East Fork Lake Perimeter Trail - November 9-10

Where: East Fork Lake - Bethel, Ohio
When: November 9-10
What: 10 miles along perimeter trail
Who: Solo
Weather: November 9th - High 61F, Low 28F
November 10th - High 73F, Low 40F
Final Path:

.gpx file: Download
Flickr Album: East Fork Lake Perimeter Trail

Calm Days and Frantic Nights - My First Solo Experience

Preparation and Arrival

Having never been camping or backpacking alone, finding the right location for my first night was critical. With so many amazing parks within a few hours of Cincinnati, small gems such as East Fork Lake are easily overlooked. 

During my planning stages, I was hoping to find a hike greater than fifteen miles in length near Cincinnati. My first thoughts went straight to places such as Red River Gorge, Hocking Hills or even Shawnee State Forest. These locations, however, are nearly two hours away at best. If something were to go wrong, my only out would be to contact the park for an exit. However, I eventually stumbled upon East Fork's backpacking trails (thanks to BackpackOhio.com). Listed as a 14 miles and 32 mile loop, either of these trails seemed like a perfect match. Thinking I was equipped and strong enough, I decided to set my goals high and attempt the 32 miles perimeter trail.

Finding information about the trail online was a challenge and most of what I found was dated. However, once I contacted East Fork's Park Office, they explained what all I needed to do in order to hike there. The details were sorted and the weekend was decided (not only was the weather going to be beautiful, I was given an extra day for Veteran's Day). 

Upon arrival at East Fork Lake I was handed this form (with attached map) to fill out with details of my trip (Map and Permit). I was also advised to purchase an "aerial view" map ($3) which had all of the trails in the park overlaid on an aerial photograph of the park. I would advise anyone who was looking to hike the trails to also purchase this map.

On the Trail - Day One

I decided to hike from the park office around to Camp 4 for my first day. Having arrived at 1pm, I knew my daylight was quickly fading. I needed to hike about 8 miles before the sun set at about 5:30. I was advised leaving my car outside the main building as it is much more visible than parking at the trail head.

The trailhead is just down to road from the main office. If you follow the road you entered to park on, it is to the left down a gravel path. Near the end, you will find a notification board with maps of the park and details about the two trails. Pictured above is the "Backpack Trail" trailhead and a small pond next to the parking lot.

The trail begins very nicely through the woods. It was very well marked and quite an easy walk. I was able to travel at a little over 3 miles per hour and did not feel stressed or rushed. Shooting off to the left and right of the trail were a few mountain biking trails which looked to be in good shape.

As I walked further down the trail, I descended into a beautiful creek bed which flowed into the lake. The entire area was serene and peaceful with only the occasional sound of a truck engine on the nearby road. After about four miles of hiking over creeks and ridges, I came to a choice. I could either continue along the perimeter trail away from the lake, or I could walk along the road and go over the dams. I choose the latter as I had not yet seen the lake.

The walk along the dam, however painful in my hiking shoes (I have found they are MUCH more comfortable on the trail than on concrete) was well worth the added distance to my hike. Below are two pictures I took from on top of the dam.

Arrival at Camp 4 - Night Terrors

I arrived in camp at around 5:00. The valley Camp 4 lies in was already in shadow and I knew I did not have much time to setup camp if I wanted it done before dusk. Noticing firewood was already piled near the fire ring, I skipped gathering firewood thinking I would be okay with what was provided and began setting up my tent.

I boiled water on my stove, mixed it into my freeze dried buffalo chicken wrap meal and set about starting the fire. What I did not count on was the area being very wet. We had not had any rain in the area for about a week and I was expecting the wood and kindling to be dry enough to start a fire. This was not the case however, and try as I might, I was unable to get a fire started.

After about thirty minutes in total spent trying anything from using journal pages, to toilet paper to even trying to get sticks lit using my stove, I was unable to get a fire so I decided to pack it in for the night and read from inside my sleeping bag. I dozed off around 7:30 pm after reading a good portion of my favorite book series "The Lost Years of Merlin" by T.A. Barron.

At around 12:00 am, I woke up to the sounds of dogs barking in the nearby residential district. I laid in my tent trying to get back to sleep when the sound of howling pierced the air. My heart sank. I went from a peaceful rest to pondering my imminent demise. If you have never been alone in the woods at night, the howling of coyotes is probably not very scary. However, this was the first time I had been out alone like this and I was terrified. (If you do not know what coyotes sound like, here is a good example). Even though in the back of my mind I know they are fearful of humans, I could not get over the sheer terror of the situation.

I laid, hands on my knife (as if it was going to be my lifesaver), in my tent for the next hour listening as the howls came closer and closer. Eventually the sound of paws approached my camp. The animal sounded enormous as it walked toward my tent to investigate my presence. My heart was racing. In my head, I saw the most enormous wolf ready to strike at a moment's notice. It walked over to the shelter the park has installed in camp, came back to my tent for another sniff and then crashed off through the woods.

My heart was still racing for the next five minutes just waiting for it to come back with friends. Eventually the terror subsided and I was able to collect myself enough to fall asleep until morning.

Day 2 - Early Exit

The night before, I contacted someone who could come pick me up and take me to the car. I had decided that upon arriving in Camp 4 the night before that my legs were not yet strong enough to tackle the trail ahead if the prior eight miles were any indication.

The perimeter trail at East Fork Lake is a shared trail meaning both hikers and horses use the same path. This has caused the trail to become very technical in some sections due to large pits where horse hooves have dug into the mud. The strain of the trail had taken its toll on my ankles and knees and the fifteen mile trek to the next campsite seemed beyond my capability. 

My goal was to meet my ride out at the East Fork Campground Office, a two mile hike from Camp 4. However, on my way there, I managed to lose the path (either due to poor blazing or my inability to located the blaze). Luckily, I was able to contact him and direct him to a new pickup just down the road from where the original location was meant to be.

Although I lost the trail, that morning was beautiful, warm (once I was out of the valley) and peaceful. The two mile hike to the road was a sad reminder that I still have lots of work to do if I want to take on harder trails, but it is also encouraging as I know I can rely on myself to surmount the challenges laid before me.

Personal Learnings

1. Leave enough time to setup camp properly, or pay the price. This means anything from arriving earlier, or deciding to just forego some aspect (such as a fire) in camp.
2. At night, even the smallest things can seem like huge threats. Do not let your mind run around and make mountains out of mole hills.
3. Know your limits. I was dumb thinking I could take on a 32 miles trail on my first solo outing. I was not fully prepared, both physically and mentally. If I were in another situation  I could have wound up hurting myself.

Overall, I enjoyed my first night out on the trail. It was an experience I learned a lot from and am excited for my next trip into the woods.

Please comment below if you have anything you want to add, questions you wish to ask, or comments you wish to make about this post.

Until next time,

- Hatch