for summer."

A guy after my own heart! I hike no matter how stinkin' hot it gets, I just drink water constantly. When it's at it's worst I like night hiking.”

“I smell a rat!”

“how was Mohican RL? I've cabrewed it a few times, but never hiked it.

BTW, when is the book coming out?”

“I did not see any ticks this weekend but it did make it into the 80's.

8)”

“went with my kids and some friends and day hiked from ash cave over to the cedar falls and back....

what a beautiful day!!!

and what great scenery!!!”

“I like that name!

Hocking Hills!!!!

Cool.

8)”

“Hey Buddha Bear!

Mohican is an interesting place that needs a lot more exploring.

The first hike that I took started at the dam impounding the Pleasant Hill Reservoir. At the trailhead it warned "no rock climbing" and "no rapelling." You never, ever see signs like that in S. Michigan. So, score one for Mohican.

On that hike, there were two waterfalls. One dropped probably 30 feet. If you climb down into the fall, you can use the root system of a large tree as a ladder into the gorge. Then you can follow it for about a mile to the trail that follows the Mohican River. The park has installed cables in that area because the terrain is steep.

Later, I hiked some of the horse trails on the south side of SR 97. The paths I took were pretty close to the horse trailhead, so they were pretty developed, but not badly so. The thing about that place is that the terrain supports some pretty significant steady climbs. So, flatlanders feel the leg burn. Another thing to watch out for are the water crossings on the horse trails. Hikers need to be prepared for some 2 or 3 foot wading.

As far as mileage, there are definitely enough trails to make for an overnight. I'd say there are probably about 30 or 35 miles of official trails. But I saw several well-used trails that were not on the map. There are also horsecamps in the state forest that would allow for low impact camping. But this area is pretty heavily used, so a backpack would probably be best in spring, fall or winter.

Two things not to miss while in the area:

1) The fire tower: Great view. You can see forever on top of that thing. And it's rickety, so you really are risking life and limb.

2) The Mansfield Reformatory: In nearby Mansfield is the jail where they filmed "The Shawshank Redemption." It is the coolest jail you've ever seen. You can take tours. And I'd like to try and find the tree where Morgan Freeman found Andy's letter one of these days. It's there someplace.

Enough rambling. The verdict: The place is definitely worth the visit and capable of handling a good, non-wilderness backpack weekend. And if they ever developed trails along the two publicly owned reservoirs in the area, you could have some multiday backpacks.”

“Oh, one last bit of information. It took us about 2.5 hours to get there from Adrian, MI. So, this is a possible daytrip for Metro Detroiters. If you want mountainesque landscape with gorges and waterfalls close to Detroit - here it is.”

“Just got back day hiking about 15 miles!! Not bad , extremely clear and only three ticks on me! Non stuck to me just crawling. The far east loop is some major bush wacking for 4 miles!”

“Hey RL, can you e mail me? I can't find your e mail addie anywhere! I wanted to tell you about a place I found.”

“prowler spoke too early. don't take your dog to east fork.”

“Nigal, my email is mingels@monroe.lib.mi.us

I couldn't find yours anywhere. Secret spot, eh? Yeah, let's keep all the other TTers in the dark.

Oh, Nigal, a lot of the Muskingum lakes seem like they'd be perfect for kayaking. Charles Mill where I was has 34 miles of shoreline.”

“You don't wanna go to East Fork unless your training for another trip. To much trash on the trail and very muddy! Would like to get a group together one day to clean up the trails. Until then I wouldn't go.”

“How's this for a dayhike within 2.5 hours of Detroit?

http://www.mohican.net/trailmap.htm

It's a private campground. But it's one I actually might like to hike at.”