Hocking Hills Region, Ohio
June 28-30, 2013
Who wouldn’t want to run a 5k mud run with giant inflatable obstacles
filled with foam? My sisters Joanna and Megan and I were excited for our latest
5k based on this ridiculous premise to just get a little muddy, maybe bloody
and definitely crazy for the morning. We
rented a cabin, grabbed some friends and planned a whole weekend around it. 
We all met up at Megan & Neil’s on Friday afternoon. Jo and I took her Jeep and Meg, Neil, Red and
Holly rode down separately. Joanna and I
decided to take scenic byways the whole way down and actually used a road atlas
with the route highlighted by green dots rather than GPS our way. We had a great time. We passed through charming little towns,
stopped at cute shops and even saw a waterfall on our way. It was worth every minute to get off the
highway and follow back roads to our destination.
When everyone arrived we settled into the Hemlock Log Cabin,
our usual place when we visit Hocking Hills and then headed out to explore a
little. We hiked all around Old Man’s
Cave area, following Grandma Gatewood’s Trail, past the Devil’s Bathtub to the
Upper Falls and the Gorge Overlook Trail crossing the A-frame Bridge and headed
down to Old Man’s Cave. Although it was
a rainy day, it was still comfortable and beautiful, especially when beams of
sunlight would peek through the clouds and trees. After spending some time in that area, the
group split up- most of the gang went to Cedar Falls and Ash Cave while Joanna
and I went back to finish up dinner.
After dinner we spent time in the hot tub and sitting around the fire.
Holly decided to come to Foam Fest with us and watch, acting
as our own personal professional photographer while Neil and Red headed down to
Hocking College to play some disc golf. The
Foam Fest 5k took place in Kaeppner’s Woods, the same location of our very
first Warrior Dash so Jo and I had some concept of what was in store- a course
with a lot of hills! We all took water
guns and I had a lot of fun shooting random participants I deemed worthy- like
someone with an inflatable doll as part of their costume or the photo bomber
right behind us. 
As we lined up we heard the MC warning us ‘Do NOT inhale the
foam!’ Okay- easier said than done. We lined up, got ready and were off running
through a big pile of foam covering the starting line. We got to the first
inflatable obstacle, a bouncie house filled with foam- I ended up rolling
backwards out of a pit of froth and fizz.
We continued around the course climbing over walls, up cargo nets,
through mud pits, across inner tubes floating in water occasionally encountering
an inflatable like a giant slip-n-slide filled with foam. One of the most anticipated inflatable obstacles
was the 50-foot SuperSlide. Alas, by the
time we got to there it had sustained damage and we could not ride it. Huge bummer- the SuperSlide is why I paid to
do this race! Still, we had a fun time
and watching us convinced Holly that she would like to do a mud run sometime
soon!
After lunch, Jo, Meg, Neil and I headed to Hocking Hills
Canopy Tours while Red and Holly went hiking and hung around the cabin. As we pulled into the park, it started to
lightning and all the tours were put on hold for a while but things got under
way again as soon as the weather passed.
I had already done the traditional tour and opted to just do the
SuperZip while they did the full tour. I
just have to say that the Super Zip rocks!
After you don the harness, you have the option of climbing the tower by
way of many flights of steps or by hanging rope bridges. I chose the bridges and I am glad I did- it
was really a spectacular experience making my way though the canopy,
stopping to look down and around, climbing higher and higher into the trees and
up the tower. At the top they ask if
you’d prefer to ride in a sitting position or flying like Superman. I almost always pick Superman! When they release you, you fly approximately
a quarter mile at speeds up to 50mph through the woods and over a river- it
really is a breathtaking experience and one that I wanted to do over and
over. Luckily they said I could pay $10
for each ride after the 3/$55 deal I had paid for and that’s just what I did. When I met back up with the group we all rode
the SuperZip together- while they enjoyed the traditional tour they said the
SuperZip was the highlight of the trip!
The driver of one of the all-terrain vehicles that
transported us around the complex gave me directions to the liquor store so
after dinner that night, Red, Holly and I made an alcohol run, trying to beat
the clock and get there before 9:pm. We
arrived at 8:59 and found out they were open until 10:00- wahooo! We filled up on Crown and Tequila and headed
back to the cabin to relax for the night.
We spent a little time playing pool, sat in the hot tub as a group, went
on a late night hike and wrapped up the evening around a blazing fire.
The next day I went on an early morning walk, taking
pictures of the area, chickens on a farm down the road and flowers growing in
either shoulder. Before we left Jo and I
did one more skid around the circular driveway, a pastime that’s absurdly unnecessary
and fun, then made our way back toward home.
It was a full weekend and every minute of it was a total blast!
No comments:
Post a Comment