Today’s hike to the SR 41 Trailhead in Troy was a solid day. I woke up early and quickly broke camp. It was about 10 degrees warmer (40 F / 4.4 C), which helped, but it was still cold. I ate breakfast in my car.
I got to Troy and my arranged meeting spot with Tim about 30 minutes early, so I read the paper. But when Tim didn’t arrive at our 9:30 meeting time, I texted him. Oops! I was at the wrong spot. Luckily, it was just a few miles away, so we quickly connected.
Before Tim dropped me back off in Lockington, he gave me two bottles of his home-brewed beer – how kind!
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Making My Way to the SR 41 Trailhead
The path out of Lockington begins on roads, then segues onto trail. It’s a little confusing, because the spot where you access the trail is alongside a private driveway, where there’s a sign that says it’s private property. You don’t see any blazes other than one faded blaze that says to turn there, so you wonder. But once you head alongside the driveway for a few yards, you see the trail.
The hiking here was very pleasant. There are more wildflowers blooming, which was enjoyable. But best of all, I spotted two horses across the canal, being led by a man and woman. I didn’t think too much about it, until I saw two canal boats hooked together and a line from the boats to the horses.
Aha! A demonstration on how the canal and boats worked. I whipped out my phone and got a great video of it. The boats were filled with elementary school kids, so we waved and said hi to one another.
Out of the Woods
Eventually, my foray through the woods ended. From there, the path is largely a series of asphalt recreational trails that lead through Piqua and Eldean before reaching Troy. In one spot, the trail – on the canal towpath – slices through a cemetery. Was the cemetery there when the canals were operative?
Also, in Piqua, there’s interesting information about how the city was the first to be powered entirely by nuclear power in the 1960s. The first in the world! It was selected as a prototype, although the plant was decommissioned by the 1970s. So much intriguing history!
Snowshoe
NCT Miles Today: 17 (27.4 km)
Ohio NCT miles to date: 194.9 (313.7 km)
Total NCT miles to date: 2,133.7 (3,433.9 km)
Total NCT miles to go: 2,466.3 (3,969.1 km)
Today’s most valuable gear: My Hot Hands hand warmers (this brand is the best, by far) and my Therm-a-Rest inflatable sitting pad (yes, I have the green one!).
