We had planned this hike months in advance. New hiking shoes were purchased, bug spray acquired, detailed lists were made…(Not by this adventurer though...luckily, Tony’s preparedness offsets my spontaneity.)
and then of course, plans changed because that is what plans do. We ended up not going, at least not as a group anyway.
As it turned out, the river adventure did most of the others in.



      Tony and I still went after everyone left. We were led by one of my favorite guides ever, two dogs, a cat and a new friend. It was honestly the best time I had on the trip.
We climbed over the fallen trees, did our best to avoid the stinging nettle and watched the puppy on its first trip in search of the cave. My excitement level rivaled hers.
Seeing where the water had smoothed the rocks and looking at the boulders that called me to climb them...it all just made me feel at home.

Nature always does that.
   When isolation starts to get to me, it’s the company of good people and great scenery that always makes me feel like I am right where I am supposed to be.



The company we had was perfect; two locals guiding the two wandering nomads. We got to look at rocks and the way the water had left certain formations ..the moss, leaves, dogs playing in the creek, I was in my nirvana.



Often times people overlook places that don't have major attractions. The only thing in Ohio that had interested me before was Cedar Point, so much more is there though. The beauty of the woods, the trails, the river.
Sometimes it just takes a friend to remind you what you love to do, or a friend in the area showing you around his hometown.



Getting back into nature has helped my mental health more than anything has in the past 5 years. After the year of isolation,the traumatic divorce, and the custody battle of a lifetime. Exploring America with my best friend has pretty much been a lifesaver and allowed me to handle the daily struggles of parenting and pet ownership.

Ohio was beautiful and surprisingly it will probably be a place I frequent many more times in this lifetime.
Although, looking for Sasquatch will have to be something we do next time.