Join Rich Pfeiffer as he spends several days backpacking through the New Straitsville section of the Buckeye Trail. Rich made his hike in May 1998, and enjoys spending one week each year backpacking along the trail. Joining Rich was North Country Trail Association member Joan Young, who took the pictures.

Something we ate the night before and construction detours made me thirty-five minutes late for a 9:00AM start at point # 1. As a result, day hikers thought the constant rain must have scared me off, and they left. I waited in the rain for another thirty minutes and at 10:05AM sharp, I started on my six-day hike across the New Straitsville Section.

Inspecting the trail as well as having fun were my first goals, meeting my hiking partner at Burr Oak Lake boat dock two was also on my list. Joan Young, a board member of The North Country Trail Association, was to accompany me on the hike. She and I would meet at boat dock two the following morning, due to a board meeting she had to attend on Saturday.

The rain continuing with the temperature in the fifties made it just bearable for hiking in shorts with a T-shirt and fifty-five pound pack. Mud, lots of mud, and slippery going was the rule. Not much trouble until the trail got near the shoreline at Burr Oak Lake. Then a nasty bush whack through greenbrier changed my mind about wearing short gaiters. Bloody Run Creek was almost waist deep when I crossed nervously; three more crossings like Bloody Run were necessary before I reached the Ranger station at the lodge area. Cold, hungry, and tired, I rested and warmed up a while. The two miles to boat dock two were better than I had thought, all the high water creeks had bridges over them and I was glad.

I hiked into boat dock two at 5:30PM, picked the highest and driest camp site at the far end of the campground, then set up camp. The rain stopped just long enough to get the tent up then it started again, in the tent I went and was sound asleep in no time.

At 1:00AM nature called me and I got up to answer, that's when I saw the water from the lake was more than half way to my tent. The water had covered the parking lot, and all of the lower camp sites, and left me no choice but to pack up and bush whack over the hill to the road near the parking lot entrance. That's when I saw Joan's station wagon parked at the waterline near the lot. She was sleeping inside and I woke her up. We discussed the rising water situation and decided to drive to Tom Jenkins Dam, and start our hike from there in the morning instead of fording the seven inlets we would have to deal with. We also decided we would come back on Thursday at the end of the hike, and hike the four and a half miles we missed by going to the dam.

Sunday morning brings a stop to the rain, but some fog around the lake. We have breakfast, pack and Joan's dog Chips is ready to go. The trail is a little muddy as expected, but the hike gets better as the day goes on. Lots of winter blow down trees in the area west of the dam, but nothing a hiker can't get around. There also seems to be a bumper crop of poison ivy this year; getting to the next campsite is a pleasure without the rain.

With camp set up, we are thinking about dinner, when Chips decided he would chase a Chevy Blazer that drove by on the township road we camped near. Bad news, Chips returns with a nasty cut on his front right leg. A little first aid and Chips stays on the leash the rest of the hike. At 5:30PM a thunderstorm drives us into our tents and keeps us there until dawn. By morning Chips is all right to hike and does well the rest of the trip.

The nights are cool and the winter mummy bag and clothes feel good, Monday brings clouds and sunshine, we have no more rain the rest of the hike. Beaver are active in the area and have built several new ponds. The dam at Horse Piss Pond (yes, there is such a pond) is in danger of collapsing and has been in disrepair since I first saw this condition in December. The pond is located on Smoke Rise property just before the trail goes back into the Wayne National Forest. When it goes, it'll do no damage to the BT with the direction of the water flow, but the horse trail will take a dunking.

Camp Monday night was at Tecumsey Lake near Shawnee, Ohio. None of the locals are swimming there tonight, sticking one foot in the lake tells you why when the goose pimples run clear to your ears.

Tuesday takes us through the remainder of the Wayne National Forest, we see some hunters looking for turkeys and one is wearing the best smelling aftershave. A short time later I find a new turkey call on the trail, no wonder these guys were empty handed, no caller and could be smelled a mileaway.

"Paradise Pond" I decided to name the beaver pond we camped by, late in the afternoon the beaver became active and we watched them for several hours. Duck and geese came to the pond, painted turtles and several kinds of frogs also entertained us.

The rest of the hike follows county and state roads. With houses and farms along the way, we meet some of the people I met last year. Some new acquaintances are made too, and one gentleman offers to take our garbage, offers water and stove fuel. Water at Jack Wall's residence is welcomed and we use his well over the barking protest of his dog. Later that evening I meet Jack while he is walking his dogs, we chat about the trail, which runs through his front yard, and out the back pasture.

The last day of the hike to the end of the section goes quickly. I used the cell phone to call my wife, Donna, the day before and have my pickup truck spotted at the church on the corner of Walnut Dowler Road and Hwy 664. When we arrive in the morning the truck is nowhere in sight. After many discussions with Donna, I find out our daughters spotted the truck seven miles away at the wrong church. Joan quickly flags down a couple delivering newspapers, they know the church in question and later return to give me a ride to its location.

Parked in the church parking lot, next to a power pole with a blue blaze on it, is my truck. Seems Donna forgot the name of Walnut Dowler Road and told the girls to park it at the church on the Buckeye Trail. They did, as their mother had told them, how were they to know two churches on the Buckeye Trail were within a few miles of each other?

I return and pick up Joan and Chips, then back to Tom Jenkins Dam to put our gear in Joan's stationwagon. We go back to boat dock two and finish the part we skipped due to high water. The water is still high and a little bush whacking takes care of the problem.

All things considered, this was a good hike. We enjoyed it so much we made plans to continue on next year to hike Old Man's Cave section and twenty miles of Scioto Trail section.

Joan completed one thousand miles of The North Country Trail upon reaching Tom Jenkins Dam. This was the second time I hiked nonstop across the New Straitsville Section. The section is in better shape now that "Go To Blazes Day" is completed. The Forest Service did a short reroute in the Stone Church Hollow area around a beaver pond, and this took care of one of the major problems I encountered last year. The other major problem at a beaver pond, near Rock Run Creek, also has a marked reroute and a hiker can follow this without getting lost.

I can safely say that a hiker can go from point #1 to Point # 45 with out a map, and if you do get lost call me and I'll come get you!

Happy Trails

Rich Pfeiffer

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Last updated: October 26, 2010
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