The Little Smokies of Ohio
Just the Facts
Location: Shawnee State Forest - Portsmouth, OH
General Rules and Regulations: Camping is only permitted in designated campsites unless you request a special backcountry camping permit. Free self registration is required at the trail head.
Please see the Ohio DNR website for details on the rules.
Trip Highlights: 2 days/1 night; temps ranged from mid 20s to low 60s
Menu: Red beans & rice, beef & beans with rice & Fritos, blueberry breakfast biscuits and various snacks
Shelter: DIY gathered end hammock, Hammock Gear 0 degree underquilt and Underground Quilt 20 degree top quilt, Warbonnet Outdoors Mamajamba tarp
Max had a foam pad, Cosco down throw & DIY synthetic quilt with DIY down vest.
Wildlife: Deer
Miscellaneous: forestry.ohiodnr.gov/shawnee
Location: Shawnee State Forest - Portsmouth, OH
General Rules and Regulations: Camping is only permitted in designated campsites unless you request a special backcountry camping permit. Free self registration is required at the trail head.
Please see the Ohio DNR website for details on the rules.
Trip Highlights: 2 days/1 night; temps ranged from mid 20s to low 60s
Menu: Red beans & rice, beef & beans with rice & Fritos, blueberry breakfast biscuits and various snacks
Shelter: DIY gathered end hammock, Hammock Gear 0 degree underquilt and Underground Quilt 20 degree top quilt, Warbonnet Outdoors Mamajamba tarp
Max had a foam pad, Cosco down throw & DIY synthetic quilt with DIY down vest.
Wildlife: Deer
Miscellaneous: forestry.ohiodnr.gov/shawnee
Since it was a guy's weekend I wanted to get out and enjoy the woods. I needed something I could take Max...Backpacking! Shawnee State Forest wasn't too far away and I'd never been. So, Shawnee it was! I got some info from a fellow hammock camper that I'd previously met and ended up meeting up with him and his brother for an overnighter. We made a lolly-pop loop out of the south loop trail and Forest Road 16.
According to the DNR Shawnee State Forest is 63,747 acres, including 8,000 of designated wilderness area, with about 60 miles of backpacking trails. The forest is the largest state forest in Ohio. The area is often referred to as The Little Smokies of Ohio.
According to the DNR Shawnee State Forest is 63,747 acres, including 8,000 of designated wilderness area, with about 60 miles of backpacking trails. The forest is the largest state forest in Ohio. The area is often referred to as The Little Smokies of Ohio.
Day 1 (Sat):
Max and I headed out early Saturday morning and got to the trail head a little before 9:00 AM. We met up with our crew and headed out on the trail. The plan was to stop at either camp 7, camp 6 or use the backcountry permit I requested. My goal was just to get out and relax and get away from some of the nonsense going on. We agreed to just play it by ear and stop where we felt like.
Max and I headed out early Saturday morning and got to the trail head a little before 9:00 AM. We met up with our crew and headed out on the trail. The plan was to stop at either camp 7, camp 6 or use the backcountry permit I requested. My goal was just to get out and relax and get away from some of the nonsense going on. We agreed to just play it by ear and stop where we felt like.
On a side note - I didn't find a lot of details about Shawnee but, what I did find was that it was rugged - rugged to the point that most folks really disliked the trail. The common review was that it's a roller coaster of ups & downs with no views to reward the climbs. I'll confirm that Shawnee is no walk in the park. I'll be back though.
The south loop trail overlaps the Buckeye Trail and the North Country Trail. The trail starts out with a nice single track, uphill of course. After a decent climb the trail opens up to a wide trail and continues up & down until we crossed Forest Road 16 where we stopped for lunch. Max had some water and snacks and I cooked up some red beans & rice. After lunch we pushed up and & on. I think we made it to the spur to camp 7 around 1:00 PM. What we had hiked so far was "easy" compared to what stood before us and camp 6. We figured it would take us another 4 hours to hike the 5 miles left to camp 6 putting us in camp near dark. So, we decided to go down and check out camp 7. If it was a good site we would set up there and have a relaxed day with ample time to set up camp. The site was empty and with a good spot for all 3 of us to hang together, this would be home for the night.
As the night went on the campsite got more & more popular with 5 more groups stopping there (one couple didn't stay). Word must have gotten out that there was going to be a bushcraft clinic put on that evening. Our hope of a peaceful night in the woods was dashed, not by sharing the site with others, but by a few that wanted to use their axes to fell trees and build a fire suitable for a high school homecoming party. On the bright side, we learned some of the finer points of "bushcraft" - feather sticks, axes, saws and most importantly, to park your truck a 1/4 mile away to allow you to carry all the "necessities" for backcountry camping.
We had a modest fire that we shared with a couple father/son duos that came in. I fed Max and fixed my dinner around the campfire. After dinner we all sat around the fire to enjoy each other's company and learn what we could from the "bushmasters".
With the short days hiker's midnight felt like 8:00 PM. After the sun set the temperature was dropping about 2 degrees every 20 minutes. It ended up bottoming out around 24 degrees. Max shared is down blanket until we retired to the hammock around 9:30 PM. This would the coldest I've camped with Max. Even though I thought he would stay warm with his down vest, down blanket and synthetic quilt, I'm always nervous that he will move in the night and come out from under the insulation. Thankfully, he was worn out enough that he only got up once in the night. I tucked him back in and we both went back to sleep. The supermoon made a great night light - no headlamps needed.
With the short days hiker's midnight felt like 8:00 PM. After the sun set the temperature was dropping about 2 degrees every 20 minutes. It ended up bottoming out around 24 degrees. Max shared is down blanket until we retired to the hammock around 9:30 PM. This would the coldest I've camped with Max. Even though I thought he would stay warm with his down vest, down blanket and synthetic quilt, I'm always nervous that he will move in the night and come out from under the insulation. Thankfully, he was worn out enough that he only got up once in the night. I tucked him back in and we both went back to sleep. The supermoon made a great night light - no headlamps needed.
Day 2 (Sun):
We awoke to a frigid morning. Max was ready to get up but, I was not ready to come out of the downy goodness of my hammock. Needless to say, Max won out and we got up and started a fire and made coffee. We were in no hurry so we enjoyed the warmth of the fire, coffee and breakfast. With coffee and breakfast down it was time to start packing up. With the fire extinguished, water bottles filled and packs packed we headed back toward the trail head.
We hiked a bit before stopping to shed layers. Back at Forest Road 16 we made the turn toward the truck. The road was a fairly easy hike and allowed us to make a loop and ease the strain on my legs & feet! Max was very appreciative too!
Summary: Once back to the trail head we had logged about 9.5 miles total and Max was thankful to be back. We didn't make it far up Route 125 before Max was passed out.
It was an enjoyable trip. Shawnee is definitely a workout. I'm glad we called it to stop at camp 7; I was pretty worn out by the time we got back. Plus I got to meet some fellow backpackers close to home. Shawnee is a nice place and will for sure help get you in shape! I look forward to a return trip when I can spend a few nights.
We awoke to a frigid morning. Max was ready to get up but, I was not ready to come out of the downy goodness of my hammock. Needless to say, Max won out and we got up and started a fire and made coffee. We were in no hurry so we enjoyed the warmth of the fire, coffee and breakfast. With coffee and breakfast down it was time to start packing up. With the fire extinguished, water bottles filled and packs packed we headed back toward the trail head.
We hiked a bit before stopping to shed layers. Back at Forest Road 16 we made the turn toward the truck. The road was a fairly easy hike and allowed us to make a loop and ease the strain on my legs & feet! Max was very appreciative too!
Summary: Once back to the trail head we had logged about 9.5 miles total and Max was thankful to be back. We didn't make it far up Route 125 before Max was passed out.
It was an enjoyable trip. Shawnee is definitely a workout. I'm glad we called it to stop at camp 7; I was pretty worn out by the time we got back. Plus I got to meet some fellow backpackers close to home. Shawnee is a nice place and will for sure help get you in shape! I look forward to a return trip when I can spend a few nights.
Honorable Mentions: I changed up my cookset to get a larger diameter pot. I picked up an Evernew Titanium pot and it is working great. The larger diameter helps make it more efficient and is easier to cook in.
Honorably Discharged: Nada
Dishonorably Discharged: Nope
Honorably Discharged: Nada
Dishonorably Discharged: Nope