The weather has been amazing the past two weeks, but unfortunately, I have not been able to hit any hiking trails. I can only describe the past week as "distantly tragic". It started on the 13th, when a dear friend of my family passed away unexpectedly. He was a close friend of my older brothers, thus became an older brother of sorts to me. We had not seen him in years, but that did not diminish the shock and sadness we all felt when we heard the news. This was a guy that accepted me as a younger brother, that helped look after me when I would tag along on their hikes into Red River Gorge, and he even took me on my first - and last - motorcycle ride. He is going to be missed dearly. So, instead of asking one of my brothers to hike with me last weekend, we spent time working on clearing underbrush in the wooded portion of my backyard. Not my first choice, but I was still in nature enjoying the company of my older brother. On the 18th, after a weekend of working in the yard, I was chatting with a hiking enthusiast friend from Hawaii and discovered that his hiking mentor and good friend had tragically fallen to his death earlier in the day while on a hike in Oahu. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I did recognize him through videos, blogs, and photos. Another young life ended way too soon. So, there you have it: a "distantly tragic" week.
Today, I was able to sneak away from the house for a couple of hours to do some hiking. It was a bit of a spur of the moment decision, but I wanted to have a few minutes on the trails to recharge and to reflect on the events of the past week. So, I packed up the hiking boots and cameras and went solo to check out the hiking trails in the wooded portion of a local cemetery. I drive past the cemetery daily and have driven through the cemetery several times in the past, but I did not realize until just recently that within the property was a well organized set of nature trails. The Highland Cemetery Nature Trails cover 4 miles of trails and approximately 150 acres of undeveloped cemetery property. Having never explored these particular trails, I was a bit skeptical as I entered the trailhead. But after my first 100 feet of trail, I quickly realized that these trails are truly a hidden gem in Northern Kentucky.
The hiking trails essentially follow several cascading streams. There are actually six separate, but linked trails on the property. The trails are easy to follow and the beginning of each individual trail section is clearly marked with a sign. With the mild winter the region experienced and the relatively hot weather we are having in March, the forest is already in bloom. All around me, the forest was awakening: dafodils, groundcover, and scattered trees in bloom. Add this to the recent thunderstorms the area experienced and the streams are alive and flowing with sound.
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| Highland Cemetery Nature Trail Cascading Stream |
It did not take me long to find what I did not realize I was looking for: a small clearing at the confluence of two wooded streams. The birds were singing in the forest canopy above me and the sounds of the cascading streams as they met in a beautiful little waterfall was idyllic. It was a perfect place to reflect and to give a quiet shoutout to an old friend lost and a guy I'm sure I would have befriended if the stars would have aligned in a different way.
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| Highland Cemetery Nature Trails Waterfall |
After my short pause, I started exploring the remainder of the trail. I decided to stay on the Black Squirrel Trail and add the short Possum Path portion. It was approximately a mile of trail through mild elevation changes. I love stories and local lore and I was pleasantly suprised to stumble upon an old spring house in the stream along the Possum Path trail. A sign along the trail describes a spring house as essentially an early refrigerator that was built in a stream. The spring house would utilize the cool spring water by allowing it to run through it to refrigerate perishables. This particular one was probably built pre 1880's.
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| Highland Cemetery Nature Trail Spring House |
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| Highland Cemetery Nature Trails |
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| Highland Cemetery Nature Trails |
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| Highland Cemetery Nature Trails |
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| Highland Cemetery Nature Trails |
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