Larry A. Smail's Blog

  The last area of the Hocking Hills  adventure was to the Cantwell Cliffs. As stated I love exploring around rocky outcrops and this site didn’t disappoint me.                                                   

The cliffs were beautiful to behold. We, also, walked a trail down through a wooded hollow. At the gorge’s end a steep rock shelter was

Fat Woman’s Squeeze

found. One needs to work through two huge rocks known as the “Fat Woman’s Squeeze”.  Hand hewn rock steps flow through these rocks. Many other man-made steps are located at various places to aid in walking.

  The large trees were quite impressive as well. We later worked another trail, that for the most part, flowed the cliffs upper rim.

The hollow features a small stream known as Buck Run.

View from the rim.

As we walked these trails the skies darkened and a light rain began to fall. Threats of severe weather forced a decision to abandon the hikes for another time.   

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  While visiting this Hocking Hills, Ohio area, we checked out the famous site known as Old Man’s Cave. (We actually went here twice over our visit.) This is a most interesting place to walk around and enjoy nature’s beauty. 

A hermit named Richard Rowe lived in the large recess cave of this gorge. The man’s family moved to this area of Ohio in 1796 from the Cumberland mountains of Tennessee. Rowe lived the remaining years of his life here and is believed to have been buried beneath the cave’s ledge.

Nathaniel and Pat Rayon, also, moved to this area in 1795. They built a cabin north of the cave. They, too, are buried in or near the cave.                                           

   The Old Man’s Cave area consists of an upper and lower gorge with three distinct waterfalls flowing through the hollow. The entire gorge cuts through 150 feet thick sandstone. The gorge is about half a mile long.                     

The actual cave area is about 200 feet in length and fifty feet high with a depth of seventy-five feet. As a boy I would crawl into and around rocky outcrops along the Crooked Creek watershed areas near Cochran’s Mill and Rearick’s Ford of Pennsylvania. I have always loved exploring such places so you might guess I was childlike during these excursions here at Old Man’s Cave.                                      

Laurie and I went to visit Cedar Falls and we noticed a couple of females of the Oriental race. The youngest approached us with a deeply concerned look on her face. they were bewildered. 

They had walked a two-mile trail from this cave area believing the trail would circle back. It ended at Cedar Falls. I pointed to the trail’s end for their return, but finally they admitted they were tired. We gave them a lift back to their car at the cave’s site.                                                       

Another man-made items to see at the Old man’s Cave are the stone bridges; stone fences, hewn tunnels into the rocks and hewn stone steps. These features fit nicely with the natural beauty of the area.

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Small barn spotted along way to Conkle’s Hollow.

The Conkle’s Hollow area of the Hocking Hills is considered to be one of the deepest gorges in Ohio. The slopes are rugged and steep with rocky outcrops jutting from high above the gorge’s sides. They are 200 feet high in places. The gorge, itself, is about half a mile long.            

The valley floor is thick with vegetation thus not allowing much sunlight to reach the bottom of the gorge.

  The width between sides at the end of the gorge is only about 300 feet.

Laurie and I hiked the rim trail that circles the gorge. The trail is usually made of smooth, sandy rocks. The length of this trail is over two miles. As it states at the trail’s beginning, the hike is potentially dangerous with injuries and even deaths occurring from mishaps or carelessness.

One of many breakages within the rocks.

At the gorge’s end a waterfall tricking down over the rim.  the rocks are all very high and impressive to behold. Breakages in the rocks in times past are evident and one can study these breakages and see how they once fit to the rocks above.                                          

Winter hikes could be even worse with snow and/or ice being on the rocky outcrops. Today was cool and sunny allowing for some photo opportunities.

The hollow became known as Conkle Hollow after a name and date was discovered carved onto the rocks. The carving was “W.J.Conkle 1797”.

Squawroot, a parasitic plant. It usually grows in clusters.

Some areas of our Hocking Hills adventure showed many wildflowers such as trilliums. We, unfortunately, were about two weeks late to witness their beauty for they had completed their annual blossoming time.  Jack-in-the-Pulpits and Golden Ragworts were in full blossom as were the Wild Geraniums.

  Turkey vultures were common throughout our hikes and journeys since they like to nest in rocky areas.

In times past the Shawnee and Wyandot Indians used the areas.

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