Tag: BT

Hiking Without Dad—Part Two

by guest blogger Bonnie Spencer   Part 1, Part 3 October 20, 2016 When we got back from our last hike, I got right on the kennel situation. I spent hours online researching the three referrals from the clinic staff. The first one I eventually found out was located too far away. I had already looked into the second and wasn’t comfortable with it. Besides, they weren’t taking new dogs at this time. I read every word on the third kennel’s site. They were a half hour away, but they were in the direction we …

Back in the Loop—Part Four

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 April 12, 2015 A Nineteen-Mile Test of My Hiking Legs The sky over Ring Mill the night before had been crystal clear, great for watching the space shuttle make its way across the vast, starry expanse.  But that same clear sky had also drawn the coveted warm air upward, causing us to spend an uncomfortably cold night. Just after sunrise we layered up and ate breakfast in the shelter, grateful for the roof that separated us from a thick layer of frost. Steaming …

Back in the Loop–Part Two

Part 1, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 February 17, 2015 Our Journey to Hoot Owl Ridge Road The big hike was finally approaching. It would have to wait a bit longer, however, for today was stash day.  Jim, George, and I sat in Lori’s Restaurant in Caldwell chewing on some fourth-quarter strategy, as well as one of our last table meals for a while. I was doing my best to load up on vittles. I bragged to our waitress about our upcoming adventure, hoping she’d throw in an extra scoop …

Hiking For Poppie—Part One

January 18, 2014 It was an unusually mild December day, perfect weather for a walk down those lonely back roads. We weren’t hunters, and we trusted our bright colors to alert the people with rifles that we were not deer, either. I listened as my hiking partner, Andrew Purdy (aka Yogi), detailed our mission to a curious gent in that rural part of southeast Ohio. The man sat on his porch enjoying the Indian summer day. He rarely saw hikers happen by. Yogi explained that he was on leave from the Navy and was hiking …

The Tracks of Jim Gilkey

December 31, 2013 Uh-oh. Another corny joke was on its way: “How can you tell a train has been through town?” I’d heard Jim tell this one before somewhere along the Buckeye Trail, but I couldn’t remember the punchline. My wife Bonnie and I both love solving silly riddles, but we finally gave up and asked Jim for help. “You can see its tracks,” he said with a big grin. Yeah right, Jim. I have one for Buckeye Trailers: “How can you tell Jim Gilkey has been through here?” If you know much at all …

Four-Season Backpacking Trip to Buckeye TrailFest 2013

  September 3, 2013 It was a diverse group of hikers shuttled by our trail angels to point 9 of the Bedford section of the Buckeye Trail. Bob had hiked the entire AT twice. On the greener end of the scale, it was Paula’s first backpacking trip; she had borrowed some nice gear from a neighbor. The rest of us fell somewhere in between. The first day was glorious and all off-road. We camped at Squaw Rock Shelter in South Chagrin Reservation after a