Poeaxtry's Prism

Spell. Stone. & Sparks that Ignite Change

Tag: morning hike

  • Mohican Covered Bridge: Quiet Ending Woodsy Day

    The Covered Bridge at Mohican State Park was the third and final stop of our short morning out. Which happened to be right after I got off work overnight on Sunday, August 3rd. (Which was Saturday nights shift by night math) I wasn’t sure how long we’d actually be out, but it felt like we still had one last stop in us before heading home. The Covered Bridge made the perfect choice.

    Mohican State Forrest covered bridge
    Covered Bridge Mohican

    This one’s a classic, with the wide wooden beams, but different in lacking the old red color. It sports the color black and though faded it feels right. The Clear Fork River flows right underneath. You don’t have to hike to reach it at all… so another for the easily accessible theme. You can just drive right up, park nearby, and walk across or around it. There is a steady calm feeling here. Even with the few people I encountered around. You hear the river. You feel like the trees lean in a little closer.

    Luna and I didn’t take the full trail next to the bridge, just a small part of it. I wanted to get a few side shots of the bridge itself, and Luna was clearly still in an exploring mood. The trail ran alongside the water for a bit, framed with late-summer greenery, and I spotted all kinds of mushrooms just off the path. More than a few bright, orange like those from Blue Rock. A lot popping out from the sides of downed trees like they’d just emerged the battle on top.

    Trees, river , and side view of covered bridge. Photo taken from trail
    Photo of bridge, Forrest, and river taken from trail

     Unexpectedly enough it also felt nostalgic in a way. I was reminded of the covered bridge in Belmont County. The one next to my old high school. We took senior photos and class group shots there, but mostly it was where we snuck off to smoke reefers and escape whatever was going on that day. Seeing a bridge like that again, tucked into the woods out here, hit different. It felt familiar in the best way. Even though this one’s in use and their different colors I welcome the pleasure of a fond memory.

    River view through the trees from the trail
    River view

    This was just one of those slow, winding little forest detours that makes the whole morning feel more complete. We’d already completed the Fire Tower and the Gorge Overlook. This was just the extra bonus. It even reminded me a little of home. I felt relaxed and in my element without the need to rush. Just to feel the forest, with my baby dog who wasn’t quite ready to go home yet. And that’s okay because honestly I never am either.

    All photos from the day

    ko-fi

  • Rock House Trail Hocking Hills Morning Hike After Night Shift

    Rock House Trail Hocking Hills Morning Hike After Night Shift

    Saturday Morning | Hocking Hills, OH

    Looking down before you descend the stairs to Rock house & Natural Bridge

    I clocked out at 6 a.m. sharp. Another twelve-hour overnight at the nursing home. That kind of quiet that isn’t restful, just constant. Oxygen machines humming low, the soft shuffle of slippers down the hall, someone crying quietly two doors down. You carry it home in your bones.

    But this morning was different.

    I had Saturday night off. That’s rare for me but, I’d gotten my shift covered to go to the No Kings protest. Before that, though, I needed to move. Shake off the weight.

    So I drove 35 minutes home, changed, got Luna ready, and hit the road again. For an hour and eleven minute drive to Hocking Hills. I played Stevie Nicks and music from that era the whole way. I tapped my fingers to the beat on the steering wheel. I left the windows down and let the wind and exhaustion fill the silence.

    The Trail

    Warning sign at rock house to not leave trails beacuse of dangerous cliffs.

    We hit the Rock House Trail around 8 a.m. The trail is only 0.8 miles one way, but the drop is steep. Narrow paths. Stone stairs. Roots like ropes knotted across the dirt. Luna walked ahead, tail high, tuned in. I let her lead. I wasn’t in a hurry to return to anything.

    The start of the trail at Rock house is so misleading ft trees and a level path

    Then the cave appeared.

    Rock House.

    A cavern carved into sandstone long, tall, ancient. 200 feet across, 25 feet high, with arched window-like openings that let light in sideways, soft and slow. Inside, everything goes still. You don’t just walk into the cave, you arrive. You become part of its silence.

    PIGEONS!

    Except for the pigeons.

    A few families live there now. You can hear them cooing, echoing from inside the cave and outside the walls, like voices trapped in stone. It was surreal. Luna didn’t bark. She didn’t pull. She just stood and listened. So did I. You have to.

    There are ovens carved into the walls, like something out of another life. Maybe people baked bread there. Maybe they hid. Maybe they prayed. This place has always belonged to those who needed it. For a few minutes, that included me.

    One massive Rock Wall at Rock house Hocking Hills,ohio

    We took the rim trail up and out. It was steeper, louder, full of light—but I welcomed it. Something in me was lighter too.

    Timber a down tree next tot the path

    One last stop before home: donuts.

    There’s a new place beside the Hocking Hills Diner everyone’s been hyping for their maple bacon donuts. Of course, they were already sold out.

    The lady who owns the donut place told me to call ahead next time. She’d put some back just for me because I live an hour and eleven minutes away.

    So I got a s’mores donut and a Buckeyes donut instead. I sat in the car with my boots still muddy. Luna curled beside me. I ate them like they were the thing I came for all along.

    And maybe they were.

    What actually happened next:

    I missed the No Kings protest. My Lexapro and Wellbutrin look the same, and I ended up taking two Wellbutrin and no Lexapro by mistake. I stayed in bed all Saturday and Sunday. I called off work and slept until Monday. Then I went back to my shift.

    Sometimes plans shift without warning. Sometimes the body demands its own kind of protest.

    I hope you all are enjoying our many trips.

    links Conkles Hollow Rim Permit only- Hocking Hills