Journal Entries

This one is just to share this photo of what the views were mostly like after the blow down area at the start of the cutoff. Generally speaking, it was very pretty. If you look closely you can see Bourbon and Butterfingers in the centre of the photo.

The Sawtooth trail is... Well, "trail" is a strong term to use for the attached photo. If anyone can find the trail in that photo let me know. We certainly couldn't find it. Added to which, the fire obviously cooked all the roots so the soil had no stability. You would climb over a log, which was on the way around another 3 logs and as you stepped on the ground the dirt would give way below your feet. It was 3 miles (4.8kms) of very slow going and very hard work.

The Mushroom House is probably one of the most curious sights on the Buckeye Trail. It is located at 3331 Erie Ave in Cincinnati. The crazy house was created between 1992 and 2006 by the late architecture professor Terry Brown (https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-cincinnati-mushroom-house). I crack a smile every time I pass by this house, which looks like it is right out of Wonderland.

My church, St. Mary Hyde Park, is directly on the Buckeye Trail. I had no idea all these years that I have lived in Cincinnati!

On June 11, I decided to squeeze in a few miles on the Buckeye Trail near my housing, picking up where I left off in O'Bryonville during my first trek on the Trail. The stretch I hiked goes from O'Bryonville to Hyde Park on Madison road. This picture is from Hyde Park Square, which is square in Cincinnati having restaurants and small boutique shops.

Well, after the San Juan NF was closed just before we could get in there, we managed to sneak through the Creede cutoff. This meant we got to go over a 12800ft pass that is on the official CDT route, but we turned North along the Sawtooth trail into the Weiminuche wilderness soon after that. The pass was pretty hard work, and the views were pretty good at first but became increasingly smoky. The San Juans remained hidden from view for us, which was a little sad. We definitely want to try and get back and hike the San Juans if we can at some point.

Solo hiking is fine sometimes, but have to say these three-trekking-amigos have a fun time! And know how to celebrate two back-to-back hiking days in yummy style.

Takes two short ferry rides to get to Brier Island - in the summer they are full and running steady for whale-watching tours.

Western Lighthouse, Brier Island. This whole hike is very open. Didn't see any other hikers - just a Dad and his son and another man on a couple ATV's . ATV trails make up a good part of the trail system we were on, as there is private land - some with cabins - on that end of the island.

The trail went through a seagull nesting zone - there was no way to circumvent the area. We apologized to the upset mamas screeching and dive-bombing us for being so close to their nests.