We woke up to a chilly morning with a hard frost on the ground. Luckily we were inside the PPG skeet field building and had a wood burning stove to stay warm.
The day was sunny but the morning was cool. A wind from the north greeted us. This meant we were hiking into the wind and it felt cold. The first section of trail was very scenic with a hill, woods and an elevated wooden deck trail. It followed along PPG property. This is a new section of trail. When I hiked the Buckeye Trail through here in 2011 it did not exist. I had to walk on roads instead.
You don't see much of Barberton from the trail. You skirt the town when following the canal towpath. Barberton was the home to the Diamond Match Company which made the Ohio Blue Tip Matches. I remember playing with these matches as a kid.
Just before Akron we arrived at the canal summit and the Northern Continental Divide. One one side of the divide the water flows south and the other side the water flows north. The water flowing south eventually reaches the Tuscarawas River, the Ohio River and the Gulf of Mexico. The water flowing north of the divide reaches the Cuyahoga River, Lake Erie and then out the Saint Lawrence Sea Way to the North Atlantic Ocean. Just a few inches can make a big difference where a rain drop ends up when it falls here.
The canal locks are numbered in their relation to the summit. So Lock 1 South is the first lock south of the summit. Going forward from here the first lock is Lock 1 North in Akron.
In Akron Scallion and I ate lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse. It was right along the trail. When I walked in I told the hostess that we were hikers not homeless people. She just chuckled. The food was good.
The trail goes right through downtown Akron. Akron did a good job of keeping the path continuous and building bridges and elevated ramps to keep the trail user moving along with no steps.
Scallion and I departed ways a few miles north of Akron. He is following the Buckeye Trail. The BT leaves the Ohio Erie Canal Towpath Trail for a short jaunt into Sand Run MetroPark and then returns to it. Since I am following the Ohio To Erie Trail I stay on the tow path.
A few miles before Hunt Farm in Cuyahoga Valley National Park my friend Maria met me on the trail. We walked together back to her car at Hunt Farm. I planned to camp out tonight but she persuaded me to stay at her place. She will drive me back to the trail in the morning.
Today I hiked 23 miles bringing my total mileage to 296 miles. Only 27.6 miles until Lake Erie. I will finish on Tuesday. Woot! Woot!
