The Actual Metro Parks Post

The day after I finished the written portion of general exams I took the day off and did whatever I pleased. I got up at a reasonable hour, loaded Grim into the car, and headed off to have my second experience with the Metro Park system, large parks around the outskirts of Columbus. (My first experience was a disapointing one, but I did not have the same information as I did this time). Grim and I headed out to Highbanks with the plan of walking a three mile loop called "Coyote Run". As we got out of the car, I was pleased to see the trail started out going straight into the woods. It was amazing to be out in nature again. Going so long without much nature around, it was like a reawakening. I can't describe how refreshing and beautiful everything seemed.

I love getting up close to things to get pictures. Grim was an angel, very well behaved. She sat and waited while I fooled around trying to get a good picture of these berries. With my camera being what it is, it can be difficult to focus correctly, but I think this picture turned out quite nicely.

There were some beautiful examples of fall colors that I tried to capture the beauty of on film, but I am afraid I failed.

After going through about a half mile of trail in the woods we emerged into a huge meadow full of beautful yellow golden rod. Most of the trail looped around the edges of these meadows. It was quite pleasant. Very relaxing.

After we got back from the walk, I decided I should have gotten a picture of Grim, so I took one near the parking lot with golden rods, the theme of the day, in the background

The second Metro Park I visited, a week ago, was called Glacier Ridge. I have to admit, with a name like that, I was expecting a whole lot more. It was a beautiful, cool morning and my walk was refreshing, but this is what the trail looked like:

It was very much farmland. In fact, the trail came within a few hundred feet of old farm buildings, a shed, old rusty farm stuff, etc, with a farm house still obviously occupied by private residences. Also, the vast majority of the trail was within earshot and vision of roads. Its hard to stop and enjoy nature with the vroom of an engine every couple of minutes. It still, however, was fun for Grim, and had its small beauties, like the pretty yellow tree behind Grim, and these purple flowers that stood out so beautifully from the surrounding brown.

What I am really getting at with the Glacier Ridge comments is that despite the pleasure these trails gave me, there was still something seriously lacking, almost like they awoke a yearning they could not fulfill. I would call these parks "nature light". Highbanks had woods and overgrown meadows, and momentary seperations from cars and modern noises, but it still was about a 1.5 mile trail each way. It made me realize how lucky I was to be so near true wilderness growing up and how much I miss it! Every time I go home I try to take a day to drive up the North Shore of Lake Superior, and its wonderful.

The following are images of the area I grew up hiking in, the North Shore wilderness, the Superior Hiking Trail and the like. Loads of state parks with miles of hiking trails and millions of acres of wilderness. Bordering Lake Superior, with hill after rocky hill, endless lakes and creeks and rivers and pine trees, the chance of running into a moose or a bear at any time, leaving the trail being a serious endeavor because getting lost is no joke...

Image from jwartman59

Image from The Botanizer

(Image from Jeff Carver Music LLC)

I am not trying to belittle the Metro Park system, its great! I really enjoyed both my walks and plan to continue to use them and support them. Its just, that sort of wilderness, wilderness light as you might call it, is what I was able to walk out my front door into when I was growing up. In fact, Glacier Ridge especially reminded me of my parent's back fields more than it did of real, raw nature. I guess I am a nature elistist. I probably am romanticizing my use of the Minnesota Wilderness as well. I took plenty of hikes on little "nature light" trails in state parks, many more of them than I did of the real hikes I speak of, but it was always available.

There are of course other options in Ohio for wilderness. I have been to Hocking Hills once, and while it was really nice, it still is broken up into all these little pieces and you still are hearing cars etc. Ohio is so agricultural, and there is not nearly enough lakes to go around. Does anyone know of what the nearest real wilderness area is? Somewhere that you could actually get lost in a dangerous way, somewhere that people would go backpacking or hike five miles or ten miles without seeing a sign of civilization besides the trail in front of you... something like that sounds good right about now.