Early morning walk along the Little Miami River in Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve near Yellow Springs, Ohio
0600 hours - We make a cup of coffee and prepare for the fifteen-minute drive to the parking area on State Route 343. The morning was cool, we took light jackets and wore shoes appropriate for hiking.
0700 hours - Unpacked the hiking sticks and after adjusting the height, we set out onto the trails. We took the stairs to the John L. Rich trail that passes along the base of the dolomite and limestone cliffs on our left and the Little Miami River on our right. The trail is about 2.6 miles and has a few technical spots - stone steps, tree roots, and rocky surfaces with steep, but gradual descents.
0730 hours - Few hikers on the trail, we shared the nature preserve with Summer Tanagers, Canadian Geese, Blue Jays, and Gray Squirrels. We stopped along the trail to explore a
slump cave, enjoy the sounds of small waterfalls and to enjoy the color of the water at the Blue Hole. Because it is early spring, the trilliums and bell flowers are in bloom.
0800 hours - During the Silurian Period, approximately 435 million years ago, this area was under a shallow sea near the equator. We see evidence of this from the geology, the cliffs are formed from limestone deposits formed from the calcium-rich shells of sea animals. The dolomite was later formed by reaction with magnesium-rich water.
0845 hours - We crossed the bridge to the South Gorge Trail. We watched a Canadian Goose, float the river current to a quiet pool. We found our own series of rocks beside the river, where we basked in the morning sun and listened to the water gurgling over rocks. This location is just far enough away from roads that even though we could hear a slight murmur of traffic, we could enjoy the tranquility of nature.
1000 hours - On our return hike, we took the North Rim trail. This runs along the top of the cliff, once the steep climb to the top is completed, the trail is an easy hike. Our final tally was 2.8 miles.
These trails are usually very busy on the weekends from early spring to late autumn. The early morning is more peaceful. We saw many birds and took pictures of the variety of wild flowers. We were happy to see that except for a few pieces of trash, evidence that not all people follow trail rules of carry out everything you carry in, the trails were otherwise well maintained. We also point out that some people have carved names into wooden handrails and overlook areas and a few of the cliffs have paint marks.
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