Miami University Natural Area Hiking Trails

It's always nice to find a new area to go hiking.  My daughter led us to Miami University Natural Area in Oxford, Ohio.  It's not too far from where we live, so Herb and I headed out last Sunday.  We left our dog, Finn at home because we weren't sure how difficult the terrain might be.

This was the first sign we saw!  Cool!  I want to see coyotes!!  We're headed for Kramer Woods!

It was quite a trek for me...lots of ups and downs.  Not that they were unusually difficult, but I'm still careful with my new knee and my old knee.  Some of the terrain was iffy for me, so I was glad I kept Finn at home.  I didn't need him pulling me all over the place.

This is me, heading up hill on one of the many bridges we crossed.

 Lots more downhill pictures.

There is another bridge in the middle of this picture.

Here is Herb, taking a few minutes to look around.

We finally made it to Kramer Woods...we didn't see any coyotes though.  Maybe next time!

This is a deer exclosure.  Designed for a long term scientific study.

We came across this log just covered all over with the fungi...really cool looking,  I think.

We eventually found our way along a creek crossing over to several different trails.

The roots of these trees are definitely on the edge.  I wonder how long before they fall into the creek below.

We were nearing the end when we had this hill to climb.  My knees can take the up hills pretty well.  However, this hill just about had me beat.  The "steps" to one side were so steep, I had a very difficult time pushing myself up from one step to another.  I must work on my quad strength more.  It was difficult to move laterally from the steps to just the hill itself.  I was afraid of slipping downhill.  Once I stopped, I lost my momentum. It was a challenge!  I should have taken my hiking poles along.  Hopefully, I'll remember them next time.

Here is the map of the entire area.  The area encircled is the area we covered on Sunday.  We really did a lot of hiking.  Looks like we have a lot more to do!!!  Looking forward to that challenge soon!