Lickskillet - Day 67

  We chose a piece of trail today that we thought was do-able, given the uncertain conditions. It was a good choice, and the length was perfect. It was a bit of a skip ahead, but we'll go back and get the missed piece when the snow and ice are more melted.

Here's today's best place. Lickskillet!

The very first task of the day was to cross the Scioto River, but with a road bridge that was easy. This waterway requires a bridge.

Then we climbed an unnamed hill. About 400 vertical feet to the top, but not too difficult. The ice in the intermittent sunshine was the treat. Every scene was stunning.

This scene has a story. When I last hiked here, this 4-lane highway had not been built. But the North Country Trail had a few certified miles in this little section. So when new US 35 was put through, they were required to include safe passage for the trail.

And how was that accomplished? With a culvert under the road. Easy peasey.

The downhill portion was a bit more difficult on narrower and slippery benched trail, but we made it. Then we passed through Lickskillet, and our final off-road miles of the day were under a new power line. Because the hill had been cleared there were some nice views. You can see that there was a little more sun in the afternoon too.

Miles today: 9.9. Total miles so far: 891.

Funny story- we drove through a tiny town this morning where a man had just slid off the road and broken a power pole. So nobody in that town was having a good day! That afternoon 5.5 hours later, they were just towing the truck and replacing the pole. The town is so small it doesn't have any alternate streets. We had to turn around and go get the other car a different way!

Bonus Section: Writing Prompt. Don't you just want to know the story of these two little log cabins?

See An Extra Rest Day