Conkle's Hollow in November
I did get up early enough Sunday to go for that hike to Conkle's Hollow. The weather was very warm for November, in the 60's. I left the house around 11:00 (yes, I went alone :) The drive down to the nature preserve took longer than the hour that the guide book indicated, but I didn't mind much. I don't much enjoy driving in the city or flat land, but put me on a twisty road in the hills and I come alive. On the way to Conkle's Hollow I passed a couple of other trail areas that will need to be explored some time.
Once at the preserve, I had the choice of two trails; one along the gorge floor, and one around the canyon rim. I took the lower trail first. The trail follows a shallow creek as it passes between 200 foot high sandstone cliffs. (Sandstone, by the way, is my favorite rock. At geology field came we mapped the aptly-named Red Lion sandstone, a bright orange-red, massive sandstone. Just gorgeous. But that was Idaho, not Ohio.)
The glaciers stopped north of this area in Ohio, but they brought with them colder climate plant communities. When they retreated, some 8,000 years ago, some of the plant species survived in more protected areas, such as Conkle's Hollow. Hemlock, Canada yew, and mountain laurel are a few. The air was noticeably cooler and more moist the deeper I got into the canyon.
The total effect of the cool air, the high close cliffs, and the dim, quiet, fern-covered forest floor was magical, otherworldly. The waterfall and rock overhangs at the head of the canyon created as magnificent a natural space as any I have seen. The volume of water that creates the falls is small; I could see the individual drops hit the shallow pool at the fall's base, where a school of small fish swam. I could have stayed there for a long time, but I wanted to let others enjoy the magic.
After walking back out, I climbed to the rim trail. While not quite as magical as the canyon floor, the views across the gorge were simply amazing. The height gave a different view of the sandstone cliffs. I looked out across the gorge, over the tops of the trees, at a wide vista that is very uncommon in Ohio. Remember the last scene in Last of the Mohicans? It was like that. That scene, by the way, was filmed at Table Rock State Park in South Carolina. You can see my home town from the place they were standing in the movie. So you can understand if I am often homesick for mountains, wide vistas, and vertical relief.
At a leisurely pace, the walk took me almost three hours. I stopped for supper in Lancaster on the way home, and got home about 5:30. It was a terrific outing. I will have to do that more often. I did take photos. I hope to upload a few once I get my film developed.
Once at the preserve, I had the choice of two trails; one along the gorge floor, and one around the canyon rim. I took the lower trail first. The trail follows a shallow creek as it passes between 200 foot high sandstone cliffs. (Sandstone, by the way, is my favorite rock. At geology field came we mapped the aptly-named Red Lion sandstone, a bright orange-red, massive sandstone. Just gorgeous. But that was Idaho, not Ohio.)
The glaciers stopped north of this area in Ohio, but they brought with them colder climate plant communities. When they retreated, some 8,000 years ago, some of the plant species survived in more protected areas, such as Conkle's Hollow. Hemlock, Canada yew, and mountain laurel are a few. The air was noticeably cooler and more moist the deeper I got into the canyon.
The total effect of the cool air, the high close cliffs, and the dim, quiet, fern-covered forest floor was magical, otherworldly. The waterfall and rock overhangs at the head of the canyon created as magnificent a natural space as any I have seen. The volume of water that creates the falls is small; I could see the individual drops hit the shallow pool at the fall's base, where a school of small fish swam. I could have stayed there for a long time, but I wanted to let others enjoy the magic.
After walking back out, I climbed to the rim trail. While not quite as magical as the canyon floor, the views across the gorge were simply amazing. The height gave a different view of the sandstone cliffs. I looked out across the gorge, over the tops of the trees, at a wide vista that is very uncommon in Ohio. Remember the last scene in Last of the Mohicans? It was like that. That scene, by the way, was filmed at Table Rock State Park in South Carolina. You can see my home town from the place they were standing in the movie. So you can understand if I am often homesick for mountains, wide vistas, and vertical relief.
At a leisurely pace, the walk took me almost three hours. I stopped for supper in Lancaster on the way home, and got home about 5:30. It was a terrific outing. I will have to do that more often. I did take photos. I hope to upload a few once I get my film developed.