Once again, a change of plans. My itinerary called for +21 miles (+33.8 km). That’s a lot in this hilly terrain, plus major storms were expected starting around 4 p.m. So we trimmed back the miles a little.
Ed shuttled us to a spot west of Burr Oak State Park, where we dropped two cars, then took us back to Tecumseh Lake. He headed back to Wisconsin (and work), while the three of us began hiking once again.
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Of course, we immediately took the wrong path! There is one at the far end of the lake, which we took. But we should have crossed the bridge to the area where we camped. No worries; the two paths almost immediately merged.
Heading Toward Burr Oak State Park
We have camping reservations for two nights at Burr Oak. But given the forecast, which became grimmer by the hour, we decided to opt for a stay in their lodge tonight, if the forecast held. Our main priority was beating the rain.
The three of us tried to keep a good pace, and it was relatively easy. While the route featured some big climbs, there was also a lot of more moderate terrain and some road walks.
At one point we ran into a trail maintainer – the same Richard who had shuttled Ed and me on our first day! He and several 
others were working on this new section of trail. We ran into the others as well, which was fun.
Bad End to the Day
We were jubilant as we neared our cars; we’d avoided the rain! But with less than a mile left (1.5 km), it began to pour. Rats!
When we reached our cars, there was a confrontation. We weren’t parked at an official parking spot, as there was none in this area, but rather alongside the road. Amy and Bruce were OK, as their car was away from homes. But there was no more room for me there, and the only good spot was in front of someone’s home on Antle Orchard Road. This is a very narrow road with no shoulders, and the homes all have ditches/culverts near the road. I used to live in an area like this, and everyone parked on the road with two tires on the grass by the culvert.
I parked this same way and put a sign in my windshield stating that I was hiking on the Buckeye Trail and would be back soon. As I approached my car, I saw the homeowner striding toward me with his large dog at his side. It was clear he was quite angry. He began screaming at me, dropping F bombs right and left, declaring that I had illegally parked on his lawn. I apologized, saying I’d believed this was an appropriate place to park, as it was back home, and noted I’d put a sign in my windshield stating I was hiking the Buckeye Trail so the locals wouldn’t be surprised or worried by an unusual car.
Determined to Be Angry
The guy wouldn’t listen to anything I said, and my apologies were ignored. He just kept screaming at me with F bombs until Bruce began walking towards us. They locked eyes for a few seconds, and then the guy told me, “Get the F out of here.” I was more than happy to oblige.
I’m so dismayed and sad. I’ve hiked more than 10,000 miles (16,093 km) on various trails and have parked on the roadside many times. Always with a note in my windshield, always asking permission first if someone is around when I’m parking. Everyone has always been very kind and gracious.
I really wasn’t sure if this guy was going to prevent me from getting in my car, have his dog attack me or start trashing my car. My friends were also very worried.
So anyone hiking this trail – avoid parking on Antle Orchard Road.
We did end up staying in the lodge, due to the storms – which knocked out power for a while! Glad we had that option.
Snowshoe
Ohio NCT miles today: 17.5 (28.2 km)
Ohio NCT miles to date: 638 (1,026.8 km)
Total NCT miles to date: 3,485.7 (5,609.7 km)
Total NCT miles to go: 1,114.3 (1,793.3 km)
Most useful gear today: My Kuhl raincoat, which protected me from the rain. It’s pricey, but worth it.
