Once again, amazing Chrissy helped with my shuttle today from my parking spot to Rinard Mills. This part of the trail is quite remote, with tiny roads and no shoulders, so I wanted to drop my car at an official parking spot. There’s one at the Upper Archer’s Fork Trailhead, but it’s in the middle of the trail. This meant I’d have to hike the trail to the road, passing my car, then trek nearly 4 miles (6.4 km) on the roads back to my car. But you gotta do what you gotta do.
I was really hoping to have an enjoyable day on the trail, then camp at Wolf Run State Park, where I’ve got reservations for two nights. But the forecast once again showed a possible shower at the end of the day. I crossed my fingers.
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Heading Out from Rinard Mills
I dropped my car at the trailhead, then Chrissy shuttled me to a trail crossing near Rinard Mills. And I was off. This first section was a super-steep downhill; in one part, there was a thick rope for you to grab onto (probably more for those going uphill).
Other than that, the trail was quite lovely. While there were definitely some big hills, a lot of the trail was flat, running along various creeks. I did get off track once, while following an ATV or maintenance route, then figured I’d easily bushwhack back to the trail. While it wasn’t the worst experience, it did take longer than I’d thought. I should have backtracked.
I’ve been meaning to note that there are all of these tiny oil rigs around here. Chrissy says companies (or the state?) pay landowners to have them on their land. Interesting. I’d also been noticing that there are random spots of asphalt in the middle of gravel roads. Some are in good shape, others are not. Chrissy told me that homeowners can pay to have portions of the road paved. But as people sell their homes and others move in, the new residents don’t always want to keep up the paving. Also interesting.
Challenges at the End
I was pretty excited as I was finishing the trail segments. They’d been very scenic – more of those cool rock formations – and not too taxing. I’d seen a natural bridge. And despite crossing creeks numerous times, I’d managed to keep my feet dry. So it 
was frustrating, with a mere .1 mile left, to be faced with a deep creek. I tried the easy way, crossing with tall plastic bags over my shoes. But the creek was an inch or too higher (nearly up to my knees), so my feet got soaked.
Then, on the trek back to my car on the roads, I had to wade through water three more times. Ugh!
I was hoping to keep my reservation at Wolf Run State Park tonight. But it began raining when I had about a half-mile (1 km) left, and the rain continued as I drove to the park. Lightning also flashed through the sky. So I ended up, yet again, in another motel.
I’ve decided I need to bail from this hike a few days early. There’s just been too much rain/mud and too few shuttles in this area. Rats. Yet I’ve had a great, nearly three weeks on the trail. Until my return …
Snowshoe
Ohio NCT miles today: 9.8 (15.8 km)
Ohio NCT miles to date: 770.2 (1,239.5 km)
Total NCT miles to date: 3,617.9 (5,822.5 km)
Total NCT miles to go: 982.1 (1,580.5 km)
Most useful gear today: My Prana hiking pants, which protected me from scrub and mud!
