hiking

Hiking Near Cincinnati — Go on Hike, Any Hike will Do

November 17, 2015 by admin

Finding time to hike is hard.

Hiking Near Cincinnati

I know sometimes life comes at you from a thousand different directions and finding time for hiking near Cincinnati or any hiking is difficult.

We all have family and employment responsibilities that add to our stress but if you can slip away just for a few moments…

—

Maybe you can do something just for yourself for a change.

You are the glue for your family and friends.

You need to be strong, clear headed, and happy.

I encourage you to go for a hike for yourself — there are plenty of hiking places near Cincinnati.

Even if it is just a wee-little hike

Take a moment for yourself when you are running errands or taking your break.

When I worked for the state, the building I worked in had lovely ponds behind it. The ponds were the remnants of an old fish hatchery and filled with scores of small fish.

I would slip away several times during the day, to stroll around the ponds to clear my head.

On my breaks, I did yoga while watching green and great blue herons stalk little fish.

In the fall, scores of migrating cedar waxwings would curl into the protected oasis of these ponds. The flock would fly in great right-handed swirling patterns, scooping low over the surface of the water stirring up the insects, and then the cedar waxwings would take turns diving through the cloud of insects much like various species of whales hunt.

You can capture time like this too.

Maybe wake a little earlier — this only works if you promise and keep your promise to yourself that this time is for you! Not so you can get done more stuff. Stuff to do will always accumulate.

Or, what if you actually took your lunch break?

Take a side trip on the way home and let the traffic clear while you go hiking.

Recently, we were returning from a trip to Indiana and since I don’t commute anymore, I forgot all about rush hour traffic. I was on 275 between Mosteller and 42 going no where fast when I realized, we don’t have to sit in this traffic we could be hiking in Hamilton County Park’s Sharon Woods or hiking at Trammel Fossil Park.

I took the Sharonville exit and we went fossil hunting at Trammel Fossil Park for almost two hours or hiking and exploring Cincinnati’s rich history!

We got a little carried away but I was watching the traffic from our vantage point and peeking at Google maps.

We wouldn’t have been home any sooner than we eventually got home because there had been a couple of accidents on all the roads we could have taken. Instead of sitting in a car with two bored children, we collected tiny brachiopods, corals, and hiked the rocky bots of Cincinnati’s ancient sea floor!

The kids still talk about it!

A hike through the woods sure beats sitting in rush hour traffic that isn’t going anywhere.

The holiday season is bearing down. Family is coming into visit. Your traveling to visit family. Ads are screaming for you to spend, spend, spend.

I’m begging you to spend time on yourself!

Here is my poem to help you remember to go hiking around Cincinnati or where ever you are:

Go on a hike

Any hike will do

Just go on a hike

A hike just for you.

HIKE OFTEN. LIVE MORE.

It’s a good thing I’m not afraid of heights!

January 22, 2013 by admin

Five Rivers MetroParks is nothing short of amazing! You can take the kids up the 81 steps to the tippy-top of the Cox Arboretum Tree Tower. Of course, that is if you can handle the view from that height.

Cox_winter hike_tree tower (6) — 81 one steps up! Do that 11.7 times and you will have climbed the same number of as inside the Washington Monument!

The wood tower was built thanks to the donations of over 400 donors via the James M. Cox Jr. Arboretum Foundation membership. It took ten years of collaboration and planning, the project is valued at approximately $500,000.

When you are on the tower on a windy day, the tower sings. I don’t know if this was intentional or just fortunate. It was delightful listening to the forlorn tunes while taking in the panoramic views of the surrounding landscape including the forest and gardens.

Watch out if you are not into heights, the tower is 46 feet high and has “sides” that are about waist high.

Cox_winter hike_tree tower (5) — Ah! Straight down!

As far as the rules, use your common sense–don’t hang anything off of it; if it is wet out the steps are likely to be slippery; and if there is a thunderstorm…err…it is the tallest thing around i.e. enormous lightening rod…you should make an fast exit.

Winter Hiking with New Friends

December 31, 2012 by admin

It can be scary getting started on hiking. You’d like to go with a friend and enjoy the hike and conversation because talking to yourself and answering isn’t a good practice.

The Buckeye Trail Association has a Meet-Up group. This is a group of really nice people who just like to hike and meet other people who do to. Here is a link to their information about upcoming hikes: http://www.miamiriverschapter.org/

The great thing about the group besides the peeps in it is that hikes are often offered to different skill groups. This is good news no matter what your skill level–If you are a beginner you aren’t looking at everyone’s backsides in the way-far distance and if you are an experienced hiker who wants to ramp up your heartbeat you aren’t worried about leaving folks in your wake.

Buckeye Trail Association website is www.buckeyetrail.org.

Happy Hiking!

I’m BACK!

September 4, 2012 by admin

Hello! I’m back.

Today is the first day of school for the kids and I am officially off summer break and back on writing and hiking for a living. This fall I will be hiking a lot and am looking forward to telling you all about the trails. My friend Katie over at FamilyFriendlyCincinnati.com is having a contest for a copy of my book. We are meeting later this week so the copies will even be signed by yours truly which I hear makes them far more valuable. (The crowd goes wild.)

I’m debating on which direction I want to go hiking this coming weekend. I’m thinking north so I can do some great hikes while there isn’t snow and slush on the ground. I know! I am thinking about snow already!

If you have a chance to get outside, I highly recommend hiking the Twin Valley backpacking trail between Germantown and Twin Valley Metro Parks on the south side of Dayton. It will take you the better part of a day to get it done. Here is a link to the article I wrote for Backpacker about the trail and with a elevation and trail map.

If you need something shorter, try Sugarcreek MetroPark or Cox Arboretum which have several loop trails for shorter hikes. Need a paved trail? Both have short looped trails that are paved.

All the best,

Tammy

P.S. I am looking for new trails so if your park has changed or added trails in the last five years please contact me! Thanks!

Keep Hydrated

June 4, 2012 by admin

Summer time brings warmer weather and the need to make sure that you are staying hydrated. Of course, if you have been awake the last few years you know that disposable water bottles are convenient but not the best environmental choice.

So what are your other options?

Steel and aluminum bottles can have thin expoxy resin over the metal which can leach BPA into the water. And, reusable water bottles can still have BPA in them.

What’s BPA? It is bisphenol A.

Yeah, that helped you a lot didn’t it…

BPA is used in polycarbonate plastics that are used for things like water bottles. BPA isn’t good for your body. Here’s what the FDA has to say “Studies employing standardized toxicity tests have thus far supported the safety of current low levels of human exposure to BPA. However, on the basis of results from recent studies using novel approaches to test for subtle effects, both the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health and FDA have some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children. In cooperation with the National Toxicology Program, FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research is carrying out in-depth studies to answer key questions and clarify uncertainties about the risks of BPA.”

The solution I found is to use Nalgene bottles which are made in the USA. The bottles are made from polycarbonate and are pretty, don’t absorb odors and are extremely rugged. This is a huge problem for me because there are just so many pretty, pretty colors. I have a 32-ounce wide mouth emerald green, 32-ounce wide mouth deep amethyst, and four 16-ounce small mouth cobalt blues.

I love my Nalgenes!

I know I’m gushing (no pun intended) but I so love this product mainly because I have a pack with a ton (yes, the English kind) of weight with all the gear I lug out to write about hikes. I always take my Nalgene and NEVER have to worry about everything getting wet because the lid seals tight.

With the wide mouth Nalgenes, I can easily fill it with ice cubes, water, a flavor packet (Hawaiian Punch—yes, I’m six), and screw the lid on tight, shake the BettleJuice out of it and I’m ready to roll.

Speaking of which…gotta go finish a hike.

Slowing Down

May 16, 2012 by admin

Slow Down

Hiking isn’t about getting from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible (well, unless there is a thunderstorm). A hike with your kids is about the adventure you have along the way. However, when you think of an adventure you might envision towering cliffs, raging rivers, plunging waterfalls but to your child every day and new experience is an adventure.

It is difficult to slow down. Especially when as an adult you are typically juggling a busy work schedule, kid’s scheduled activities, and life in general it is hard to stop and smell the roses.

Next time you are out with your kids on a hike make a point to take your time along the trail and see what you can discover by simply looking.

hiking with kids, adventures in ordinary — Walnut Mysteries

On a recent hike, my daughter discovered this chewed walnut and though it was the most incredible thing ever. She marveled over what it could be, what could have made those marks in it, what was inside of it, and what would want to live it the shell now. I forced myself to not say, “Come on! Let’s get going!” instead I said, “Wow! That is really amazing! What do you think?” This open ended conversation lead to a rather amusing discussion about squirrels versus chipmunks and the snail that would finally have a place to call home.