Scott had a tasty treat lined up for my birthday - a winter's hike in Hocking Hills. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with Hocking Hills, you're really missing an amazing natural wonder. Hocking Hills is a maze of deep valley's, beautiful creeks, gushing waterfalls, threatening cliffs and deep, breathtakingly gorgeous caves that curl and wind around the area's hills of stone. It's absolutely amazing in the summer, but in the wintertime, it's mind-blowing. Waterfalls are frozen, though some have water still running through its center, like a gigantic, frozen garden hose. Water that once poured from streams, hillsides, and in between rocks that form massive walls are all frozen over... some formations are taller than my house, and a few were tallen than the trees!
I snapped a butt-load of photos (and Scott shot some too) - and this is just a few of them. That's Scott in the blue hoodie. He's at the end of the tunnel too. I loved that shot.
And that one where he's walking on frozen water... I'll keep my joke about him walking on water to myself.
Much of the steps and trails were covered in ice... and I mean COVERED! It was like walking on an ice skating rink - without the skates or flat surface... and with lots and lots of uneven steps. Luckily, I didn't fall once.. but I did witness a few falls from others. (Yikes!) And it was mighty chilly down in those hollers. I had 2 pair of pants on and my legs were still feeling a'mite nippy! But I saw a few folks head in with nothing but tennis shoes and light jackets... and I really laughed at the city girls who came dressed in these thin two-piece running outfits with sneakers and big sunglasses. I swear, their lips were blue! And they were shivering something terrible. But they looked good (well, before they turned blue).But the walk was excellent. I don't ever want to miss another winter at the Hocking Hills. I think this might just become a yearly birthday tradition!
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