Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park (8/28/2016)

Sunday, August 28, 2016
Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park is located near the watershed divide between the Ohio River and Lake Erie, east of Cleveland. The park is remarkable for the rock formations that are still exposed to view, while elsewhere they have been covered by soil and rock left by receding glaciers. Backed by sandstone cliffs, we have already seen this type of rock left from erosion, the Sharon Conglomerate, which is full of white pebbles.
The park rules ask you to stay on the trails, but the trails are not very well marked; either a confusing number of trail flashes painted on rocks and trees in close proximity, or none at all. The parking lot is across the street, and when you enter the woods, you are immediately confronted with the "ledges."

Gus and Kent on the yellow trail

Rocks that fall are called slump rocks

"Gold Hunter's Cave" is supposed to be
 behind Cascade Falls, but there is no water;
the gold was actually iron pyrite/fool's gold
and you see evidence of iron in what is
left of Crystal Creek

I used the flash on the camera so that we could see
where we were going in the dark!
(in what might have been the "Maid's Kitchen")

Kent and Gus have already ducked under "Dwarf's Pass"

The path not taken

The ledges from above, where you had to step over the cracks
(Photo by TrekOhio)

Kent examines the mossy wall

Moss and those white pebbles

Tree roots

More tree roots

Amanita flavoconia/Yellow Patches

We missed "Fat Man's Peril,"
but any of these would do on the red trail

Or "Fat Lady's Peril" (KSS)

Now it's "The Squeeze"

Kent in "The Squeeze"

We did not make it all the way through "The Squeeze" because it required some climbing while ducking and squeezing.

A bridge on the white trail

"Devil's Hole"

Gus and Kent in Sylvan Creek
above Minnehaha Falls

The red trail would have ended up in a cave,
called the Devil's Ice Box," behind this rock

This was a very deep crack,
with water running through it

Kent negotiates the road block on the blue trail

This hike was more strenuous than our usual hikes, although not very long!