One of the things that really stuck with me on our vacation last weekend was the reaction my brother in law had to all of the places we visited. Having lived in Ohio for 20+ years he had never visited Hocking Hills and he was amazed at how different the landscape is versus the majority of the state that is mostly flat.
After getting settled in our basecamp on Sunday, we were all ready to do some exploring on Monday morning. Our first stop was Conkle's Hollow which is a beautiful little nature preserve. It was a 10 minute max car ride from Webb Pointe, so we all piled in our vehicles and headed out.
I've seen some pictures of Hocking Hills and I have done my fair share of hiking up in the UP (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan, but I wasn't really sure what to expect as we set out on our adventure.
I think the best way I can explain it is it kind of felt like we were trekking into a primordial forest. Sure there were paved paths (part of the way), and lots of other people milling about, but the whole area just felt still and relatively untouched. Since this area was heavily traveled and inhabited by early Native Americans, I found myself wondering how different it was now from when they walked the same routes.
The path through Conkle's Hollow starts out pretty normal. Sure you are surrounded by woods, but there isn't much elevation (unless you consider the ridge trails to the right and left). Heading straight into the hollow it feels more like a casual walk in the woods. Slowly, outcroppings and cliff faces start to pop out and rise above you to the right and left as you proceed deeper into the hollow.
At some point on the trail we came across this tree that had a very interesting growth on it. The tree itself was relatively small in diameter, so I can't speak to the age of it, but it did make me wonder how long it had taken for the tree to grow like that. I think just about everyone in our group stopped to take a picture of the tree...
Eventually, you start to see more and more sights like this on your way to the back of the hollow.
At this point, the paved trail comes to an end and you are about 75% of the way back into the hollow. From here it becomes a bit more treacherous and you find yourself scampering over rocks and roots. It wasn't a huge deal for the younger members of our group, but we had to keep a close eye on the kids and my wife's parents to make sure they navigated things okay.
In the photo above you can see the type of terrain we had to deal with towards the back of the hollow. Notice how the trail is just a thin thread through the rocks and trees...
Conkle's Hollow was just our first taste of what Hocking Hills had to offer and it was safe to say that we were very impressed. At the back of the hollow is a small pool of water that a waterfall feeds into. Sadly, it has been a relatively dry Spring and Summer, so many of the water features were less than impressive. The rest of the scenery more than made up for that.
I take my previous comment back about the younger kids needing help on the trail. They were fearless trailblazers as you can see here and the biggest concern was with them taking too many risks!
If my wife and I ever make our way back here, we will likely do the ridge trail next time. It takes you fully around the rim of the hollow.
Conkle's Hollow was just the first of our adventures on our first Monday in Hocking Hills. Keep an eye on my blog for pictures from our next hike!
