Cabin Fever – irritability, listlessness, and similar symptoms resulting from long confinement or isolation indoors during the winter. (Oxford Languages Dictionary).

It had been frigid in the Cincinnati area – the temperature had not been out of the teens for two weeks. The artist in me said that perhaps we could find some interesting ice formations along the waterways of Northern Kentucky. The practical person in me told me to find a book and stay at home. The artist won out.

The photographer is in a walking boot, trying to rehab herself back into trail condition. Our daughter Ellen had a day off work and bravely, or naively, suggested that she would be free in the afternoon for a hike and could be the photographer for the outing. The temperature was 22 degrees and the wind chill was 13 – but it was sunny. So we ventured out.

I chose Gunpowder Creek Nature Preserve as I thought that the running creek could offer images of ice on the creek, and because I knew that the trail descended down into a valley from the parking area and hopefully would take us out of the wind. At least that is how I sold it to Ellen.

Footpaths had been here once before but there were trail sections that we had not hiked. This time we took a hard left at the sign in the above photo, to traverse the new section of trail.

It was a moderately mature wood, but it was so cold that I did not take phone notes on which tree species were present. The bare dirt trail zigzagged as it descended the hillside.

As it did so it offered up glimpses of a frozen Gunpowder Creek in the floor of the valley.

At the base of the hill we headed south, to the left, walking parallel to the creek. There were trees and understory between us and the stream.

Episodically there were diversions down to the bank, where fly fishermen test their skills in warmer weather, giving us views upon the stream, as seen in the title photo and below.

Standing streamside, I was glad we came. It was an ice laden waterway with areas of open water that looked static, yet sang to us.

A little further south we found ourselves standing near a deeper pool. The view north, to our right, was particularly peaceful with the low winter sun just over the ridge.

Given the temperature, Ellen and I spent an inordinate amount of time at this location. It was mesmerizing in a sensory way. We had light reflecting off the ice providing a soft glow to the creek valley, we had a few Kingfishers dancing amongst the trees on the bank, and we had the percussion sounds that the ice makes as it expands with warming temperatures. Yes, twenty two degrees was a warming temperature compared to the previous weeks. It was the setting that we were hoping to find.

From here we retraced our steps and headed north, with the creek to our left. 

To our right was the deciduous wooded hillside that we descended on our hike down.

We continued along the creek for perhaps three quarters of a mile, enjoying episodic open views of the waterway.

Here Ellen got a photo upstream in this Sycamore laden valley. It was peaceful with only the sound of flowing water.

Soon the trail diverted away from the stream and into a mid aged wood, where we found this large decaying log wedged between a couple of trees. Undoubtedly it was a massive specimen when alive. The redness of the decaying matter suggested Red Oak or Black Cherry. Now it was closer to being soil than wood. I could not help but wonder how long ago it fell to arrive at this stage of decay.

Exiting the wood, the trail opens onto a field that features perhaps the best outdoor classroom amphitheater that I have seen on all our hikes.

Just off this field we took advantage of the last stream access of the day.

It was here that Ellen captured perhaps her most artistic image of the hike – a macro of the ice crystals on the stream. While the ice looked smooth at first glance, on closeup one can see that it is really a cluster of ice strands.

From there we began the ascent from the creek valley back to our van. It was a long climb up an old logging road. By the time we got to the top our clothing was unzipped to help us deal with the sweating, despite the outdoor temperature.

Perhaps due to the frigidity we only have a couple of photos of interest. First a cluster of lichens on a small twig.

And second, another photo of an acorn. This was on the gravel trail as we were returning to our van. It was under a tree that was a member of the Red Oak Family, but it was longer and more narrow than most Red Oak acorns that I am familiar with. I guess we will attribute it to genetic variation.

It would have been easy to stay home on this day, but getting out was the right decision for the two of us. And we were not alone. Other cabin fever sufferers were out trying to capture some sunshine and the beauty of this winter landscape. Perhaps that is the secret. Identify outdoor settings that may offer up unique experiences in less than ideal weather. As we were hiking we came across a postal worker who had just gotten off work. She, like us, needed a nature fix and had also concluded that Gunpowder Creek might look beautiful dressed in ice. She told us of the anticipation that she felt all day at work, and how her coworkers thought she was crazy to venture back out into the cold. But the smile on her face and the gleam in her eyes conveyed that she too had found her remedy for cabin fever. 

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Photo credits to Ellen Burns. Video credits to Patrick Burns.

Overview:

Location – 6750 Sperti Lane, Burlington KY 41005. Eighteen miles south of downtown Cincinnati.

Parking – paved lot for 10 cars.

Facilities – at the small picnic shelter at the trailhead.

Trail Conditions – gravel, bare dirt, and creek bed. Due to altitude change I would rate this as moderate.

Print Map Link –https://cms7files.revize.com/boonecountyky/document_center/Parks/NCW_GunpowderMap.pdf

Benches – none noted on the trail but amphitheater could provide seating.

Picnic Tables – several at the trailhead under the shelter.

Kids – due to the terrain change I would suggest kids 6 and over.

Dogs – allowed on a leash.

Suggested Paired Hikes – None.

Links:

https://www.boonecountyky.org/departments/parks/gunpowder_creek_nature_park.php

Here is a link to our previous article on a summertime hike at Gunpowder Creek Nature Preserve.

https://footpathsblog.com/2023/07/02/gunpowder-nature-park-burlington-ky/