Journal Entries

I started the 2019 edition of my Buckeye Trail hike with a 2.5 mile walk with my family. We walked from Foster's Park to the Peters Cartridge Company factory.

The picture above may not reflect a scene as beautiful as many of the vistas posted on this website and other hiking blogs, but I do find the old factory beautiful in its own way. The birds circling the building and the vanishing daylight definitely made for an eerie feeling.

The Peters Cartridge Company began producing ammunition on this site in 1887. The building in this photo was built in 1916 following an explosion.

There are current redevelopment efforts for the site. In June of last year, it was announced that the Cartridge Brewing Co. would become cornerstone tenant of the newly developed property. I certainly hope that this happens!

I ended my November 3rd hike at Foster's Park where this beautiful tree was showing off its colors in all it's glory.

After the hike, I had a cold beer at The Monkey Bar and Grille, where apparently during the 70s there was a chimp that lived at the bar who smoked and drank alcohol. Probably not the best environment for a chimp. Anyway, the place was really cool with a huge patio and a band that was setting up.

That's all for now...

Here is a picture of the Little Miami River near Foster's Park. It was a great day for a walk on the trail.

It's been a long time since I have posted any activity to my journey and unfortunately I haven't been able to hike as much as I would like. I'm happy that I have put some miles under my belt since since this summer though. However, that means I have to drive further to reach the point where I previously stopped!

My last hike was on November 3, 2018 where I continued on the Little Miami Scenic Trail traveling from Loveland toward King's Mills.

It was a beautiful day and I had some great light that really accentuated the fall colors along the trail.

The Little Miami Scenic Park trail is along the old Little Miami railroad. This photo shows an aging railroad structure.

From a sign on the trail:

"Chartered in 1836, the Little Miami Railroad reached Milford in 1841 and Loveland in 1844. It was the first railroad in Clermont County. John Kugler supplied the ties for much of the 6.15 miles of track in Clermont County, In 1860 President-elect Abraham Lincoln rode the train on his way to his inauguration. The railroad played a significant role in the Civil War by carrying troops and supplies to nearby Camp Dennison. On July 14, 1863 General John Morgan and his raiders derailed a train near Miamiville. The fireman was killed and 150 Union recruits captured. The railroad became a part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system in 1870. Trains ceased operating in 1962. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources purchased the right-of-way in 1979 and from 1983 to 1999 developed a multi-purpose paved trail from Milford to Xenia."

Due to a very busy summer, it has been awhile since the last time I was able to hike the Buckeye Trail. Because the much-anticipated Phish festival Curveball in Watkins Glen, NY was canceled due to water contamination, I had some extra time on my hands. Rather than sulk around the house in disappointment because of the canceled festival, I decided to hike the Buckeye Trail with my wife Alice. We had a great 6.4 mile hike as I continued my journey on the Little Miami State Park Trail.

We started in Milford where I left off in late June. As you can tell from the sign in the picture, Milford is the intersection of many great trails - some local and some national. It was special to be at a place where so many great trails intersect.

The trail continued on the bike path and is completely flat. We saw so many cyclists on the trail. It is wonderful to see so many people enjoying the outdoors!

After several hikes of street walking in Cincinnati, I finally got on a "trail" portion of the Buckeye Trail! This portion of the trail is along the 78 mile Little Miami Scenic Park trail, which is a very popular trail for cyclists, runners and walkers. It was great to get into a green tunnel for once. Plus, I got to meet this deer that was very interested in me!

I walked about 8.5 miles from Hyde Park to Milford where I stopped for a beer at the lovely Little Miami Brewing Company. As I walked into the bar, it erupted in loud cheers as Germany scored a goal against Sweden in extra time and won the game. Being a very German area, the bar was filled with Germany fans wearing jerseys. As we know, Sweden eventually moved on and Germany did not.

I hope to hit the trail more frequently as the summer days become less hectic. The trail will continue to Caesar Creek State Park and the Fort Ancient Archaeological Park.

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.