The miles and time went by fast today. I hiked 22.3 miles in 9 hours. I had the luxury of slackpacking today which meant I did not carry all of my gear. I carried just what I needed for the day of hiking.
The weather was cloudy, cool, windy and damp. It made for good hiking weather. There were not many temptations to take breaks. I just kept moving and only took one rest break.
The hike north from Ohio State University up the Olentangy River bike pathwas very nice. The river was flowing with brown, muddy water and it was quite high compared to two days ago. Plants were starting to bloom. It was noticeable greener today. Mostly it is the honeysuckle that is blooming quickly.
There was trail magic waiting for me at Antrim Park! Taped to a trail sign was a zip-lock bag with a piece of paper in it. There was a photo of me and a handwritten note that said "Captain Blue - Congrats on making it this far! See you in Kirtland. Sandy B." The bag contained a protein bar and some M&Ms. Both were very tasty. The goodies were from Sandy Barlett from Mentor. How she got them to Columbus I do not know. I will see her in Kirtland at Buckeye TrailFest in two weeks. Thank you Sandy!
When the Olentangy River bike path ended I walked 6.5 miles on roads through Worthington. Mostly I hiked along Shrock Road which was quite busy. It was not really a pleasant walk. I was glad to get it over with. In Westerville I picked up the bike path again and took it north. Westerville is a nice town. They have a nice bike hub in their park.
When the Westerville bike that ended I joined the Genoa bike path. Actaully they refer to it as a Leisure Path. My feet were hurting so it was not quite so leisurely for me.
Around 6:30pm I arrived in Galena. There was a short walk on Old 3 C Road into town. I learned that the Old 3 C Road was a road that went from Cincinnati to Columbus to Cleveland. Hence the name 3 C Road. Bruce "Poppie" Purdy was waiting for me in Galena. I am spending another night at his house.
