The calendar said mid-November, but the weather said mid-January. We awoke to a temp of 24 degrees and a couple of inches of fresh snow. It was Veteran’s Day and our daughter Caroline, an educator, had the day off and we were looking forward to a day together out in nature. Hiking with a fellow scientist is always fun – full of observation, identification, and pondering. We texted back and forth several times trying to give each other an out for the weather – but clearly we were both determined to make the best of the elements. Caroline optimistically pointed out that it was going to be sunny and the temp should reach 28 by the end of our hike. I noted that based on the weather radar, Highland County, Ohio, probably had more snow than we did in Northern Kentucky, making it even more of a winter wonderland. So, we hit the road.
We had selected Highland Nature Sanctuary because we knew that it shared the Rocky Fork Gorge with Miller Nature Preserve, perhaps our favorite hiking venue of this past summer. We were looking forward to seeing the gorge’s bluffs with the leaves off the trees. The snow just added to the anticipation.
At 3,100 acres, Highland Nature Sanctuary is the largest preserve belonging to the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System and is the site of their headquarters and Appalachian Forest Museum Visitor Center. While most of the acreage is contiguous, there are several free standing preserve sections nearby, in ecologically rich Highland County. The sanctuary has 14 trails that total over 18 miles.
From the parking area the Barrett’s Rim Trail enters a young wood. We were surprised that despite it being early morning, footprints told us that many others had beaten us to the trail.
Once through the wood, the trail opened upon a meadow. The ginger colored grasses looked outstanding against the snow, and it reminded Caroline of a dune hike through the white sand and Sea Oats of the Florida Panhandle.
From the open field we enjoyed watching a group of small birds mobbing a hawk in the distant trees.
Soon the trail entered a woodland where we were greeted by the gentle rattle of the persistent leaves of Shingle Oak and American Beech in the wind. I have provided a link to a previous Footpaths post on the ecology of persistent leaves at the end of this article.
This wood was mature and the trees were tall and straight – especially the American Beeches, which towered over us.
Soon we got our first glimpse of exposed bluff limestone,
and then our first view into the gorge itself, with Rocky Fork Creek at its base.
The trail danced atop the gorge, giving us excellent views down onto the dark gray waters of the creek. On one prominence this was our view to the right,
this forward,
and then to our left.
Eventually the trail descends down into the gorge – initially on some stairs without railings, but railings were present on steeper sections. As we entered the gorge, the rushing water of the stream, even though it is hundreds of feet away, became the background music to the outing.
The descending trail delivers one to the base of a bluff that was green with an assortment of mosses and plants.
Some of our favorite gorge plants were noted:
Woodland Stonecrop – a native, temperate zone succulent.
Columbine – these would feature large red and yellow flowers in June that remind me of Chinese lanterns.
Snakeskin Liverwort – a member of the Bryophyte Family, which also include the mosses, it reproduces via spores. The bryophytes are some of the oldest living species and are thought to have arisen from the earliest terrestrial plants.
The trail continued east hugging the base of the bluff,
where we saw this yellowing Hairy Lip Fern arising from a cavity in the porous limestone. These ferns are deciduous and, like trees, their leaves dry up and fall off at season’s end.
We were also excited, but not surprised, to see Hepatica, one of the less common spring wildflowers. They will develop some purple tinging to their leaves over the winter, but otherwise remain green. Its presence confirms that the gorge would be an excellent site for observing spring woodland wildflowers.
We were now in the floor of the gorge, and headed west, hiking along the beautiful, slate gray stream.
The trail would weave repetitively from streamside up to the bluffs on the south side of the gorge, and then back down to the stream.
As we did so, we often found ourselves passing through large groupings of Scouring Rush, which added an interesting texture to the landscape.
The trail crossed several small streams on snow covered bridges narrow enough to add a sense of adventure.
To our right, on the north shore of the stream was Miller Nature Sanctuary, a State of Ohio nature preserve, where we had the incredible hike this past summer, on a day that was at least sixty degrees warmer.
Eventually the stream and trail turn a bend and head due south. As we rounded this limestone point we were met with a chilling wind that ran through this part of the gorge. Layers of clothes were rezipped.
The presence of icicles added to the frigid setting – all in all still delightfully beautiful.
Caroline particularly liked this image of moss being encased in an icicle.
It was on one of the close bluff encounters that we saw Sullivantia, an endangered species, entering its dormant stage. Like the Hairy Lip and Bulbet Ferns, it finds little pockets of soil in the limestone in which to live its life. When we noted it elsewhere in the gorge this summer it was dressed with the smallest of white flowers.
Walking Fern, with its elongated leaf, is one of the ferns that remains green all winter. While it is reported that it will grow on the ground, I have only seen it on moss covered rocks.
The climb out of the gorge was as fascinating as the descent and not as steep. A series of switchbacks exposed us to interesting geology. In the photo below it appears that the trail is going to take us through that crevice in the bluff, but that is actually the running stream that carved the opening. The trail doubles back along the creek as seen in the photo.
The views back up onto the bluffs from this section of trail were outstanding.
A short while later we found ourselves atop that very bluff, looking down into the gorge. In the second photo below you can see the trail we had taken at the base of the opposite bluff, and then the double back just above the creek. I believe that the blufftop is calling out for a bench.
Soon the loop section of trail was completed as we were back in the wood with the persistent leaves,
and then into the entry meadow, enjoying the beautiful blue sky with cirrus clouds.
Odds and Ends
These two images from early in our hike set the tone for the day. Not only were we caught off guard by the November snowstorm, so were this Maidenhair Fern and a Heart-leaved Aster still in flower.
We noted two Baldfaced Hornet’s nests on this outing, both placed well above the gorge floor. Their presence in the gorge should not be surprising as construction of the nest involves significant water utilization, and the forest should provide ample food supply for the adult hornets who largely feed on flower nectar, tree sap, and aging fruit. Their larvae are fed a variety of insects which should also be easily found in the forest.
While it is not the Red-headed Woodpecker that I have been pursuing, Caroline did an excellent job capturing a photo of this Red-bellied Woodpecker. The lack of leaves in the winter makes sighting of woodpeckers easier, but the low winter sunlight makes photography more challenging.
New Plant of the Day – As we walked atop the bluffs we noted an evergreen shrub that seemed to be cascading down over the edges. Eventually we got some photos from below – the Canada Yew. It reaches heights of up to five feet, and due to the similarity of its leaves to those of hemlock, is sometimes called Ground Hemlock.
In summary, our decision to go forward with our gorge hike, despite the snow and the frigid temps, was a good one. The snow added beauty to the landscape and the temperatures were doable. As I study the map of Highland Nature Sanctuary and inventory all the trails there, I am sure that we will become regular visitors. I am also confident in classifying it as a four season hiking venue, with every season offering an exceptional display of nature. Soon my friend Jerry and I will build some additional Leopold benches and I hope to get one placed above the bluff on the Barrett’s Rim Trail, inviting hikers to slow down, observe, and take in the overwhelming beauty of this piece of Earth.
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Photo credits to Caroline Burns Grizzle.
Overview:
Location – 7660 Cave Rd, Bainbridge, OH 45612, 65 miles from downtown Cincinnati. This is the address for the Arc of Appalachia’s Education Center, the Barrett’s Rim Trailhead is 1-2 miles west of there.
Parking – gravel lot for 10 cars.
Trail Conditions – generally bare dirt with some exposed stone. Grades are mild overall with the exception of the descent down into the gorge. When we got to the loop section of the trail we went right which would be the easier route, as the ascent coming out of the gorge at the other end was milder.
Accommodations – Highland Nature Sanctuary offers a variety of overnight accommodations which can be seen on their website.
Print Map Link – https://static1.squarespace.com/static/640b875d14fa1852d6031793/t/68e5662a1bbcd01d294298f9/1759864362719/2025+HNS+Trail+Map.pdf
Facilities – at the Appalachian Forest Museum and Visitor Center.
Benches – none noted on this trail.
Picnic Tables – on the deck at the Appalachian Forest Museum.
Kids – I would suggest 6 and over for this trail.
Dogs – prohibited.
Suggested Paired Hikes – there are 13 other trails at the sanctuary.
Craft Beer – we stopped at the Patriot Public House in Hillsboro, Ohio, about 16 miles west of the sanctuary, for a nice lunch and beer.
Links:
Fabulous review of your hike togegher. It capured, with words and photos, the freezing but wondtous environment you visited. Thanks. Clive Rockell
Thanks. It was a great outing. Expecting 2 to 4 inches of snow tonight so perhaps another snowy outing this week.