Hello! My brother, Andrew, and I are avid hikers and we just love exploring all of the beautiful Metro Parks that we are so lucky to live close to. Every year the Metro Parks host a fall and spring hiking spree and it is our time to shine! We are right in the midst of our fall hiking spree and have completed six out of the eight hikes needed to earn another shield for our walking sticks. The hiking spree offers a list of tons of hiking trails within a thirty or so mile radius and we always try to hit up the ones we have never been to before. It’s so exciting and we have found countless new favorite trails through the hiking spree process. The weather has been wonderful, the company is even better, and I can’t wait to hit the trails again!

A majority of people who live in Northeast Ohio would describe it as “boring” and most times, I have to concur lol. There is never much of anything going on! The hiking sprees, however, make me eat my words because how could all of that gorgeous scenery ever be boring?! Every time we begin a hike, I am in awe of the nature surrounding us. The tall trees, falling leaves, and wildlife are straight out of story books and we like to keep track of all of the animals we see on our adventures. During a recent walk along the water we saw twenty-two turtles! That might seem like a lot but it doesn’t come close to our world record hike of spotting fifty-five turtles, a beaver, a river otter, blue herons, and a million baby ducks all in one afternoon!

The fall hiking spree is, truly, our most beloved adventure of the year and it’s so cool to visit places in Ohio that we have never been to before. It really opens up a whole new world! For example, we did some shopping at a store in Medina called Sweets & Geeks and I had a brain blast to find a Metro Park nearby to serve as our “pick your own” hike. We settled on Buckeye Woods and were astounded by its sheer enormity. There were soccer fields, baseball diamonds, playgrounds, and a seemingly endless amount of trails to trek on. The trail we selected brought us deep into the woods and there were already lots of crunchy leaves on the ground to stomp on. My favorite! If it weren’t for the hiking spree, we never would have known about the park and that is what it’s all about. Yeah, Northeast Ohio isn’t so boring after all. 🙂

Take a hike! Seriously, it will do you a world of good and you will feel fabulous afterwards. There is nothing better than finding brand new paths in your own backyard!

Do you hike often? What is your favorite trail? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah