This years vacation plans for Shenandoah National Park came with a big last minute hitch called rain from a hurricane. To avoid the rain we decided to try a vacation in Ohio instead (after all the car was already packed). I was watching you-tube videos on National parks months ago and this park that I had never heard of before appeared. Being that Cuyahoga National Park was not a super long drive for us it stuck in my mind. Cuyahoga National park is named after the crooked river that flows threw it, The park is located between the cities of Cleveland and Akron. Several small towns or suburbia exists within the park boundaries so it is not what we thought of when hearing of National Park status. That being said it is a bicyclists paradise! Biking trails are everywhere throughout the park and we wished we had brought our bikes instead of the kayaks. We haven't been on those since I got pregnant with my son. Need to get an attachment for him. There are rentals available you just have to know where to look (we did not)! There is limited primitive camping here but with all the noisy highways we opted to camp at West Branch State Park about thirty miles away. Our first stop was at the Boston Store home of the visitor center where we gathered maps, information, National Parks Passport and junior ranger pin for our son. The staff was very helpful and pleasant to deal with. After that we drove around a bit to fine the parking lot before heading out on a short hike to Blue Hen Falls. Yes you can climb down into the streambed but I chose not to since I was carrying precious cargo on my back! It has been a dry year for the most part and with more water this fall is even prettier as I discovered in my limited research for this trip. t Next we had a picnic lunch and photographed Brandywine Falls. You cannot get to the bottom of this streambed safely. Tthe observation deck the park built is greatly appreciated, just be ready for lots of stairs! I loved the color on the wet rocks. Getting a great or different angle can be tricky though I have heard others have shot from the rock ledge on the opposite side of the ravine. This was our last stop for the day but a nice start to our trip. Other tourists were friendly and seemed to enjoy our little bundle of energy especially when we set him loose. All hopes that he would listen to and follow us were completely delusional though! Most roadways seemed well labeled in Ohio which was helpful. Though the trip to our campsite was long. West Branch State Park was wonderful and had hands down the best bathroom/ shower houses around! We were fortunate to be at the park for "Steam in the Valley," which only happens a few weekends a year. My husband and child love trains. Steam engine #765 was a hit, not too many original steam engines are still operational. I can't say the ride was very scenic unless you like peeping into peoples back yards. However when we reached the Boston station, they had everyone get off, backed the train up twice about one mile and treated us to photographic bliss! Not to mention the opportunity to witness the steam engine and all its glorious working power up to 40 miles per hour! Yes we did have to stand back a ways to stay clear of the steam and debris. It was enchanting to watch leaves swirled down from the trees when the train blew its whistle and came thundering down the track. The whistle and noise of the train traveling at top speed was very loud. My ears hurt but I covered my son's ears instead to prevent hearing damage and to keep it from scaring him (not a fan of loud noises, we hate Harleys)! I used my husband's shoulder to steady my camera while also holding my son in one arm. I have to say he makes for a pretty good tripod. I would recommend doing this if you have a chance! Looks like I am getting long winded here so I will leave you in suspense! What happened next? Stay tuned for part two!
"Are we there yet?" This hike up Pillsbury Mt. on September 7, 2015 seriously kicked our butts and it was only 3.2 miles round trip with an elevation change of 1500 feet! We did not pack enough water and took turns backpacking our son up and down this mountain. It didn't help that it was a hot day September 7, 2015. We camped in a DEC site nearby an d the night before because we actually had to wait a day to make this climb as the parking lot was full. Many of the same cars were there the next morning as there are several trails leading away from this one point. I must say once we arrived at the fire tower our find was disappointing. Why would I say our arrival after such an difficult climb was disappointing. The tower was in disrepair. The windows in the cab were teeny tiny bits of plexi-glass. There was no chicken wire after the fourth flight of stairs! Our son did climb the first four flights with my husbands help. Being afraid of unstable heights that is as far as I climbed also. My husband who is braver and more confident climbed all the stairs and landings to the cab. There is no view without climbing the tower as you are surrounded by trees. It was hard to see the mountains in the distance not just because I could not climb high enough but the day was very hazy! I tried to shoot both color and black and white but it didn't seem to make a difference. Yes, I did use a circular polarizer and played with different settings on my camera. Below you will find the best of what I shot. The fire pit and boarded up old ranger cabin still looked small and far away from the fourth flight. It was windy up there too making the tower move a bit too! I thought that this would be one of the easier climbs but looking at the list of fire towers distance versus elevation change we need to get in much better shape to continue this challenge! It gives inspiration anyways and I think it would make my son proud some day to look back and see what we accomplished as a family though I am not sure how much he will remember! Labor day weekend or September 5, 2015 more precisely my little family and I headed to the Adirondack Mountains to check more Fire Towers off of the challenge list. I previously blogged about our trek up Mt. Arab but somehow all of my previous blog entries got deleted. Can you say #sad face! Well, I guess we start over with this blog and let history disappear. Kane Mountain is located off Route 10 near Caroga Lake where we camped that night. The hike up to the fire tower is one mile round trip. My husband thought it was easy. However I thought differently with our nearly 25lbs hair pulling bundle of joy on my back! Once at the top of the mountain we let our son climb up some of the rock face and up the first of eleven flights of stairs on the fire tower. Needless to say most of my photos are of him. Be wary with children here though we did find chards of broken glass beneath the tower! The top of Kane mountain is lovely full of trees with a tiny bit of rock face for climbing but there is no "Grand view," without climbing the tower. We ran into a few other hikers on the way up who wished they had brought their cameras. A vast 360 degree view of mountains and lakes will await from the top of the tower. Only the peak of autumns color could improve the view and maybe a bit less haze. The ranger cabin is still standing near the tower but has been boarded up and colorfully vandalized. Graffiti artists have also loved up the fire tower too. My son had fun running around on the porch poking a stick down hole that appeared to have been from a fire of some sort. After our hike we returned to camp for ice cream, dinner and a sunset paddle on Caroga Lake! My biggest photo tips for this trip are don't forget the camera, have your batteries fully charged and your memory card in the camera! Second a circular polarizer will be handy too. Lastly don't be afraid to shoot the scenery on the top of the mountain as it is lovely and pleasant too! Our second climb of the Adirondack Mountain Club's Fire Tower Challenge was Bald Mountain. I first climbed this mountain at 5 years of age but on this August 22, 2015 I climbed it with my husband and 15 month old son. He was carried up in a backpack of course and allowed to practice his climbing skills on the rocks at the top. We left our apartment early in the morning to arrive at the mountain at about 7am. We had the whole place to ourselves for an hour or two which was really nice. We had mystical views of fog surrounding the mountains. Sometimes forming mountain sandwiches between clouds as you see here! It was fun to watch all the changes as the sun rose and the fog slowly lifted to reveal the lakes below. I also had fun contrasting the contours of the rock face with the softness of the fog. Although it was quiet our surroundings were never still as the fog and clouds continuously created different scenes and moods. Even some of the tower's graffiti caught my eye as the dawning sun added a hint of elegance to it. This was one of our busy weekends with visits and assorted adventure but it sure had a fantastic start! Thank-you for reading and please leave any comments or feedback below! |
Julie MetottNature Photographer, wife, mother, lover of outdoor adventure! Archives
November 2022
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