I wasn’t sure how my last week would go, as I was having trouble finding shuttles. I thought about backpacking this last week, but you can’t just camp anywhere, as you can on trails such as the CDT. Luckily, Matthew (head of The Wilderness Chapter) offered to shuttle me today. Yay!
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I met Matthew in Macksburg, then got in his car for the shuttle to Stanleyville. He gave me interesting intel. Apparently The Wilderness chapter imploded at some point, leaving him the only member. Hence the lack of people to shuttle hikers (not to mention maintain the trail!). They are working on recruiting new members.
Matthew said the hills get insanely steeper now – groan! Is that even possible?! He also said it’s much easier to hike the Buckeye Trail clockwise. Interesting, as I’ve had a few much easier days when we did, indeed, hike westbound. That was my route today.
Making My Way from Stanleyville
After Matthew dropped me off, I began my trek. I had a higher-mileage day on the books, but I’d started earlier, hoping to beat the rain that was expected around 3 p.m. Luckily, I was able to click off the miles pretty well, as the route was relatively flat. 
Yes, you read correctly. I was easily averaging 3 mph (4.8 kph).
At one point, I saw a sign noting somebody’s castle. Indeed, some people were building a new home that looked like a castle – and right in the middle of a remote countryside. Love it!
I stopped around noon for lunch, then continued westbound. I soon met a man mowing his lawn in the small enclave of Warner; he stopped to chat, as he sees a lot of hikers trekking past his home.
Winding Down the Day
Shortly after chatting with the man, the route went off a highway and onto a gravel road. Except you had to cross one of those concrete pads that help cars get over creeks that are normally shallow, but thanks to all of the rain, Duck Creek was high. The water would have been at least up to my calves, and maybe higher. More concerning, it was really rushing over the concrete. I feared I would fall.
I opted to walk on the highway back to my car, even though it was a longer trek. But, happily, I soon came across another gravel road that had a bridge over the creek and, eventually, merged with the NCT. So I took that and all was well.
Snowshoe
Ohio NCT miles today: 17 (27.4 km)
Ohio NCT miles to date: 731.7 (1,177.6 km)
Total NCT miles to date: 3,579.4 (5,760.5 km)
Total NCT miles to go: 1,020.6 (1,642.5 km)
Most useful gear today: My lightweight trekking poles. Couldn’t handle the hills without these!
