Hiking Oil Creeks trails

I really love Oil Creek state park.  There's nothing like walking through beautiful forests, on a myriad number of trails, and realizing that this place was once clear cut and stunk of oil and was covered in muck. 

This is my favorite part of some of the over 32 miles of trail in the park. It's a long straight stretch through hemlocks running beside a gully.  My entire purpose for going hiking today was getting here and just seeing it.  It gives me this great sense of calm...

Even with dog and child in tow.

and hubby.

Overall, a great day to hike.  I love the return of cool weather.  The kiddo didn't seem to mind it either.

He loved identifying the trail markers, or "Mark-its" as he refers to them.

I hope to get out and hike and enjoy the thick of nature more as the season progresses.

Spring, almost over?!

So it's well into spring, and I've done a lot with the landscape, planting seeds, transplanting and moving some plants, and throwing in some annuals. We've had some frost warnings the last few nights, so i brought out old towels and blankets and tucked everything in that I was worried about.

I have too many tomato plants. I ordered some heirloom seeds, determined to start my own plants this year, and so I did. I planted waayyy too many. I must have at least 40 plants, only 11 which i've put into containers on the front walk to hopefully get large enough to bear fruit. I think I'm going to make the husband take them to work and try to give them away. It has made me realize that next year i'm going to do some larger raised beds in the backyard to plant more tomatoes, beans, peas, lettuce, peppers, and whatever else i can convince myself to plant.

I'm happy how the yard is looking though. I have my retaining wall built, I've re-done the back porch so it's cleaner and more homey feeling, I've weeded, soil ammended and cleaned up all the beds, and I've planted perennials and annuals where i've wanted them.

My next goal is to plant more ferns in my shadowy back yard corner, and more hosta in some of the places where my ground cover is thinning badly.

The only thing i'm really sad about, is that spring feels almost over. I love all the new, tiny flowers, I love my yard filled with violets and hiking and seeing the tiny purple veined wood anemonies carpeting the ground. It seems like it only lasts a few days before it's over... I think i'll go see if those wood anemones are still blooming tomorrow... then take some more photos of my gardens, so i can remember what is planted where next year.

My hiking misadventure

So i prepared last night for a long hike with baby and zoe. Packed everything up, so i could just hop in the car early this morning and get to my favorite hiking spot.

Was up at 6, on the road by 7, on the trail before 8. We walked, and it was pretty... then it all went downhill when i fell down.

It was only a minor stumble. My hiking stick slipped on a slick bridge, and I went down, catching myself with the heel of my hand on a rock. Baby was ok. My hand was numb, but seems only bruised. I got up, dusted myself off, and we continued. I took lots of pictures of this beautiful pine forest. I went to mark the spot on my gps, and my gps was off. Hmm... battery dead. !@#$!# I'm trying to chart the entire trail using my gps... so i fail at that today as well. We continue walking. I notice baby doesn't have his hat. !@#$#@! I walk back a half mile, and hooray - I find it on the ground. Stuff that in my pocket, and continue on. We come to a split in the trail leading to a waterfall .5 mile. I, against my better judgment, but going with the explorer part of me, travel down the trail. And I mean DOWN. Steep. I curse myself as I think of how hard this will be to climb back up with 30 odd pounds of baby and gear on my back. I reach the stream. No waterfal. !@#$!#@ I climb back up the hill. I rejoin the trail.

I hear a slight booming in the distance. Hmm I hope that was a truck or some piece of heavy machinery on a nearby road somewhere. I hurry my pace a bit. I hear more booming. !@#$@#! I go faster. Poor zoe is gimping a bit, we've walked so far. I can't turn around, I've already gone probably 3 miles. I know I have 3 miles at least more to go, but I know if i reach the bike trail, at least it will be flat and paved walking. More rumblings. I find the split in the trail that leads to the bike trail. I step on to paved surface. More rumbling behind me. I walk faster. I jog. !@#$!@# sky opens up. Baby screams, not quite understanding the concept of rain on his poor little head. I know there is a shelter up ahead somewhere. I keep going. soaked, baby screaming. I see lightning. !@#!@# I think about if baby will live if i get struck by lightning. I see a shelter up ahead, and 2 bikers are there. They generously offer me the shelter. I scurry in, give zoe a treat, and change baby's diaper and feed him a little while we wait for the rain to calm down. It calms down. I wait for zoe to finish her bone. It rains harder. I leave, knowing it's about 2 more miles to the car. Baby screams again. Parental panic strikes, I think i've killed my child with hypothermia or pneumonia. I hobble/walk/jog/hobble as fast as i can. baby screams and cries. The rain lets up, baby continues to scream and cry. I start singing annoying songs, and baby calms down. The sun comes out. The gnats come out. The gnats try to devour us. I see the car! YAY

I get baby changed into dry clothes, i put zoe in the car, I get baby in his seat, I cover him up so he gets warm. I change my shirt. I make small talk with old biker guys who stop. (thankfully they did not see me changing my shirt). I lay all my soaked gear out in the trunk, check the map, and head out the scenic way. I get back to the nearest town, get myself BK, and then drive home.

I'm scrubbed, anti-poisonivied, baby is changed and playing, and zoe is de-harnassed and sleeping.

It was still a good hike. I can't wait to go back this weekend :D But maybe I'll kayak this time.

Pictures!