After I walked in Hocking Hills in September, I spent a half day walking around the Richfield Heritage Preserve in Richfield, Ohio. The Richfield Heritage Preserve is 336 acres of forests, lakes, creeks, and trails. You can find out more about it on the Friends of Richfield Heritage Preserve Website.
The Richfield Heritage Preserve was also once two Girl Scout camps next to each other, Camp Juliet Crowell and Camp Hilaka. I spent many summers in the early eighties at Girl Scout camp. There were cabins and tent sites. I remember going to Horse Camp for a week and realizing that I did not like horses. There was boating on the lake, and there was a swimming pool too. I remember campfires and mosquitoes and cleaning latrines. Mostly, I remember walking from place to place. I might even say that my love of walking started at Girl Scout camp.
The Girl Scouts sold the camp in the twenty teens, and the property eventually became the Richfield Heritage Preserve. It is open to the public between dawn and dusk with hiking trails, buildings, and latrines. There are even trail maps, but the trails are a series of loops and easy to follow.
Wanting to tramp around the old camp grounds, I dragged my brother with me to Richfield. After we pulled into the parking lot, I immediately spotted the old dining hall which was getting decorated for a wedding reception. Looking at the wood beams on the ceiling and the old stone fireplace, I knew where I was. We used to eat crappy food and sing camp songs there.
We walked to the lake where the old boat house still was. There were folks kayaking out on the lake, so the lake was still in fine form. We walked around the lake and found one of the old cabins. There was a kitchen in the front and a huge open room where we slept on mattresses on the floor. There was a latrine behind the cabin. When we were winter camping in the cabin, that latrine was brutal.
Amity House
We walked past the old Amity house where several bridesmaids were getting hair and makeup done for the wedding. Then, we walked down the main trail to the other lake. There were several shelters next to the trail. I remember some of them had platform tents next to them. Then, we got to the old mill which is being refurbished.
I think what surprised me most about the Preserve is how close together everything is. I remember the walks between places being so long. Now, it was only a few minutes. Did the camp shrink or did my range get bigger?
I remember looking through those trees and thinking about possibilities and making up stories of adventures. Now that I’ve had a few adventures, I delight that the trees are still there, and I can still walk among them.
I rented a cabin through Airbnb and bought some groceries in Columbus, Ohio before driving country roads to the Hocking Hills area. I was not roughing it. The cabin had air conditioning and a full kitchen. However, there was no wifi and the cell signal was spotty.
Day One: Visitors Center, Upper Falls, Whispering Cave
I arrived at the Visitors Center at 9am and parked in an empty parking lot with a lot of spots. Was Hocking Hills that popular? Really?
I found the trail entrance with signage telling me which direction to go and started walking at the Upper Falls. I crossed on stone bridge on all the posters and followed the trail down some stairs. It was easy walking and accessible. I liked that it was walking for everyone.
A promising start. . .Then down some stairs. . .
I stopped under the stone bridge and looked at stone walls of the gorge around me. The glaciers had been busy. There was a little pond of gross looking water and sign for a selfie spot. My attempts at selfie-ing were futile.
I continued walking in the bottom of the gorge. It was a well-defined trail with nice bridges crossing the creek. Folks were walking and looking. Every turn and bend gave us another view of rocks along the side of the gorges.
I walked past the Devil’s Bathtub which was simply a deep hole filled with water and continued on the path. Some little kids were playing in a cave with their parents. One little kid walked toward me.
Hi, I’m Dawson. Little boy said.
Enjoying the creek, Dawson? I asked. The little boy paused.
How do you know my name? He asked.
You just told her your name. The Dad inserted.
I climbed some more stone steps and came upon four guys sweeping dirt off the stone path. It was a very humid morning, and they were already sweating. Still, this was some impressive trail maintenance. We said our hellos, and I walked on.
I continued on the Grandma Gatewood trail. The walking became a little more involved. There were steps up and down and tree roots. Grandma Gatewood was the first woman to thru-walk solo on the Appalachian Trail. She did this at the age of sixty-seven. It’s never too late to go for a nice walk.
Drawing of Grandma Gatewood at the Hocking Hills Visitors Center
The Grandma Gatewood trail met up with the Whispering Cave trail, and my trail markers went from blue to purple. I came to a suspension bridge which was beautifully built and crossed over a small creek that was jumpable. I was there during the dry time, so maybe the creek was usually wider. Still, the bridge was impressive and fun to cross. It swayed and bounced.
A fun bouncy bridge over a tiny creek
I had a bit of uphill then walked along a ridge. The trail was narrow and not as easy as the Upper Falls area. I could hear water falling and came to a huge cave. There were wooden steps leading down into it, and the whispering cave sat behind falling water which landed in a creek below. I walked into the whispering cave. There was a wooden rail and it was lovely and cool. Okay, it was worth the hype. It was beautiful and peaceful.
Approaching the Whispering CaveIn the Whispering Cave. . .
As I was walking back to the main trail, I met a couple from Texas. They were RVing across America. I took a photo of them next to some rocks, and they took a photo of me on the trail. Good times.
Back at the Visitor’s Center, there were a lot of people in the gift shop, and I asked the gift shop lady if it was usually so busy. She said there was no off season at Hocking Hills. It dies down between Thanksgiving and Christmas, then winter hiking starts up in January. The best time to visit Hocking Hills is in the spring when there is a lot of water flowing. In September, it’s dry even though there’s some water in the creek.
Day Two: Ash Cave, Rock House, Rim Trail at Conkles Hollow, Old Man Cave
On Day Two, I had a plan. I was going to drive to different trail heads for a series of short day hikes.
I started at the Ash Cave. There was an extremely accessible trail to a huge cave. Apparently, there used to be ash on the floor of it. I tried to take a picture to show the scale of it.
Extremely accessible trail to the Ash Cave
You can take a flight of wooden stairs to the ground above the ash cave. If you want to exit, you go right at the top of the stairs. I went left and ended up on the other end of the Grandma Gatewood trail. I walked through a pine forest then I realized I was on my way back to the visitors center several miles away, so I went back and took the Ash Cave downhill.
After the Ash Cave, I drove to the Rock House. Like the Ash Cave, it’s a loop trail and you can only go in one direction. You end up walking against this amazing rock face that’s several stories high. There are stairways carved into the rock. It was a pleasant hour long walk. After I got back to the parking lot, I had lunch at a picnic table.
Okay, I’ll stay on the trail.Approaching the Rock House
Next, I walked the Rim Trail at Conkles Hollow, a State Nature Preserve, not a State Park. The Rim Trail is two and a half miles and starts with a lot of stairs, then you walk around the rim of a canyon and down a flight of stairs to finish. There were some beautiful views and lots of trees.
On the rim of the 2 1/2 mile rim trail looking at the tops of trees
I drove back toward the Visitors Center for a nice bathroom and an ice cream. Sugared up, I took the trail to the Old Man’s Cave that I hadn’t seen the day before. It was a huge cave but not a true Man Cave. There were no couches or flat screen TVs.
It was an extremely pleasant two days of day hiking in Hocking Hills, and I highly recommend it. The weather in late September was warm and humid, but I carried water. The walks are not extreme. They are pleasant and mostly under trees.
For accommodation, I had a cabin which I found on Airbnb. I also recommend googling Cabins Hocking Hills. There are a lot of options. There are not a lot of restaurants, so I bought groceries in Columbus, Ohio, and I had a full kitchen at the cabin.
The Visitors Center at Hocking Hills is open every day 10-4. They have free trail maps, restrooms, comfortable chairs, and snacks for sale. The folks who work there are very friendly.
When I was walking the Camino Portuguese this past May from Porto to Santiago de Compostella, I found myself staying in places where I actually had a view.
I usually don’t care about having a view when I travel (sorry, E.M. Forster), so my view is often of an airshaft or a side street. It doesn’t matter since I tend not to spend a lot of time in the accommodation.
Even though I didn’t seek out a room with a view on the Camino Portugues, I would arrive at a new place at the end of a walking day, look out the window, and marvel at all that I could see. Some of the views were worth a moment’s pause. Look at where I am now. How did I arrive in such a lovely place? Well, I walked here.
Here are some of my views on the Camino Portugues:
Vila do CondeBarcelosCasa SagresPorrinoRedondelaNorth of Padron
When I was walking the Camino Portugues this past May from Porto to Santiago de Compostella, I had no foot problems even though I was ready for any foot emergency. I carried bandaids and tape, but I didn’t use the stuff. My feet stayed blissfully happy for eleven days of walking.
When I walked the Camino Frances back in 2012, I also had no blisters although I lost two toenails (ouch!) on the first and second days. On the Via Francigena in 2014, I had lots of foot pains and a blister because I didn’t properly break in the shoes before the walk.
Before the Camino Portugues, I trained a lot on concrete pavement in the hiking shoes. The pavement training turned out to be important because there was a lot of pavement and stone under the feet on the Portugues. I would even go so far as to say there was more pavement than the other walks, but that is just my completely biased opinion based on memories of walks over a decade ago. I did do a happy dance whenever my feet got to dirt on the Portugues.
PavementPavementAhhh dirt.
So how did my feet stay blister free on the Camino Portugues?
This is what I did every morning:
I would sit and rub my feet. Good morning, feet, I hope you had a good sleep.
I would then rub Body Glide chafing stick all over my feet especially hitting the toes, the soles, the sides. The purpose of the chafing stick is to prevent friction from building up in the sock. You can also use Vaseline.
I would put on one clean dry pair of Smart Wool socks. I had brought five pairs of socks, but in future Caminos, I will only bring three. I always had a pair that was dry and clean. These socks were so comfortable that I would rub my feet again with the socks on.
Finally, I put on my hiking shoes. I had a pair of Columbia waterproof hiking shoes that I bought on sale at an outlet store. These shoes ended up being the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn on a Camino. I wear shoes that are Size 7 ½ to 8 (US sizes). These were Size 8. They never felt too tight or too oversized.
With shoes on, I would stand up, take a few steps, and do a little dance with my hands in the air like I just don’t care. When everything felt good, I would put on the pack and go. Let’s see what the day brings.
During the walk, I would stop frequently to take breaks. If possible, I would try to sit with my feet up. I would keep my shoes and socks on during my breaks. I know some folks like to take their shoes off. I think this is entirely your preference.
At the end of the walking day, when it was time to take the shoes off, I would sit, take off the shoes, take off the socks, check my feet, rub my feet. They were good feet for me.
I had an extra pair of light sneakers as well as a pair of flip-flops, but because my walking shoes were so comfortable, I usually put the Columbias back on for a walk around the town.
Every walk has a beginning. I’m not very ceremonial when I start my walks. I’m usually thinking, okay, let’s get on with it then. When I walked from Porto to Santiago this past May, I decided to start my walk by taking Porto’s Metro.
Porto is a walkable and beautiful Portuguese city. I highly recommend spending a few days there. I walked everywhere in the city center. I went to the Cathedral, the Contemporary Art Museum, restaurants, the river front, and the central market.
Igreja do CarmoDouro RiverPorto Cathedral
Porto also has great public transportation with Metro trains and buses. The Porto Metro is clean, efficient, and not expensive. The Brierley guide mentioned that I could eliminate eighteen kilometers on my first day by taking the metro, and I decided to do just that.
To take the Metro, you need a Metro card with the correct fare on it. You can buy a card at any machine in any Metro station. The Metro card can be refilled and there are all sorts of options like a day pass or a single fare. Metro station machines have an English language option, and they take both cash and card. You can also take the Metro from the airport, and the Metro station is easy to find once you land. There was even a Metro representative helping people get their Metro cards at the machines.
To take the Metro for the Camino Portuguese, you need to get on a B red line train heading to Povoa de Varzim and get off at Vilar do Pinheiro. The entire ride took 45 minutes to an hour from Trindade. I went in the late morning, and the train was not crowded. If you are catching the train in Trindade, several different lines stop at the same platform. Make sure you get the local train going to Povoa de Varzim.
In addition to eliminating the eighteen kilometers, the train will take you out of Porto, past apartment blocks, and urban stuff and deposit you on a country lane with trees.
When you get off the train, you can either go right for the Central Route or left for the Coastal Route. There’s only one road. I had a booking for my first night in Via do Conde, so I went left for the Coastal. There is a map and info about the Camino Portuguese at the station, so my guess is that a lot of pilgrims use the metro option.
I walked about a half kilometer down a paved country road. When I got to the airport (I was at the far end of the runway, not at the terminal), I turned right and sure enough, there was my first Camino marker. I then followed the marks and walked twelve kilometers to Via do Conde.
There were lots of trees but I would describe the way as all road going past farms, a motorway, and an outlet mall. The walk in Azuara and into Via de Conde was lovely, and I easily found my accommodation along with a good pilgrim menu dinner.
Is the Metro option cheating? No, I don’t think there is any cheating on the Camino. I think one can do the best one can with the options available. Do what you have to do to get yourself going.
I was nervous about starting this Camino. I had issues with fatigue, so I wasn’t sure how my body would react. However, once I got myself walking, everything physical, emotional, and mental started feeling good. I was able to build on the 12 km first day with a few more kilometers the next day, then a few more kilometers the day after, and I started feeling stronger. I’m glad I took the Metro option. I felt like I was fired out of a cannon, but I landed on my feet.
This past May, I walked eleven days from Porto to Santiago de Compostella on the Central Route. I had not walked a Camino in nine years, but a Camino is still a Camino. Only now, there are smart phones and apps.
I was walking at the end of May, and there were lots of Pilgrims. In Tui (which is 100 km from Santiago), the number of pilgrims quadrupled. I noticed a lot of day packs and folks took advantage of bag transport. While I carried my full pack the whole time, I did book ahead at most of the places I stayed at.
I chose the Central Route over the Coastal Route because I live in Southern California and see the ocean every day in my work. Also, what I gleaned from YouTube videos was that the Central Route had more variety and history. On the Central, most of the landscape is rolling hills, rivers, and vineyards; then I would stumble across a thousand year old church which was pretty awesome.
PortoRatesRio Cavado – Barcelos
I recommend the Camino Portugues Central if you want to do a Camino Quickie in two weeks. Northern Portugal is a beautiful place with great people and great food; then you cross a bridge into Spain, and you are in Galicia. When you get to Santiago, you enter the plaza from the opposite side of the Camino Frances folks, and I really appreciated the different view.
I have so much to say about the Camino Portugues, and I will be saying it in some other blogs I have planned. I look forward to sharing it with you all.
Finally, I just got word that John Brierley has died. I used his guidebook on the Camino Portuguese (as well as the Camino Frances back in 2012). Godspeed Mr. Brierley and may flights of angels sing thee on your next journey.
On November 1, 2012, I took a deep breath and clicked publish for the Slacker Pilgrim Guide on Amazon, Smashwords, and a bunch of other ebook publishers.
I had written plays, screenplays, blogs, and stories. I knew I could not control how others would receive it or if anyone would get it. I just wanted to put my Camino story out there and whatever will be will be.
While walking the Camino, I had found a strange courage and a way of doing what felt right. With the book, I trusted that courage and discovered a whole new way of connecting with fellow pilgrims. I am still in awe that my little guide has resonated with so many people. Yes, walking the Camino can be humorous.
Ten years later, I continue to be both a slacker pilgrim and a racing pilgrim. In the Slacker Pilgrim Guide, slacker pilgrim walks slowly and takes it all in while racing pilgrim walks quickly to get there quick quick quick! Because they both end up in the same place every night, they have long chats and become friends. I believe we all have a bit of the slacker pilgrim and the racing pilgrim in us.
I haven’t done a long walk since 2014, but I have jumped on sailboats and discovered a slow way of voyaging on the water as well as a way to be quick and fast. I enjoy the slow leisurely pace of a cruising sailboat as well as the intense focus of a racing sailboat.
I am ten years older and can feel myself slowing down a bit. Perimenopause is no joke. However, I remain determined to put one foot in front of the other over the next ridge and through the next town.
In honor of the ten-year anniversary, I came up with some merchandise using the Slacker Pilgrim and Racing Pilgrim characters in the book. On any day, you can be a Slacker Pilgrim or a Racing Pilgrim and wear it with pride. Because I still like the black clothes, you can get them in basic black. There are stickers too. You can find the link here.
Ten years ago, on the 6th of April in 2012, D and I walked out of St. Jean Pied de Port on the Camino de Santiago. I remember it was cloudy and cool. The Basque woman in the Camino office told us to go up into the mountains instead of taking the canyon. We followed her advice. We stopped in Orisson and ate soup. We walked all the way to Roncesvalles where I had the greatest shower of my life.
On that day, I did not know that I would write a book about my experience, publish that book as an ebook, and reach a lot of people. On that day, I had no idea where I was going (although there was the distant Santiago de Compostella) on my walk or in life. I was just doing what felt right.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. This post is about the beginning of the journey. There is so much joy and giddiness in the beginning of things when some parts of the journey are uncertain. Wow, I’m going to do this. It’s exciting.
I had read books and seen The Way. I had trained and bought a pair of walking shoes. I had a backpack and a guidebook. However, I had no idea what the walk actually was until I was doing it. My Camino experience turned out to be better than watching The Way, and I say that with great love for that film.
I like the not knowing when I embark on something. It’s fun to stumble around, and there’s less pressure to be a certain way. My writing mentor likes to say that in the beginning, anything is possible. I’ve written a lot of beginnings with no middles and ends. Sometimes it takes a while to find the middle. In many ways, I still feel like I’m in the middle after the beginning in St. Jean Pied to Port.
On the 6th, I started walking.
On the 7th, my legs were stiff, but I kept walking.
On Pico Boulevard in West Los Angeles there is a movie theatre called The Landmark. I used to go there a lot before the pandemic. The multiplex showed art house films along with mainstream fare and Oscar bait.
The Landmark used to be attached to a mall by a pedestrian bridge, but the mall was closed and is now being converted into tech company offices. There also used to be a giant Barnes and Noble book store right next to the movie theatre, but that moved out and was replaced by a high end furniture store which closed pre-pandemic.
I liked going to the Landmark. Their ticket prices were cheaper than the Arclight. The seats were comfortable. Everyone who worked there was super friendly. I could get a cup of hot tea and a hot dog at the concession stand. If I was early, I could hang out in their bar which had some comfortable lounge couches.
I can’t remember the last movie I saw in the Landmark. Sometimes, I would be super excited about seeing a new film. Sometimes, I didn’t care what I saw. I just wanted to see a movie in a dark theatre filled with strangers. I prefer going to movies by myself. I’ve been let down too many times by close friends who like to comment on the movie while it is playing. I don’t mind laughter or gasps or the occasional HOLY SMOKE! Please, I don’t want to hear an actor’s resume while the movie is playing.
The Landmark like other movie theatres is currently closed due to the pandemic. Even though I have access to tons of movies and TV shows to watch at home, it’s just not the same as going to a movie in the theatre. The tea tastes different. The floor isn’t sticky. I hope the Landmark makes it through this okay.
Since the pandemic started, many worse things than a movie theatre closing have happened to me and to others. If you have experienced a loss of any kind, I am deeply sorry. As for me, I am still mentally and emotionally sorting through my own loss, but I get up every morning and stand on my feet. I make a cup of tea. I keep going. I have realized that loss and grief will take time. Fortunately, now, I have a lot of time.
I’ve also been thinking about boredom. During this current pandemic, I’ve had a few moments of boredom. Okay, I’m bored, I thought. Then I chuckled. Instead of feeling bad about my boredom. I’m actually feeling okay about it. While it’s nice to have few distractions, I don’t want distraction all the time. I just want to enjoy whatever the current moment brings. Sure it’s kind of boring, but that’s the fun and challenge of it.
When did it become not okay to be bored? I remember boring car rides as a kid (they were really boring, we were in the Midwest of the United States). My brothers and I learned to deal with it and not fight all the time. I learned to just sit and look out the window at the dirty snow on the ground. It was what it was. I started to imagine things. I pictured a world without snow. I wondered if I could go somewhere without snow. I started to dream.
In the car, we didn’t have the distraction of DVDs and video. DVDs hadn’t been invented yet, and a VHS tape machine was too clunky for car rides. I couldn’t read books because I got car sick. I did have a Walkman permanently attached to my ears, so my views of snow had an 80s pop soundtrack.
I first realized that boredom was okay when I walked across Spain. The Camino does not pass through beautiful epiphany-filled landscape all the time. Some miles are little boring. Since there was no instant gratification except the occasional café con leche, I developed a patience that wasn’t just virtuous. It was enjoyable. All these years later, I still remember some of the boring bits. They were part of the experience too.
I’ve also done some distance sailing. It might sound glamorous—sailing off into the sunset. However, sailing takes time, and there are a lot of days when you are just looking at water. At first it might seem boring, but then I noticed that the water is constantly changing. Sometimes I spotted a sea turtle or a pod of dolphins. Still, water every day can be a bit maddening, but the mind slows down. It becomes pleasant. We’ll get to where we’re going eventually.
So it’s okay to be bored. I think my mind needs some of the down time anyway. Too much distraction becomes background noise and boring too. So I enjoy the boredom. It’s fun.
Finally, it amuses me that I write about the noise of distraction, but it turns out that I’ve just written a distraction. Bon Appetit!
Tomorrow, April 6th, is the eighth anniversary of the start of my Camino in St. Jean Pied de Porte. I’ve been feeling a little rusty on matters of the Camino; then Covid-19 happened. I watched two beautiful countries, Spain and Italy, which had opened their hearts to me, go into lockdown with many sick and dying. It’s heartbreaking, and I know that’s a cliché, but I have no other word.
In social isolation in Southern California, I found myself feeling calm among the uncertainty. It was okay. I could do this. I started to think about how the Camino had prepared me for Social Isolation. Naturally, I started to make a list:
1. We are still connected whether we want to be or not. On the walk, when I was feeling uncertain or unable, help would come from random people I met. I’m seeing the same thing now. People are kind.
2. Physical challenges. On the Camino, there were some physically challenging days—I’m thinking of you, Pyrenees. Now the challenge is different. I have to be still. I don’t have a gym. As of this writing, I can still walk the dog. I found a bunch a Zumba classes on You Tube. I have to find ways to keep my physical self going even though my mind wants to sit on the computer all day.
3. The Camino was a mind game at times. This is a mind game. It’s okay to feel mentally bad for a little while. Let that pass. It’s okay to be worried. Figure out what you can control and can’t control. If the big picture is too overwhelming, focus on the next step, then take it, then focus on the next step, and the next step. If it’s raining, it’s just the rain.
4. Daily habits. Stay clean, stay fed, sleep as much as you can. Do laundry. It’s the little things. There is power in a shower.
5. I’m a human on a planet full of humans. Be kind.
