On my way..........

Saturday, March 13th and I was on my way. My wife Diane, and I were heading for Hillsdale. On the way we met my daughter Tina and her husband Anthony for dinner.

Tina and Anthony had found out recently that Tina is pregnant with their first child. The baby is due in October. This is very exciting news. They really want to start a family. Even though this will be grandchild number 9, it is just as exciting for Diane and I.

I don't think that children and grandchildren ever understand how much we love them until they have their own. It still amazes me the love I have for all of them. Even though they range in age from almost 37 to almost 23 I love them just as much as when they were little. I do have to admit they are a lot less work now. Just fun.

We spent the night at the Day's Inn in Hillsdale. It would be a 25 mile drive in the morning to reach my starting point.

Sunday morning I was very apprehensive. Diane was visibly nervous since the time she woke up. We got started a little later than planned but I wasn't in a big hurry to get started now that the time was finally here.

A lot of thoughts were running through my mind. Could I go 12 miles with a 50 lb pack? Would I find a place to set up camp? Would I get lost? What about those country dogs?

We drove as much of the NCT as we could from Hillsdale to the Ohio border. We specifically sought out the trail head that enters the Lost Nations State Game Area.

When we reached the starting point on the Ohio border I asked Diane to drive a mile ahead and wait for me. I wanted to double check myself before I was left stranded. It was very wet and cold with a brisk 14 mile an hour wind this morning. I was hesitant but ready to go.

When I reached Diane we kissed good-bye and off she went. I had a moment of fear as our car left my line of sight. I have been with my girl for 27 years and I felt uncomfortable now that she was leaving. I tried to call her a bit later and of course I had no cell signal. I was on my own.

The trail starts out at Territorial Road and Tuttle. It was 10:30. I walked north on Tuttle for about 8 miles. This is a very rural country road. I only saw 2 cars and no people for the entire 8 miles. The wind was blowing right to left so I was reasonably comfortable.

I turned left on Squawfield, right on Carncross and then left on Losey Rd. I then took a right on Pittsfield Rd and a few hundred yards later I found the trail head.

All day I had to deal with mud and as I entered Lost Nations it got worse. The trail was slippery, a combination of mud, wet leaves and steep inclines. The trail was mostly going up and I had to rest often by this time.

The higher I went the drier the trail became. About a mile into Lost Nations I came to a hill that appeared to be the highest point around. I went off trail and climbed to the top of the hill and found a place to set up camp.

Setting up in the rain wasn't great but it wasn't awful either. I had practiced setting up the tent and now the preparation paid off. I was able to set up the tent and keep my supplies dry. In 15 minutes I was warming up in my sleeping bag. It was around 6:00 p.m. and even though I only had 2 apples since 10:00 a.m. I was too tired to eat. As I warmed up I became sleepy and dozed off.

If you click on the pictures they enlarge.

The barn is at the Ohio border. It has a sign on the side that says "Welcome to Ohio".

The NCT trail emblem is at the corner of Tuttle and Territorial.

The stone with the metal emblem is at the Lost Nation's trail head.

My tent in the distance after a difficult but rewarding day.