Rockstall Preserve, and some more Boch Hollow

On June 25th Joan and I rose early for another hiking safari, hoping to avoid the worst of the day's predicted heat. We began with another first-time visit, to the Rockstall Nature Preserve, which is managed not by a state or local agency but by Camp Akita. The main attractor here is a rock-walled cove with two semi-seasonal waterfalls; depending on the recent weather, water may be flowing or trickling down the sandstone formations. Or, in winter, frozen into icicles.

The parking area area sits just off Highway 83 but is unpaved and can be gullied, so be careful about blasting in at high speed.

The trail starts out broad and level.

Here and at many other places we saw exuberant colonies of ground cedar,

which has a long history of medicinal use. The spores have a high oil content and are instantly flammable, so other applications of this plant have included flash photography and stage productions.

The trail soon branches, but either choice is fine: the path is a loop. Joan and I chose the clockwise way, and soon descended a long stairway into the cove. This photo looks back at the descent.

You know immediately that you've entered a different microclimate, surrounded by eroded sandstone and its layers.

Water has also carved out shelves and recess caves.

Some formations have had chunks chewed off by freeze-thaw cycles.

 Joan and I strolled on, and soon the cove widened.

At the head, the first waterfall.

In closeup.

The second waterfall is to the right, but with the route seemingly blocked by debris and a tall mound.

One side of the mound, when you walk over to it, hosts an obvious path, and from the top there's a good view of the other waterfall.

From this point the loop continues across the top of the mound and then up steps carved into the rocky wall. They must have been chipped out long ago, being smooth now. The trail flattens and arrives at the small stream feeding the fall; from there, it rises more gradually and crosses several short bridges on its return to the intersection. Back at the parking lot, Joan and I consumed some chocolate in celebration of our success and avoided a melted mess in the rising heat.

We drove the short distance to the Boch Hollow north trailhead, the starting point of our hike six weeks earlier. With the woods now adorned with summer attire rather than spring blooms, I'll just share a few photos.

A closeup of an orchard orbweaver spider that was just a few feet off the trail (photo taken with zoom!)

A slightly off-focus image of an ovenbird, sometimes accused of an angry call and baleful glare.

Greenery flourished on this pond between the north and (closed) west trailheads.

The light wasn't good for this flycatcher, but I so seldom get my camera aimed before flycatchers dart away...

By early afternoon the heat had grown oppressive, and Joan and I had put several miles in, so it was time to drive back to Columbus, well satisfied.