There is ice everywhere! (And how did you get my gloves?)
The best way to experience a new place is through adventure. When you adventure you get to see the authentic truth of the place. We make sure our trips include at least a little time away from what we're used to. In Ohio, this meant getting into the hills.
We started at the visitor center and headed upstream. To get upstream we had to drop down to the floor of the gorge. There's an abundance of water and in the cold it was all frozen. Massive icicles everywhere. The trail was covered in slick ice. Footing was uncertain. Emergency sitting occurred. It was GREAT!
We slid along the trail giggling and ogling at the ice. Even when we fell on our backsides it was only a problem when we were too close to the creek. None of us fell in and got wet so it was a win.
The upper falls spill into a large pool surrounded by a big beach. In summer it's packed, but late in the afternoon in December it was deserted. Oh. And cold. We didn't go for a swim.
But we did head back downstream along the top of the gorge. There are stairs climbing up and down the gorge in several spots and even bridges across the gorge to get from one side to the other.
Downstream from the visitor center we entered the eponymous Old Man's Cave. To be fair, it's less a cave than an overhang. It's named for Richard Rowe who lived in the cave in the 18th century. He might even be buried in the cave, but we didn't find the body.
Further downstream we crossed over the creek again (on a bridge that was completely covered in really slick ice) and down a steep hill to the lower falls. The lower falls somehow felt more wild than the upper falls. Perhaps it was the lack of a bridge over the falls or the increased distance from the visitor center. Whatever it was, I liked the lower falls more than the upper.
We returned to the visitor center and the car, but it wasn't the end of our adventure in Ohio. Hocking Hills State Park is divided into a number of different sections. We had time for one more stop. Ash Cave is just a short walk from the trailhead.
Ash Cave is much, much bigger than Old Man's Cave, which is saying quite a bit. It's 700 long, 100 feet deep, and 90 feet high. In the fading light the water plunging down from the lip looked mystical. That might be why huge piles of ashes were found in the cave in the 1800s or why people celebrate weddings and religious ceremonies today.
Once again, we had the area all to ourselves. There are spots in the cave that serve as natural amplifiers, but we didn't need those. The kids made the most of the isolation and sang the llama song.
No, not that llama song. That song's innocent compared to the llama song from Girl Scout camp. "Happy llama, sad llama, President Obama llama, super llama, drama llama, big fat momma llama, moose, alpaca, moose moose, alpaca..." AIAIAIAIAGHGH! It never ends.
But darkness meant our day did. We had a long drive home, but long drives for adventures are worth it. We did have to make a few sacrifices, though. Dinner on the go, ice cream (which apparently has little nutritional value), and iPad-based movies. All so we could spend time together in the outdoors, experiencing what makes a place unique and special. Totally worth it.
