It was a long hike to Yellow Springs today – maybe my longest in Ohio. I met Tim in Yellow Springs, which he says is a hippie-type town that’s also the home of comedian David Chappelle. I dropped my car, and he shuttled me back to Dayton.
I headed out under cloudy skies. It was supposed to be warm today – in the 70s F (21 C) – so I had shorts on. It was already in the mid-60s F (18.3 C) when I started out. After walking along the Great Miami River, where it merges with the Mad River, I passed a memorial to the Wright Brothers. I always associate them with Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and often forget their ties to Ohio. There are Wright references everywhere!
Heading to Yellow Springs
Once I passed the Wright statue and crossed a bridge, the sun came out and things warmed quickly. For the next several hours, the trail followed bike paths. Apparently Ohio has the most miles of connected bike paths in the nation. I forget how many miles – maybe 300 or 400 (482-643 km)?
At one point, the trail led through a pretty park, then veered onto a singletrack trail along the Mad River. It was quite lovely.
The next segue was onto a more urban asphalt trail that led past the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (Tim says it’s excellent) and through the town of Fairborn.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (among regular links) to products I own and like, or which I think you might like. This means that, at no extra cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Inching Closer
After hiking through Fairborn, the trail is almost entirely on roads until Yellow Springs. There’s one tiny part in the woods, but that’s about it. I was hot by then, and anxious to finish.
Imagine my surprise when I reached Yellow Springs. It’s a Sunday night, and while the weather was nice, it’s May 1. But Yellow Springs was FILLED with people and traffic. I was trying to chat with my son on the phone, and so many vehicles were passing it was nearly impossible. And down at the parking lot, the downtown was filled with people. I’m so curious as to whether this is normal or not.
Hunkering Down for the Night
The winds picked up this afternoon, and averaged 23 mph (37 kph) for hours. Luckily, the wind was mostly at my back. It calmed down once I reached my campsite at John Bryan State Park, thank goodness.
I’ve got one more nice day of hiking tomorrow, and then thunderstorms are in the forecast for Tuesday. Yuck.
Snowshoe
NCT Miles Today: 22.6 (36.4 km)
Ohio NCT miles to date: 217.5 (350 km)
Total NCT miles to date: 2,156.3 (3,470.2 km)
Total NCT miles to go: 2,443.7 (3,932.8 km)
Today’s most valuable gear: My Prana hiking shorts.
