We are chasing spring. Just as we chased the changing colors in the fall as we made our way south, we are seeing spring colors popping up time and time again as we head north. We saw our first redbud trees blossoming in Texas in February, followed them up through Arkansas, Georgia, and North Carolina, and are seeing the final blossoms in Ohio.
Our hike in Mohican State Park put an exclamation point on spring as we saw so many wildflowers along the trail. It was a true joy to see these beautiful signs of reemergence and rejuvenation.
We started our hike at the Pleasant Hill Dam. Based on the first few steps on the trail, we thought the trail might be a little difficult, but once we made it past a few rocks and up a short hill, the trail was absolutely delightful and definitely fell into the “easy” category.
From the parking area, we took the Lyons Falls Trail, which looped away from the Clear Fork Mohican River and led us to Little Lyons Falls and Big Lyons Falls, then we made our way to the covered bridge, crossed the river, and made our way back to the dam along the Pleasant Hill Trail. In total, we hiked approximately 2.5 miles.
Both sets of falls appeared almost out of nowhere. We could only see Little Lyons Falls from the top of the falls looking down into a gorge, but we were able to get the full experience at Big Lyons Falls. We approached it from above, took stairs down to the base, and were able to walk all around behind and under the falls. Little Bird loved getting her hands wet in the water from her seat in the backpack.
After seeing the falls, the trail leads back to the riverbank, so we spent the remainder of the hike with the water in view. Will was already planning on taking Bird out fishing the following day, and the access to this river (and the reports from fishermen we saw along the way) solidified this as the spot they were going to fish. He was able to scout specific spots, and I was able to see exactly where they would be, which always gives me peace of mind.
All along the trail, we saw so many wildflowers blooming. The colors were incredible. Yellows, purples, pinks, and whites sprang up in bunches everywhere we looked. Although we had seen signs of spring in many of the previous places we had visited and hiked, this was by far the best display of wildflowers to date. And since we were relatively close to our home base, we recognized many of the species.
The final leg of the trail was a climb from the river to the top of the dam. There were either 186 or 188 stairs. I was thrown off my counting/breathing/stepping game about halfway up when we passed a couple who noticed me counting and asked how many steps they had climbed. No worries, though, I am not holding a grudge, lol. Regardless, it was a lot of stairs in a short distance.
The hike was incredibly beautiful and one we would highly recommend. We wrapped up our time in the state park with a quick picnic lunch at a table beside the parking area, then we made a brief stop at a scenic overlook before making our way home in time for Little Bird to fall asleep on the way and finish her nap at home.
Being able to time our travels to extend the seasons is a huge perk to our current lifestyle, and while I felt absolutely spoiled prolonging our enjoyment of the fall colors, our months-long spring has, in many ways, been even better, though it could be the dwindling chances of facing snow and the promise of summer just around the bend.
Nurturing Adventure 