NW Ohio Or Smoky Mountains

I wish I could put how I have been feeling lately into words. I find it very hard to sit down and write anything meaningful as of late, whether it be fiction, blog, or code. Do not get me wrong, I have the motivation and the need to write, but sitting down in front of my computer to get anything done is difficult. Perhaps that is why I am babbling like this: right now any writing feels good, even if it is pointless babble.

I do have this to share, though:

Last January I visited Side Cut Metropark and immediately fell in love with it. From then until two weeks ago when I moved to Findlay, I made weekly visits to Side Cut. I made it my place of escape, a place for me to get away from my normal, daily life and peacefully spend time alone to discover myself.

As fall gives way to winter this year I turn my interest to a new playground of discovery: Oak Openings Preserve Metropark. While I have been talking about moving into the Oak Openings region as an upgrade to Side Cut, it was not until this weekend that I went for my first time since I was about six years old. I spent part of Saturday with my family leisurely walking around a couple trails, and it was quite beautiful, especially at this time of the year.

While Oak Openings Preserve has access to a wide variety of plants and animals to see and miles of trails to explore, there is one particular path through the park that I am the most interested in: the Oak Openings Hiking Trail (otherwise known as the Scout Trail). This is a 16-ish mile primitive hiking trail that more or less runs around the outer perimeter of the park. The key word is "hiking," because I see this as a good opportunity to begin my long-distance hiking practice for my return trip to the Smoky Mountains in 2010. While I have mastered every square inch of Sidecut Metropark, the scale of those trails and exploration pales in comparison to Oak Openings.

Thus, beginning next weekend I will begin a series of weekly trips to Oak Openings Preserve to tackle and practice hiking the O.O. Hiking Trail. I do not intend to do all 16 miles in one day on my first weekend, but definitely by the end of the year I intend for the 16 mile hike to be a breeze for me.

I will very likely try to liven up Critically Correct with some pictures and stories from my time spent hiking in Oak Openings Preserve. Until then, B3 out.