October, 2018, Day 10... Grandma Gatewood

Day 10  Sunday October 21, 2018

      When I pulled out of the motel it was still dark.  They don’t do breakfast.  But, two exits down Hwy 33 is a Waffle House and they took good care of me.  Though “can I warm that up” is apparently only a southernism for would you like more coffee.  I kinda missed it.  I was grateful for the excellent breakfast and for the fact that I wasn’t still trying to drive all the way from Bellefontaine. 

       Eventually, I did see the turnoff for Hocking Hills State Park.  That was my one goal for the day and the weather gods were kind.  I couldn’t have asked for much better for the day. 

       There are multiple interconnecting trails within the park and they do a really good job of marking the trails with clearly posted and colorful blazes.  There’s a posted sign at every trail juncture showing you exactly where you are. 

       I ditched the car at the trailhead for Cedar Falls.  From there it’s a flight of stairs and a short walk to the base of the falls. 

     Fortunately, I’ve gotten better at patiently waiting for groups of people who feel the need to take numerous selfies.

       The parking area also bisects the Grandma Gatewood Trail.  Cross the parking lot and it takes you two and a half miles to a place called Ash Cave.  Head north through the gorge and it’s about three miles to the trail’s end.  That seemed like the more interesting route.

      So, who is Grandma Gatewood that she gets her own trail?  Simple.  She earned it.  Some time around 1950, Emma Gatewood read an article about the Appalachian Trail.  The story stuck with her. Five years later, she left an abusive marriage and told her grown children that she was simply going out for a walk. 

      Her memory of the article gave her the impression that the trail was relatively easy, just very long, with plenty of shelters along the way.  So, she wore sneakers and packed a few things in a drawstring bag that she slung over her shoulder. 

     Local newspapers picked up her story and Sports Illustrated chronicled her progress along the trail.  Emma Gatewood would become the third person and the first woman to have verifiably through-hiked the entire Appalachian Trail.  By the way, she was 67.  Five years later, she did it again.

    The three miles of trail were a bit rugged, with stone stairs and plenty of roots to climb over.  But, for the scenery, it was so worth it.

      That swirling pool in the lower left of the shot is the second Devils Pool of this trip.

      The trail would eventually end at the visitors center.  I could either backtrack, or take the rim trail back to the car.  Mud and crowds or a dry trail with far fewer people.  It was an easy decision. 

      The rim trail used to go much closer to the edge of the gorge.  But, obvious erosion pushed it further away.  No complaints from me.  It was an easy three mile walk back.  Along the way you cross the Rose Lake Dam.

      The trail eventually loops back past Cedar Falls.   By this point in the day the light on the falls was pretty harsh and uneven.  I had made the right choice to hit them first thing.

     I could have easily filled another day with hiking trails inside the park. But, I didn’t have another day.  So, I chose a shorter trail too tackle.  Just up the road is the trailhead for the Ash Cave loop.  The loop itself is an easy mile.

      Ash Falls...

     After leaving the park, I drove east.  A half hour away was the Days Inn in Athens, Ohio.  It’s your basic college town motel, complete with a guy grilling in the parking lot, seriously.  

     Not wanting to go too far, I wound up in a sports bar called Broneys.  It was full of fans watching the Cleveland Browns game going into overtime.  The food, pretty generic.

Coming Up,
I wake up, reach for my phone and find...