Tag: Buckeye Trail

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 …

Hiking Without Dad—Part One

by guest blogger Bonnie Spencer   Part 2, Part 3 October 9, 2016 I had no intention of playing on the title of CW’s book. But as I contemplated how this 10-percenter would be different from the other two CW and I have done, I realized this would be the first one without Dad. We lost my sweet 94-year-old father in May. The thought of hiking without Dad sadly wandered into my mind and wouldn’t leave. Of course, Dad didn’t actually hike with us, but he was there in so many ways. Before we left …

Bitten by the Hiking Bug—Part Three

by guest blogger Bonnie Spencer   Part 1, Part 2 May 2, 2016 Day 7: Miami and Erie Canal Heelpath at Road 60 to Junction (12.2 trail miles) Almost a week passed before we made our last trip north to finish our miles. We started from Xenia again, and the nearly 130-mile drive took us 3.5 hours because we took back roads. By the time we got the cars in place, which included eight extra miles to backtrack to lock a car (we hoped this wasn’t an indication of how our week would go), we …

Bitten by the Hiking Bug—Part Two

by guest blogger Bonnie Spencer   Part 1, Part 3 April 17, 2016 Day 4: St. Marys to Spencerville (13.5 trail miles) After ten days away from the trail due to various commitments, we headed back north. I had my ice cream list . . . and my umbrella; a rain coat; a pair of old rain pants with dry, broken elastic and a large safety pin to keep them up; a garbage bag in case I needed to cover my pack; and CW’s extra Frogg Toggs jacket. We had been fortunate to have wonderful …

Bitten by the Hiking Bug—Part One

by guest blogger Bonnie Spencer Part 2, Part 3 April 10, 2016 When I agreed to go with CW on his 150-mile Buckeye Trail circuit hike last October, I didn’t expect to do any long-distance hiking beyond that. However, soon after I returned his daypack to him, and while my ankle and toes were still healing, I was already thinking about the next big hike. Concerned that I might be going crazy, and not ready to commit to anything yet, I kept those curious thoughts to myself for a while. But eventually they emerged, greatly …

A 150-Mile Hike by a Non-Walker—Part Three

by guest blogger Bonnie Spencer   Part 1, Part 2 November 7, 2015 Day 9: Island MetroPark to Canal Lock Park in Tipp City (16.1 trail miles) It had been a week since our last hike and we were ready to get back on the trail. We would have a long day, not only from the trail mileage but also due to extra shuttling. Our plan was to break the hike into two segments. One reason was so that CW wouldn’t have to drive out of Dayton at the end of the day in rush-hour …