Mohican River
I gotta chance to hit the Mohican in North-Eastern Ohio. I had been down this river a a kid but didn't remember much of it. I got down their Sunday afternoon and found this was an off-week time to go. The crowds were leaving and the water was clearing out , a perfect time for a kayaking trip. I didn't bring any fishing gear , hearing about the crowds. Someone in our group did , and managed to catch a small musky. Having multiple people with trucks , kayaks and tubes let us ferry back and forth without using a livery. We stayed at Mohican Wilderness private campsite. This kinda improved campsite/ car camping isn't really my thing , but kids love it. They had showers , bathrooms , a general store with ice and food , and tons of activities for kids. I was also surprised to find a trail that I happily hiked on a 90 degree day.
Having a beverage on a paddle.
The group on a lazy float.
A panoramic picture taken with my new camera a Pentax WG-1. I just started messing with it , but so far the pictures are adequate for a point and shoot. The real draw of this camera is the waterproof rating that kept my other camera at home for a few months.
\
More new gear , a Gränsfors Bruks Scandinavian Forest Axe. This axe makes quick work of logs , and will work good for smaller kindling. Sharp as razor out of the box , great fit and finish, this might accompany me on winter trips.
The foot bridge to the hiking trail . I was scared to cross this.
Clear Creek metro park
I'd actually planned on doing the Zaleski South loop again , and decided to pull in here and check it out. 12 miles of trails total. I happened to walk the flat low portions. They were pretty muddy. as most are after all the rain we've had. I fished along the banks and didn't see or catch any. They do stock trout, which have probably died off by now.
Creek view. Future Kayak route.
You'll walk through a few meadows on the creak side path. A flower blooming.
Small saplings along the path. There is also a lot of what I call "Ohio Bamboo". I have no Idea what it is.
Roots seeking moisture on a cliff.
Butterflies mating? I scared off most of them taking the picture.
Check it out http://www.metroparks.net/MapClearCreek.aspx
Marvin Sparks 2011
I just returned from an annual bass fishing tournament in southeast Ohio . The bass seemed to be in prespawn , were skittish and not terribly protective of their beds yet.
Jim's reworked signage looks good.
The weather cleared Thursday afternoon for scouting and mushroom hunting.
A morel mushroom hiding under a leaf, on top of a rock.
Pond view.
A 2 year repeat with Tony getting the most weight. I managed to get big bass with a 5lbs 15 oz lunker. Over half the group skunked out.
My big fish
Two timer Tony.
Keith and Jim doing an excellent job of preparing fish and shrooms before sunset.
Shawnee backpack trail
Located west of Portsmouth Ohio this 45 mile loop or 60 mile figure 8 promised a challenging hike. I started out , kinda late @ 10:00am at the trail head on Saturday. There was one other car their , with space for 50. At Zaleski I wouldn't have a parking spot on a Saturday morning. I had originally planned a 3 day 45 or 60 mile hike. I was in for a surprise.
I managed to make it to camp 1 @6 miles no problem, I don't think I even looked at the time. My first mistake was taking in the scenery , taking pictures, & stalking game , even though I had no intention of harvesting anything until the third day. I could have limited out on squirrel , flushed out grouse and a wood duck. On my way to camp 2, I saw a sign that read " camp 2, 4.7 miles". My watch read 3pm. My GPS read a 2.1MPH moving average. Sunset at 5 and change. Not only did I have pick up the pace, I couldn't take a break.
Panic mode sets in. Getting to an official camp site isn't that important to me. Getting water is. It's dry in Ohio, and the water is scarce. Every campsite @ Shawnee has cistern water sources and a privy. I'm double timing it over the harshest terrain I've ever hiked. 600 to 1200 elevation foot inclines. It doesn't sound like much if you've ever hiked the Appalachian trail, but for an Ohioan flatlander, it's torture.
A sign, ".5 miles to camp 2". You'd think a half a mile would be easy after traveling 12, it wasn't. I took my first spill in 4 years with hiking poles. 8 layers of dried leaves took out my left foot, and right pole on a 45 degree downhill. My head landed softly in that pile of leaves. Luckily one of the many rocks that line the trail wasn't protruding. Later that evening I decided not to hike this trail solo again.
4:45 I make it to camp 2. Privy. Check. Fire Ring. Check. Water , no dice. Luckily a dry creek-bed is 50 feet from the privy. Looking upstream I see nothing, downstream some promising depressions reveal some nasty pools of water. I'll know in a few days if ingesting a few liters of filtered human waste was a good idea. I found out later this campsites water source is a mile down the road.
After a night of watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 4 for third time, I broke camp at about 9:30. I figured the next day wouldn't be as grueling , no hunting, limited pictures, and hopefully easier terrain. Wrong , the terrain was harder. Later I found found the elevation gain and loss to be over 9000 feet. The last 5 miles was a cakewalk, and i cut my losses and headed for home with a paltry 24 mile 2 day outing. I had a three day food supply and would need 4-5 to make the south loop.
Trail Head registration. A nice display, but no maps, Print your own @ ODNR's website.
A stream crossing early in the trip.
A fire tower on the next ridge. I'm not sure if it's accessible on the south loop or not.
I tried many times to capture the steep switchbacks, but the pictures don't show how steep they are. This is a gentle 100 foot ridge climb after a tough 400 footer.
Camp 2 @ sunset.
Filtering water in the morning. The Camel-back quick connect kit makes this easy.
Sticking around camp late to ensure the fire was out , and drying the tent.
Empty parking lot. I never saw or heard another person or car until the last 5 miles near the boy-scout camp. Overall this trail is probably my favorite in Ohio. It's in the largest continuous forest track in state and offers plenty of wildlife and solitude.
Wildcat Hollow Northern Loop
I've hit Wildcats northern loop a few times , Notably a year ago after a large blow-down. Hiking over trees in freezing temperatures , a heavy pack , and a 6 pound rifle was torture. Looking over reviews on the internet , you'd think this trail as impassable to the novice hiker. I can happily report all blow-downs have been removed or circumvented. Another surprise was the distance hiked was only 12 miles. Most references cite it as a 15 mile loop. Trip Odometer of 12.1 miles , Moving average of of 2.9mph in 4 hours 9 minutes. This was accomplished "slack packing" with a base weight of mostly 3 liters water , about 10 Lbs.
Terry demonstrating the proper technique for dispatching a horde of approaching Bloods. Hike-by style. I actually fired the Ruger LCP for the first time: missed a pop can from about 5 yards. With the low sites, and double action only, this is truly a last ditch weapon.
Found a cool little primitive camp less than a mile from the trail-head; i wouldn't sleep in it.
Overall with the trail maintenance this is one of my favorite hikes. No water is provided , and this time of year their is very little for filtering. The views are spectacular . although not picture worthy , as your under trees for most of the hike. Game evidence was pretty sparse this year , I only saw one squirrel , no deer and very little track sightings. Bring some water during dry seasons , and enjoy the hike.
Marvin Sparks Classic 2010
A private fishing tournament held in a undisclosed location in Southeast Ohio. Tony won first place with 4 fish weighing in @ 17 lbs 1 oz. I had the second biggest fish @ 5 lbs 9 ozs , with Decker bringing in a 5 lbs 12 oz lunker ( Decker graciously bowed out after showing up late for weigh in).
Tony taking trophy from Rick.
Unofficial Big Fish.
Very nice haul of fish.
Ummm Mushrooms.
Good Eats.
Total Weight
Hoover Reservoir
First day of Kayaking was pretty uneventful. No Fish , no pictures , and I didn't get wet. A few pictures after kayaking - Hoover Reservoir , Columbus , Ohio.
I probably get a better work out, getting the kayak in and out of the water than actually paddling.
Random shot of some geese , with rowers in the background.
New Knives
Picked up 3 knives from http://www.gofastandlight.com/ I'm comparing weights to see If I can part with my trusty Buck 102.
Old Buck knife- 4.6 oz Feels the best in my hands. Guessing about $35. Stainless Steel.
Mora classic- 2.7 oz . Feels a little cheap , and it is @ $12. Carbon Steel.
Mora Red- 3 oz. Cheap plastic handle feels better than the Classic with finger guard. $7 Carbon Steel.
Mora blue 3 oz. Same as Red above. $8 stainless.
I'll probably use the classic for weight savings
Marvin Sparks 2007
Marvin Spars Fishing Classic 2007
This years total weight winner , Rick takes the trophy from Jim.
Big bass was taken by Rocky, again from Jim
This years take was less than spectacular. I don't have the specifics, but it's under 100 lbs.
Team shroom award goes to Jeff @ Tim with honorable mention to Terry for Walking A mutha of a high wall.
Look at this freaking Giant , the biggest I've seen yet.
I bet the fish Fry was awesome, I didn't stick around around this year