Scioto Trail State Park

Scioto Trail State Park was a park we were really excited to finally be able to visit. This park has been on our list and we were finally able to spend a Saturday exploring the park. One of the biggest highlights for the boys was the amazing natural playground which included a see-saw and slack line. We may have spent just as much time at the playground then we did hiking the trails. The natural features of this park is what I find so interesting, briefly, "The Shawnee used the river as their primary means of transportation from one village to another. The Scioto Trail was a Native American trail that followed the Scioto River from northern Ohio to the Kentucky hunting grounds. The trail was later used by settlers who traveled upriver from Portsmouth to the first capital of Ohio — Chillicothe. Located in the Appalachian foothills bordering the Scioto River, the park's rugged ridge tops and wooded valleys support a host of natural wonders. This densely forested hill country is reminiscent of the southern Appalachians supporting a magnificent stand of oak and hickory. In spring, the forest trails are lined with flowering dogwood and redbud trees. The forest floor displays woodland wildflowers including spring beauties, Dutchman's breeches, wild blue phlox and wild geranium. Ferns, mosses and lichens coat the sandstone outcroppings. Mushroom hunters delight in the abundance of the delicious morel mushroom." More information can be found on their website.

 

Slacklining refers to the act of walking, running or balancing along a suspended length of flat webbing (some type of rope typically) that is tensioned between two anchors. It is similar to tightrope walking. What is different is not only the type of material used and the amount of tension applied during use. Slacklines are tensioned significantly less in order to create a line which will stretch and bounce like a long and narrow trampoline. Isn't that crazy?! Balancing is a lot harder than you would think.

Edward has such super strength powers, that he was able to "POW" and bend a tree right in the middle!

Of course, it wouldn't be a hike if I didn't google at least one type of fungus that we found on the trail. We ended up doing two trails: one that was alongside the road and the other wrapped around in the woods which is where we discovered "raisin" fungus! Well, that is what we called it until we googled it. 

It is called, "Jelly fungi make rubbery, seaweed-like mushrooms. They are colored white, orange, pink, rose, brown or black. The mushrooms are shapeless, shaped like cups, railroad spikes or branched like coral. The common name of yellow to orange species is witches butter. Jelly fungi are really different than other mushrooms. The basidia (spore-making cells) of most mushrooms are a single, club-like cell. They are found on ridges or lining tubes under the mushroom cap. The basidia of jelly fungi either have walls or are forked. They are located on the upper surface, not the lower surface. The only species grown and sold in stores is clouds ear or woods ear (Auricularia auricula). It is used in soup. Some people like the slippery, crunchy texture. Jelly fungi often grow on logs, stumps and twigs."

Cool, right? Well, at least we are learning!

What do you do on your adventures? Do you look for something like fungus? Do you identify trees? Do you zone out and just enjoy the quiet that nature provides? Well, until another #guentheradventures