Poeaxtry's Prism

Spell. Stone. & Sparks that Ignite Change

Tag: travel

  • Hiking Sustainably in 2026, Exploring Ohio

    Hiking Sustainably in 2026, Exploring Ohio

    A small frozen pond at Flint Ridge in Licking country ohio. some some holes in the ice, snow dusted woods floor and bare trees
    Frozen Quarry at Flint Ridge filled with rainfall.

    Eco-friendly Hiking Plan

    This year the goal is simple but deliberate, energetic, we hike sustainably where we live first. I take you all virtually to explore Ohio’s state parks, preserves, arboretums, city parks, hidden gems, and more. I will also fold in planned travel to visit my sister in North Carolina. As well as trips back home to West Virginia. I plan to even sprinkle in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan. I’ll do this in a way that honors the land, reduces my carbon impact, and celebrates the natural world local.

    We’re not waiting to see the world somewhere else. We’re learning to love the world right where we are.

    Why Eco-Friendly Hiking Matters

    Eco-Friendly hiking isn’t about guilt. It’s about intention. It means hiking where you already are and where you’re already going. Instead of planning huge trips that blow your carbon-footprint out of the sustainable realm. It means choosing nearby parks and preserves over flights, embracing city parks, local trails, hidden overlooks, and lake shore paths. And still planning longer multi-state legs when meaningful and reasonable.

    This approach:

    Shrinks the carbon footprint, builds local connection, deepens seasonal awareness, supports local economies, and grows appreciation for everyday nature.

    Axton sit's on the edge of a cliff on Conkles Hollow Rim trail
    Conkles Hollow- Rim Trail

    Some of Ohio’s State Parks, Preserves, and Outdoor Wonders We’re Seeing

    Hocking Hills State Park

    A cornerstone of Ohio hiking with waterfalls, deep rock shelters, winding forest trails, and sandstone ravines. It’s dramatic, popular, and beautiful, but also a reminder that crowds can challenge trails and quiet places alike. Hiking sustainably means going off-peak or seeking the lesser-known corners of the park to spread impact. As well as signing up for permits (they are free for specific areas) to protect the environment.

    Maumee Bay State Park

    Perched on Lake Erie’s shore, this 1,336-acre park offers boardwalk hiking, wetlands, bird watching, fishing, and nature observation. Bonus – No miles of difficult terrain, great for low impact days and water-linked hikes. 

    Highbanks Metro Park

    This park is just north of Columbus with roughly ten trails. It has massive bluffs above the Olentangy River, ancient earthworks, and a nature center. Here you can learn how this all connects to geology and culture. The Perfect place for mindful hikes that meet both history and ecosystem. 

    Kelleys Island State Park

    I may be most excited for this one. Sitting on Lake Erie the island park with six miles of mixed trails, shoreline, habitats, and glacial grooves. This is a place where water meets stone and slow walks deliver unexpected insight. 

    Hidden Nature Preserves like Wahkeena Nature Preserve, with wetlands and orchid habitat, unique fen landscapes, and boardwalk trails. Offering us a lesson in preservation and quiet observation. 

    City and Gateway Gems

    Arboretums, hidden parks, local preserves, and more. Hudson Springs Park with lakes and easy trails. The Holden Arboretum canopy walk, mixing local beauty with accessible low-impact visits. 

    Smaller hidden spots like the Buckeye Trail that spans over 1,400 miles of varied terrain, linking birding routes, marshes, forests, prairies, and beaches right across Ohio. These places work at reminding us that nature doesn’t need to be far. 

    Double Waterfall at Piatt Park - January 2026
    Piatt Park – January 2026 Monroe County, Ohio

    Comment and share ways you already practice Eco-Friendly hiking, or ways you plan to practice them in the coming year! I love to hear from all of you!

    North Carolina

    We’ll hike trails near Asheville and the Blue Ridge parkway. I’ll be prioritizing waterfalls, overlook points and local favorites.

    West Virginia and Pennsylvania Routes

    top level of mount wood overlook and part of the rolling hills view
    Read a poem I wrote here Mount wood Overlook – Wheeling, Wv

    West Virginia’s natural treasures like North Bend State Park provide rail-trail hiking and wooded climbs with minimal emissions per mile.  Nearby Pennsylvania’s Raccoon Creek State Park or Ryerson Station State Park. These offer forested trails that are a short drive from the Ohio border and great for combined adventures. 

    Michigan Days

    Lake shore paths, urban parks and natural dunes, give us water, wind, and open space without long internal flights.

    How We Practice Low-Impact Hiking

    Stay on trail or areas you are allowed to explore. This is to protect flora and soil.

    Always pack in, pack out.

    Try to choose trails near home first.

    Gently Carpool or combine trips.

    Balance rugged hikes with easy preserves.

    Learn local natural history as you hike.

    This isn’t about saying no to travel. It’s about saying yes to responsible adventure that doesn’t erase the places we love.

    A thought as we part….

    This year, I aim to build a map of sustainable footsteps. As well as a collection of Ohio parks, preserves, arboretums, city parks, hidden gems, and eco-friendly travel corridors. These reflect how I plan to see the world without leaving a heavy mark behind. Nature is everywhere. Let’s make sure our footprints are thoughtful.

    A photo of the Big Spring
    Kitch-Iti-Kippi- “Big Cold Spring”

    Share with someone you’d like to practice more Eco-friendly ways to love and see nature with!

    Before you go please consider supporting Eco-friendly hikes, and art work that takes the lead when it counts! Donation are accepted via CashApp, PayPal, Ko-Fi, or Buy Me a Coffee. This helps to keep our projects and community thriving.

    Check out all Poeaxtry Links

  • Ariel‑Foundation Park Climbing the Spiral Stairs

    Ariel‑Foundation Park Climbing the Spiral Stairs

    Up up and ways up to go on Ariel parks tower
    Up up and away

    On the way home from Mohican, I took a tiny detour that we have seen twice before : Ariel-Foundation Park in Mount Vernon, Ohio. It’s almost directly on my route and was the perfect actual last stop. This time, I finally got to climb the spiral tower, something I’ve wanted to do for a while but hadn’t managed yet because of the heat. Luna also wasn’t exactly thrilled about it trying it.

    Ariel-Foundation Park is one of Ohio’s most fascinating public spaces. Built on the grounds of the former Pittsburgh Plate Glass plant. This park preserves the industrial past with a modern art twist. Glass, steel, and open green space merge here in a way I haven’t seen anywhere else yet, personally. Sculptures made from reclaimed materials dot the landscape, and the skeletal frames of old buildings remain upright. Almost a ghostly tribute to the workers who built the area’s legacy.

    Blue haired, ginger bearded man in sweats and a ninja turtle sweater stands on top the Ariel park tower
    Self photo on top

    The spiral staircase itself is part of what used to be the factory’s smokestack. Now repurposed into a vertical viewing tower, it offers panoramic views of Mount Vernon and the surrounding countryside. There are 224 steps up and the stairs stop before the very top for safety reasons. It’s high enough that you can see for miles, and the spiral design is open to the air, so you’re just circling your way up the sky.

    I’ve explored Ariel before with Luna, and we’ve walked the lakeside trails, crossed the little bridges, and paused at the swings scattered around the park. There’s even a small hedge maze tucked back near the art installations. The last time, it was too risky to climb the tower with Luna all scared, and Luna couldn’t safely wait while I climbed the tower in the heat. But today, the temperature was cool and mild safe for her to stay in the car with the windows down while I ran up to finally see that view from the top.

    She and I had already explored the cute lakeside area earlier, and she was content to chill while I made the fast climb. She definitely remembers being less than impressed the last time we passed the base of the stairs. She made it clear she wanted no part of the spiral when she looked at the tower and chose to lay down. Not even trying to come too.

    Ariel-Foundation Park is more than just a stop to stretch your legs, it’s a place where Ohio’s industrial history gets transformed into something imaginative and beautiful. It feels both abandoned and alive, which is what makes it stick with me. And if you’re ever headed through Mount Vernon with time to spare, it’s worth climbing those stairs. If you’re chasing a view or even just want to pause somewhere full of memory and transformation.

    Ariel foundation park tower

    Photos from today’s trip

    another high climb

    Poeaxtry’s links

  • Coming Home from Asheville: Adventures at New River Gorge, Hawk’s Nest, and Waterfalls in the Rain

    Coming Home from Asheville: Adventures at New River Gorge, Hawk’s Nest, and Waterfalls in the Rain

    I left Asheville later than I planned. Originally I wanted to be on the road by 6 AM but, sleep had other plans for me. I didn’t hit the road until 9. Honestly, I didn’t really want to leave. I was already missing Kelsey and Luna like crazy. If it weren’t for them, the drive home wouldn’t be calling.

    Hawk Nest State Park Signage at the overlook
    The New River Gorge Bridge and the Newest WV National Park

    The trip back was full of beautiful views. They motivated me to push my ass home. These views ended up being little adventures in themselves. First on the list was New River Gorge, where the air smelled like fresh pine. I noticed I could smell the rain coming for the first time in years. The Appalachian hardwoods were thick with oak and hickory trees as far as I was able to see. Man, the views over the gorge were breathtaking! The river winding through deep cliffs. I grabbed some stickers to remember the place. Though, the real prize was the silence, and also the mossy rocks laying beneath the towering trees. I visited this place often as a kid. I expected to find it less breathtaking. It was actually more stunning than I recall.

    Axton in the rain at Lover's Leap overlook in a blue t-shirt
    Lovers leap overlook

    Hawk’s Nest was next, and man, the mushroom show there was something else. Orange mushrooms popped like little bursts of flame against the forest floor. I spotted turkey tails layered in their colorful rings, and the chicken of the woods clung to fallen logs. The trees shifted here to include more maples and sycamores, their leaves a full display of green. I wandered some overlooks, feeling the wind and watching clouds dance over the valleys. Lover’s leap is definitely a must-see! I wonder if there’s significance in the name? I got caught in a sudden downpour. It drenched me to the bone as soon as I made it to the leap’s overlook. I love the rain, and I find it refreshing, especially spiritually. The wet rocks and leaves glistened under the gray sky. The sound of water everywhere made it feel like the forest was alive. It was whispering sweet nothings to me.

    Cathedral Falls Gauley Bridge WV mid summer
    Cathedral falls

    Cathedral Falls was the third stop. It’s the kind of hidden gem you hope for. The water was cascading down carved stone surrounded by ferns and moss thick enough to hide a whole world beneath. The cool mist from the falls was a perfect refresher. It was by far the most crowded place I stopped by size. There may have been fewer people in number. However, 15-20 people in that area made me more uncomfortable than usual.

    The fall known only as little roadside falls less than a mile from Cathedral Falls
    Little roadside wv falls

    The “little roadside fall” right down from Cathedral falls was the perfect punctuation mark on my journey home. The little cascade served as a reminder that nature always has a story to tell. Even if you’re the only one driving past to notice it. Which is what kept me at my last stop for so long. I was the only one there, and it felt meant for me.I’m back now, tired but full, carrying all these moments with me. The plants, the fungi, the waterfalls, the memories all make this place more than just a spot on the map. They’re the pulse of the mountains, the wild heart of Appalachia. They remind me of home, and that I am pure Wild and Wonderful to the bone.

  • Waterfalls, Sunset Bridges & Losing Track of Days | Appalachia Day 5 Travel Log

    Waterfalls, Sunset Bridges & Losing Track of Days | Appalachia Day 5 Travel Log

    I’ve done so much this trip, I can’t even keep track of the days anymore. Seriously! I thought this was Day 4, but it turns out we’re on Day 5. Which was actually yesterday!since I post the day after. Time doesn’t move normally. It’s challenging when you’re chasing waterfalls. You skip small towns, and try to fit an entire mountain range into your memory.

    But that’s the magic of it.

    Today we started with a roadside stop. It was not a tourist destination. It was not marked on any guide. This one was just a waterfall pouring its way down a rock face, belonging there more than we did. We pulled over without planning to. Sometimes the best parts of travel aren’t even the places you mark on the map. They are the ones that interrupt you.

    another one of the 6 of more waterfalls on Living Water Ministries property in WNC
    Old mill now is a rehab, pained red. Huge water fall.
    Look at this view!

    After that, we drove to Living Waters Ministries. It is a piece of private land in the mountains. They open it to the public, so everyone can share in the quiet. There are bridges and trails that wind around multiple waterfalls, and the whole place feels spiritual. And not just because it’s a ministry, but because the water itself speaks in hushes. We saw flowing falls, mossy stones, and gentle shade that made us linger longer than planned. I even found a plethora of orange mushrooms!

    I love spaces that don’t gate keep peace. There’s something so honest about that. About letting the land be seen, letting the sound of water be free.

    Axton in blue sliding rock shier, black shorts standing on a rock cave on Living Waters Ministry's property in WNC

    We closed the day on the French Broad River Overlook Bridge. We watched the sun stretch across the sky. It touched every color in the crayon box. Golden hour felt like a painting, like a hymn. I didn’t need to talk. I just breathe, just exist there with my sister and the air and the light.

    This trip has been long and heavy in some ways, but moments like this… they guarantee you are lifted.

    Sign for the French Broad River Asheville, NC

    🛣️ What’s Next: my Route Home

    I am heading back slowly, making time to stop at a few more gems before we leave the mountains behind.

    Warrior’s Path State Park in Tennessee, for a breath of forest and maybe one last skip along the lake. Hawk’s Nest State Park, WV because every trip needs a cliff view and a cable car, right? New River Gorge, that grand, wild canyon bridge where the earth opens wide.

    Each stop feels like a pause, a prayer, a final thank-you to the land that’s held me.

    Thank you for reading. Thank you for being here. You allow me to keep sharing this journey one journal entry, one stop, one miscounted day at a time. 🌿

    The video of today’s waterfalls and that wild sunset is up on TikTok. It is also available on Instagram and many other places now (@Poeaxtry_). If you’ve ever stood under a waterfall or cried at golden hour, I think you’ll get it.

    All Poeaxtry Links Portfolio Wattpad

    poem? hike? Journal?