BOY MEETS HOCKING HILLS
- Kevin
- Dec 23, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 24, 2024
12/23/2024 12:47 PM
Listening to: "Fine" by Eastwood
To kick off the winter, I rented a cabin near Hocking Hills State Park for my first ever solo trip! I'm a few weeks late in writing this as the trip was during the first week of the month. I've had one heck of a year full of all of the emotions and challenges. (Plenty of good stuff too!) I thought this would be a really relaxing and refreshing experience. The cabin I landed on was a two person cabin which was basically identical to the cabin you start out with in Stardew Valley.
After getting settled in on my first night, I was so excited to get out and explore the state park for the first time ever. I was starting to think I was the only person left in northeast Ohio that hadn't been to Hocking Hills. Per my brother's recommendation, I made my way to Old Man's Cave and enjoyed a 6 mile hike. There were so many great (semi) frozen waterfalls and a sort of beauty that I don't stumble upon at our local metro parks. One of my favorite spots, which resulted in my favorite photograph, was the stone bridge toward the end of my hike. This was such a great hike.
It was undoubtedly time for a nap after all of that mileage, so I rested up back at the cabin before dinner. I wanted to try a local spot, so I made my way to Jimbo's Burgers and Beer. This didn't feel like the friendly atmosphere that was advertised in their online reviews, but the food was perfectly delightful. Their beer selection was a bit disappointing; I was hoping for something local on tap, but ended up settling for a Blue Moon in a can.
I ended every evening of this trip with some time on the couch. One of my favorite ways to wind down after a long day is by playing some of my stand-bys on the Nintendo Switch. Usually this means Stardew Valley or F-Zero 99, but the internet signal was surprisingly strong enough to connect with some friends online. This meant I also had a lot of time to enjoy Super Mario Party Jamboree! Perhaps not everyone would spend any amount of time playing video games while on vacation, but I think that was the beauty of this trip. It was for me. No expectations, rules, or guidelines. I found my evenings to be super cozy and relaxing!
During the rest of my trip, there was another hike that really stuck out as a cool experience. I went to the Rock House. I'm not sure what I expected, but this place was so cool! The deeper in I got, the more interesting the rock formations became. For only a 1 mile loop, it was one heck of a workout. There were some caves that were clearly a habitat for some wildlife based on the noises I heard. I'm sure they didn't actually end up retiring in central Ohio, but I'll be darned if it didn't sound exactly like the hyenas from the Lion King. Another thing that was unique about this hike was that I got such an early start that I was the only person on the trail. I don't think I've ever experienced that before, and this was a stark contrast to the 100+ people I saw on the Old Man's Cave trail. It made it feel all the more meditative to me and I was so happy to have had the experience.
Overall, this was such a great trip! I will definitely be going back some day. Who knows, maybe I'll even get to share it with someone! I'd also love to take the kids some time too!
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