A birthday hike: Mohican State Park

A sunshiny, fairly warm day greeted us for Steve's annual birthday hike.  This year we visited Mohican State Park southeast of Mansfield, Ohio.  We hiked along the clear Clearfork-Mohican River amidst many eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). It's a whimsical sort of place just right for a celebratory hike.

The river gorge is dramatic with steep hillsides bordering the trail.

Winter hiking...

 

is the best way for us to embrace the cold season.  Sunshine makes for lots of smiles too.

Snow/ice melted in cool formations...

Steve found the sun and hiking so relaxing, he decided to take a nap in the middle of the trail.

 Moss grew in cute little clusters on musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana).

Trees were loved.

The steep hillsides cut off sunshine along certain portions of the river casting a cold look to the cold river.

Along the trail we noticed this old tree with many, many woodpecker holes.  A nice cross section of woodpeckers is represented...small circle holes (downy), larger circle holes (hairy), large rectangular holes (pileated).  There must be a good bit of tasty arthropods living in this tree, or were at one time anyways.  Now those holes provide many wildlife homes no doubt. 

A beautiful river, beckoning us back this summer with our canoe...