Walking Ledges Trail

It seems like it was months ago that we took a walk on the Ledges Trail that is part of the Virginia Kendall State Park Historic District, near the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  In reality, it was only a week ago that I first wrote about walking in the Cuyahoga River Valley and only a few days before that when we were actually there!

As often happens in our lives, I had grand plans that I would contemplate and then write about the things we saw and learned while we were there.  And now, I look at the pictures and I wonder if I can recall enough to write anything!  

The answer is, actually, that I can recall a great deal if only I give myself the time to immerse myself in the photos.  As I look at them I remember my thoughts and feelings at the time I took them.  That, in itself, is a good reason for trotting around in the woods with a camera.

At least it works for me.

The parking area was fairly large and there was a nice shelter next to a very large open area that someone described to us as a lawn.  It was certainly mowed and kept as a public gathering space, that is for certain.  But, the lawn itself was surrounded by woods and interesting sandstone formations.

The trail started as a fairly wide paved walkway and then it transitioned to a wide rock path.  Eventually, it turned into what was just a broad, packed-down path until we got to some of the "ledges" the park was named for.  Then the Ledges Trail finally seemed a lot more like a trail (in my opinion).

We went at a reasonable morning hour before many people had decided to visit the park and before things heated up.  Although, the woodlands canopy was sufficiently dense that I wonder if it ever gets all that hot there.  

It is possible that the thing I liked best about this walk was the filtered light and the silence that seems to come with wooded areas like this.  Even though we could periodically hear vehicles, planes and other hikers, there was a stillness that had a calming effect on my nerves.  Perhaps Tammy did not feel the same, but I am certain we both enjoyed this walk/hike.

Speaking of Tammy, I am very proud of her continued progress as she has now passed the one year mark since she had reconstructive surgery on one of her Achilles tendons.  Walking on uneven surfaces can still a bit difficult, especially now that her hip is getting in on the act.  It turns out if you spend a lot of time favoring one leg that has an Achilles problem, it can beat on the hip on the opposite side.  Alas.

Still, she continue to do her physical therapy and stretches to try and improve her mobility.  It's hard work and I suspect it can impact how enjoyable some of these walks are.  But I am hopeful if I take lots of pictures and write about them, she might get to re-enjoy the walk without the "less fun" parts.

Oh look!  There she is!  Go Tammy go!

One of the issues with Tammy's recovery is that she does move much faster than she did last year at the same point in time.  I've gotten into the habit of stopping ... um... a fair amount, to take pictures and look at things.  It used to be easy to catch back up to her.  Now she has to stop every so often to wait for me to catch up.

I am fortunate that she tolerates my "walk there again" silliness.  I actually do have fun trying to take photos of where we are going and what we are seeing.  Sometimes, she points out areas she thinks could make a good picture.  And, of course, she is usually correct.

There were a few places where the sun broke through.  I am often surprised by how strong it is during the month of August.  As we crossed these locations we were reminded that it was Summer and we should expect to get a bit sweaty as we were actually exerting ourselves.  

Of course, it was nothing like what we are going to experience here in Iowa for the next few days.  But, it was a bit like the next few days are going to be.  A period of discomfort followed by relief.  We were warm for a short while as we crossed the sunny patch, then the trees welcomed us back to their shade and we were reminded to be grateful for their presence.

If there are people out there who don't understand or believe that trees can have a profound impact on the temperature around them, they need to visit a forest as soon as possible!

The camera I use does a very good job with shaded images and a filtered light.  It does a less fine job with very bright conditions.  So, of course, I took lots of pictures knowing I would be able to capture more depth than I can in other situations. 

What I like most about the pictures I am sharing in today's blog is that they actually do a good job of representing to me how the place looked and felt as we walked there.  Sometimes images feel flat, appear brighter or darker than they seemed when we there, or otherwise fail to feel like they are accurate.  At least from my perspective, the colors and textures you see here are also those that reside in my brain as memories.

Hopefully I will find it in me to share the batch of images that celebrate the textures of this part of the world.  Initially I had this idea that I would learn some geology and talk about how some of these rock patterns happened.  I also figured I'd learn a bit more about moss and trees and spiders and all kinds of other things.

And I will.  Because I am always trying to learn more about all sorts of things.

But I don't think I'll wait to share those images until I've done all of that because... well, you know.   Sometimes it's more fun to share your learning as it progresses rather than waiting until you think you've completed the task.  And besides, if you think you're done learning, you're probably wrong.