Our days are simple. We are awake by 6:30 am, and eat cold granola cereal with powdered milk and water while still in our sleeping
bags. As soon as we break camp, we hit the trail. At night, we try
to be at our campsite by 4 pm. Within 2 hours, we have set up the
tent, put in the ThermaRest pads and sleeping bags, stowed our gear,
gotten our water, washed up, made dinner, washed dishes, written in
the journal, and are ready to climb into bed for the night. We seem
to have little energy for anything else and look forward to totally
warming our bodies in the sleeping bags and to our 12 hours of
“sleep.” Due to sleeping on the ground and with frequent
repositioning, we feel this translates to perhaps 8 or 9 hours of
real sleep. We had expected hiking the BT to be easier than hiking
the AT because of the lower elevations, but the continuous ups and
downs take their toll.
March 13, Thursday
Today was again mostly trails. The first climb was really nice but the section along a ridge was overgrown with briars which turned our bare legs bloody with scratches. Bill says “better a few scratches
than tearing our GoreTex pants!” In Fort Hill Memorial Park we
took the Gorge Trail due to high water and were rewarded with views
of large limestone rock outcroppings along the stream. We saw our
first wildflowers in the park, hepatica, and some bloodroot not quite opened yet. As soon as we left the park, the land appeared to level out as we hiked the remaining two miles into the town of Sinking
Spring. This is the first town since Chesterhill that is directly
on the trail. There, an Ohio Department of Natural Resources employee
stopped his truck in order to shake the hands of some real “thru-
hikers.” We figure our appearance gave us away. He offered us a
ride to a nearby conference center where we rented a cabin since the
rain had started again. Laurie continues to battle the pain of
shinsplints.
March 14, Friday
Patty at the Woodland Altars couldn’t be more accommodating. She agreed to drive us to the trail this morning and pick us up after
our day of hiking so that we could “slackpack,” or hike without our
backpacks. Bill arranged this to make it easier on Laurie’s leg.
(Part of his kinder, gentler style, Bruce!) With this approach we
were able to hike 18 miles, all of which were on roads. We visited
Serpent Mound, an ancient Indian effigy mound over 1,000 feet long.
We got there shortly before the 10 a.m. opening time to find the
manager walking around the parking lot in the rain, picking up the
earthworms to rescue them. The rains stopped by late morning and
the temperature dropped, but it was a pleasant day for hiking. We
stopped in Janie’s Village Restaurant in Peebles for a late second
lunch of cheeseburger, onion rings, cole slaw, and hot chocolate.
We then returned to our cabin at Woodland Altars. This conference
and environmental education center is on 450 acres of woods and
includes a lodge, cabins, and outdoor programs.
March 15, Saturday
Patty at Woodland Altars gave us a lift to Route 32 and Portsmouth Road, where we ended yesterday’s hike. The temperature had dropped 30 degrees and there were snow flurries. We again hiked without backpacks and only had 6 miles to go. We missed a turn at the top of Tolle Hill and stomped around for a while before we found it
again. The hike through the Davis Memorial Nature Preserve included
some boardwalk and interesting trail. Paul, who would shuttle us
back to our van near Marietta, met us to hike the last 1½ miles
with us. We ended our hike near Mineral Springs Lake where we will
continue our trip on bicycles after our shuttle in April. Thanks,
Paul, for all your help and time.
Our overall experience on the Buckeye Trail has been a pleasant one in spite of the flood. We were surprised by the ruggedness of the
terrain. The lack of shelters and designated campsites was a
challenge. But, the people of southern Ohio were generous and
helpful.
Of 14 nights spent on the trail, 6 nights were spent camping out, 1 night with friends, 3 nights in paid lodging, and 4 nights were
spent in the homes of newfound friends. Over the 210 miles, we
averaged 15 miles per day of hiking and took one day off. This,
coupled with the 41 miles previously hiked in West Virginia, totals
251 miles completed, or 5 percent of our expected ADT mileage.
For information and maps on the Buckeye Trail, contact:
Buckeye Trail Association
P.O. Box 254
Worthington, OH 43085
They also have a website at http://ne-ohio.net/bta/. You should be able to request info via email by writing jurczyk@apk.net.
We will resume our westward journey on our mountain bikes on March
25th at Cape Henlopen, Delaware, near Lewes. We will leave at about
9 a.m. after dabbing our toes (or tires) in the Atlantic Ocean and
head west. (Happy Tires doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as
Happy Feet, does it?) Anyone who would like to join us for our
send-off is welcome.
~ Bill and Laurie, “The Happy Feet”
© William and Laurel Foot, 1997, Lynchburg, Va.
Back to
Happy Feet USA
Trailhead
New Boots •
Gathering •
Grapevine •
Springer Fever
A.T. Companion •
Headlamp Material •
Work Trips •
Side Trails
HE FIRST order of business here is to correct an error in Chapter
6. After writing it at Connie & Mike’s house, they invited us to
spend Saturday and Sunday nights with them to save us the expense of
a motel in Chillicothe. Again, how could we refuse. Their
hospitality and friendship are part of what makes long-distance
hiking so special.