I don't know about you, but sometimes, I'm pretty bad at doing things I want to do. For example, I've wanted to visit Cedar Bog, a nature preserve located in Urbana, Ohio, for months now. It's not far from Columbus, and it's an easy drive. It would have been feasible for me to make the …
I drive back and forth between Cincinnati and Columbus a lot. Like, a lot. I-71 is like another home at this point. Every time I drive north or south, I pass the sign for Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve, and I never stop. I'm usually up against some sort of deadline, or trying to …
Continue reading A Detour to Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve
The semester is winding to a close, and I've been fortunate to be able to go out for some really great hikes recently. April is prime morel time, and though between Wiggs and me we only found a handful this year, it felt like a victory for our second-ever foraging season. We have been spending …
Wiggs and I were so impressed by our first visit to Great Seal on March 5 that when another Friday rolled around we decided to make a second visit. This time, on March 19, it was exactly two weeks later. In the spring, two weeks can make a big difference. The first time we went …
Continue reading Great Seal Sate Park Part 2: Signs of Spring
Ah, early March. Glorious, hope-filled, golden early March. The world hangs on the edge between melting winter and waiting spring. The days–crisp, but no longer frigid–grow steadily longer, stepping ever more quickly towards flowers. My eyes are pulled downwards for the first time since October, searching the forest floor for mushrooms that I know aren't …
I always think about hiking, but I think about hiking the most when it is winter. Ohio has been covered in over a foot of snow for the past few weeks. Just about when I was recovered from COVID-19, the world turned frigid and the sidewalks froze over. Every run becomes a perilous oscillation between …
Continue reading Mishaps Make an Adventure: Paint Creek State Park, January 5, 2021
A week and a half ago I started feeling the beginnings of a sore throat, and then the next day I woke up with a fever. I decided to get a Covid-19 test, and it was positive. I have been in self-isolation for the past nine days with persistent fatigue, lack of taste and smell, …
In which we hike eight miles, appreciate plants, and eat snacks by a creek.
In which we go on a delightful day hike and enjoy the present.
In which we return to Shawnee, have three perfect sunny days, and remember trails.
Sarahmarie Specht-Bird 