Hocking Hills, Ohio

Hocking Hills, Ohio 2011

My good friend Sam and I decided to spend a few days photographing a place in Ohio called Hocking Hills. The location is found in the south central part of the state about 30 miles south of Lancaster Ohio. Sandstone in the region has been molded into interesting cliffs and gorges by the hand of nature over countless centuries. The Hills have bragging rights to waterfalls. Over six individual waterfalls can be found among the Hills in addition to cascading streams. The secret to enjoying these aquatic exhibitionists is to visit after plenty of rains nourish them, without rain, they are hushed. The geological features that surround are enjoyable to hike.


Friday, April 20th, 2011

A predawn start got us rolling after watching the HD televised wedding of Prince William and Lady Kate.
Our route was programmed with a GPS leading us from Pittsburgh, PA to Zanesville, Ohio by I 70 west then Rt 22 to Rt 33 to Lancaster and onto Logan where accommodations were arranged at the Holiday Inn Express. Across the way is a Mexican cantina and down the road is a South West Barbecue. (The Old Dutch Restaurant is still open.)

Sam and I arrived in the area around 10 am checked in and covered different locations marked on the map. The tail end of a storm system yet lingered above. The clouds provide an important screen to the suns dazzling light. This muted light is essential when photographing waterfalls. Harsh light will reflect off the gushing water simulating a glare of hot brightness too difficult for the camera sensor to compensate for. It was a fortunate blessing since the forecast was blue skies next day.

Ash Cave location:
The trail at Ash Cave is a relatively short trail that leads back to a fascinating overhanging cave like sandstone cliff. At the edge of the forested precipice flow three slender ribbons of water falling to a pool below. The height of the drop is about 90 feet. The rock formation acts as an acoustic amplifier to the rhythmic music of the falling water. Sam and I set up our tripods and camera equipment and sought the best perspective. Our shutter speed was adjusted for long exposures. This will make the water have a mystical silky appearance in the image capture.

Few people joined us in our journeys around the park since it was a Friday. One should have the park all to their own during midweek.




Cedar Falls location:
The trail back to Cedar Falls is an enjoyable hike. A bridge crosses over the stream going along the trail. Early wildflowers are dappled among the fallen timbers of the forest floor. The resonance of rushing waters can be heard as we approach. Once we arrived at the falls, it was flowing with a charitable amount of water. Another waterfall named Hidden Falls also shares this secluded area. Cedar Falls wraps in a twisted pattern along the smooth sandstone into a pool. The water flows out of the pool down into a rapid leading to the stream. We setup our tripods and selected several angles to photograph both waterfalls. The other falls is hidden in a little alcove but has particular camera-friendly qualities about it. We climbed down to join a few other photographers and captured great images.

We decided to stop for lunch along the road returning from Cedar Falls. I have a sixth sense about these things and it elbowed me to stop at Cedar Falls Inn and Spa. This is a welcoming log cabin arrangement. The chef greeted us as we past through the open kitchen into the dinning area. The soup and sandwich selection delivered to our table was a level above most. The homemade mushroom soup was scrumptious and the sandwich exceptional. I could not pass up the opportunity to enjoy the mixed berry cobbler. It would have been a dreadful mistake if I had.

Now to work off that filling lunch we proceeded to Old Mans Cave location.

Old Mans Cave Location:
This location is the primary stop amongst the Hocking Hills. The park headquarters, refreshment stand, facilities, and large parking area are all found here. The trail leading to the cave and then onto yet another waterfall is longer than the others are. The trail also has more steps beside complex terrain. (Caution when hiking the narrow worn out sandstone steps as when wet they can be hazardous)
The trail leads along the stream with impressive cascades rushing all along to the bottom waterfall. The trail has several access points from the parking area to be selected according to the task at hand and based on difficulty.
Some of the more photogenic opportunities are the cascade found at the beginning of the trail just below the park headquarters. This cascade falls just underneath a well-placed stone bridge. Hiking further down we came to a place aptly named the Devils Washtub. The water swirls into a whirlpool of churning chaos as it finds a path to cascade between a narrow gap in the rock. Just before we found the dissenting steps, leading to the lower falls is an S shaped outline in the stream. This feature is surrounded by woodland wonders and has a unique pictorial quality not to be overlooked.

At this point one can decide to descend along the path to the lower falls or return by way of the central access near the cave. We decide to begin our decent. The late day sun was emerging from the cloud shield spoiling the lower falls. A few remaining clouds allowed narrow windows to capture the falls in halfway decent light. Some children skipped stones along the turquoise pool.
Our return to the parking area was by climbing up the steep staircase found at the lower falls location. It is a good thing I took Lipitor beforehand.
Upon our return to the Holiday Inn, we decided to try the Mexican Cantina across the way. My sixth sense let me down this time. The food was standard fare with a little too much salt added in for good measure. We could have floated a lead weight on top of the salt that was laid to it. We started to wonder if the Dead Sea was still OK. We decided to find the nearest desalination plant for treatment before retiring.

NEXT DAY

Saturday, April 30th 2011

The Holiday Inn had complimentary breakfast ready at 6am and we took some time to enjoy coffee and such. Since much was accomplished the day of arrival, we decided to cancel a second night’s stay and return to Pittsburgh later in the day.

Our early start allowed us to revisit all of the locations we covered on Friday for a second opportunity to capture additional images. The coolness of morning slowly retreats as the warmth of a new spring day advanced.

Our first stop was Ash cave (route 56). The boisterous songbirds welcomed us in the cool of morning as we hiked the trail. The early light was much improved but the quantity of water was diminished. (Three cascading falls Friday reduced to 2 ½ the next day) It being a Saturday, weekend warrior photography enthusiast joined us at the cave. As expected, we found many more people running about all day long.

Our next stop was Cedar Cave (route 374) and we made an effort to seek even more creative image captures than the day before. (Again the water just overnight had diminished somewhat)

We decided to visit a location passed by the day before. Cockle’s Hollow is an interesting natural area set further apart from the other park features (Route 374). It is a refreshing hike back along the trail with high cliffs towering on both sides. The trail leads back to a small waterfall named Beckwith Falls. It is set deep into a dark alcove of rock. If the sunlight strikes the water at the perfect moment, it can be an interesting image capture.

Lunch was enjoyed at the Dinning Lodge buffet style. The selections are standard country fare and not bad. I over did it as is my habit; so off to Old Mans Cave to work it off. At this point, the bones began to complain a little.

Old Mans Cave was crowded with jubilant visitors. We took the center access point down into the gorge and hiked along the upper trail. Our image captures were rewarding. Our cup runs over with spring hiking and a cornucopia of waterfall photography. Our return to Pittsburgh was by Ohio 668 NE, 37 W, 668 N to Exit 141 on I 70 the East to Washington PA I 79 to Pittsburgh. Route 688 is a roller coaster ride of a road.

Evelyn had a refreshing dinner ready upon our homecoming.

THE END