Clear Creek Sights

Joan and I spent time this late July and August hiking back and forth across Clear Creek Metro Park. Here's a snapshot of the park map. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

It's been a wet year, so there was plenty to see along the trails. At the very start of the Fern Trail, we caught the tail end of a bounty of flowers, including crimson beebalm and a tall phlox.

Viewed from the road berm.

From the other side of that patch, the American bellflower among others.

A view from the trail.

Nearby a young phoebe watched. At this time of year the birds don't sing much, nesting having been completed, but the woods are never completely silent.

An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.

A crane-fly orchid was growing demurely in the woods. We saw a couple of these; they are inconspicuous and easy to pass by.

We also saw two putty-root orchids bearing seed pods. This plant is unusual in that its leaves deploy in early winter and disappear in the spring as its competitors for sunlight leaf out.

There were vigorous patches of pinesap poking up through the leaf litter. This plant has no chlorophyll,

but rather is a myco-heterotroph, with a parasitic relationship on fungi in the soil. Other common names for it are Dutchman's pipe and false beech-drops.

Every hike saw at least two toads, sometimes three. Here's one:

And another one!

Along the Tulip Trail there was a swath of severe wind damage. A huge gust must have driven up the side of the ridge, smashing into trees anchored in waterlogged soil. The cut ends were fresh.

 Joan inspects the wide opening in the canopy.

The frequent storms this summer left the Tulip damp.

A burst of sunlight illuminated a patch on the Hemlock Trail. We consider the Hemlock to be the most scenic trail at Clear Creek.

Fallen timber has been used to buttress this creekside section of the Hemlock. Also, a portion of the trail near the creek was being rerouted to higher ground. 

Most of the fungi we saw had been trampled or sampled by wildlife, but this specimen, at least a foot tall, was still unblemished.

Frilly skirts.

Up in the meadow Joan spotted a caterpillar of the black-waved flannel moth, a first for us.

A peek from the front.

The stinging hairs are supposed to pack quite a punch. We didn't test it.

There's a lot to be seen if you don't zoom along the trails. Including rest stops and chatting with other hikers, Joan and I manage about 1½ miles per hour.

Metro Five-0 Hikes at Clear Creek

The Columbus Metro Parks system has many parks and sponsors many programs, one of which is called Metro Five-0, activities for adults 50 and over. These activities run a wide gamut, from casual workshops on writing about nature to observing butterflies to canoeing and hiking.

Our favorite spot for nearby hilly hiking is Clear Creek Metro Park, just under an hour away. Through the Metro Five-0 program Joan and I can take guided weekday hikes into areas of Clear Creek that are unmarked and normally off-limits. So far I've been on three of these Metro Five-0 Clear Creek hikes, and Joan's been on more. I have enough photos to lightly document the last two.

Ice Cave/Jan 18
Here our Five-0 group is gathering on a chilly but sunny January 18th for the Ice Cave hike. This parking area is at the office for Clear Creek, the white building.

This hike generally has a broad trail, which in one spot blends into the landscape a bit, and has a couple of intersections. This photo is actually from the return leg, but it will suffice to illustrate.

Here we have arrived at the mouth of the small gorge where the ice cave lives.

We have stumbled into a perfect day for the ice cave. There is a steady drizzle of melt water, but the cold snap earlier in the week has left plenty of ice.

Pre-registration was required for this hike, which has a maximum number of participants, and you can understand why when people are maneuvering for a better look at the ice formations.

This is one of the views looking out from the cave into the light.

The combination of falling water and cold temperatures has laid a thick skin of ice over the sticks and stones.

This shot has a more accurate coloration.

When inspected more closely, the wet ice resembles a congealed flow of shiny glass.

Some small critter left his or her skull here.

Then it was time to hike back. The fellow in front of the group in this photo, wearing a cap, is Bob Neinast, or Barefoot Bob, who maintains a barefoot hiking blog here and has info on and maps for hiking in southeastern Ohio there. (Click on the photo to enlarge.)

Winnowing Rock
We returned for another Metro Five-0 hike on June 7th, this time to Winnowing Rock. This hike didn't require pre-registration, but the turnout was modest anyway. Here we have just departed from the parking area, crossing Clear Creek, which is muddy from heavy rain the night before, which might have suppressed the turnout.

We proceeded at a relaxed pace, observing the landscape and listening to the guide, Marcy, point out features and flora and answer our questions. Here we have paused to admire some blooming mountain laurel.

There was even more just down the road.

I zoomed in for a closeup.

Early on we passed a beaver dam.

This picture gets a little closer (click on the image to enlarge).

The damp environs of the first part of the trail supported ferns, whose spores Marcy is describing here, as well as the difference between spores and seeds. Seeds contain food as well as the plant embryo, spores do not.

There was also a lush crop of skunk cabbage, which fortunately bloomed long ago, in January and February.

One spot hosted some fire pinks.

The low-lying portion of the hike was near its end at Emily Lake, known to Google Maps as Benua Lake. The Beck and Benua families donated much of the land that became Clear Creek Metro Park.

View Larger Map
From the dam visible in the above map, this is the view.

Eventually -- the skunk cabbage and fern photos were taken just beyond the lake -- the trail began to rise.

Along our way to winnowing rock were the remains of two cabins. The first was smashed by a tree that fell during Hurricane Ike's September 2008 visit to Ohio.

The pieces have been stored, as you can see to the left of the photo, with the hope of rebuilding the cabin. It hasn't happened yet.

A foundation is all that remains of the other cabin. Rumors say that this cabin hosted celebrities and wild parties many decades ago.

After a short bit of steeper climbing, we were at Winnowing Rock. Legend has it that farmers would come up to the rock to winnow their wheat, to separate the heavier wheat kernels from the lighter chaff. It sounds like a long way to go.

Here I have zoomed in on the rock at the far tip of the bluff.

After eating our snacks, it was time to head back. Now that everyone had become familiar with the route on the way up, Marcy allowed the hikers to return at their own pace. Some, who had places to be, went quickly. Some, including Joan and me, continued to take our time and enjoy the sights and the company. Here Susan pretends to be collecting a scat sample (real scat) for later analysis.

It took us almost four hours to cover four miles, and we enjoyed every minute.