Log 2015043001

The following image was taken from Google Earth using a topo overlay.  With the data on that overlay, I was able to determine that there is a route from the Whipple Section - Buckeye Trail (North Country Trail concurrent) to the Leith Run Recreation Area in the Wayne National Forest - Marietta Unit. Four miles is important because it's about the furthest that a hiker would be willing to go to reach an amenity.  This route is 3.34 miles and takes place on a four wheel drive road.  Some of it might be part of the Grandview Trail and I'm not sure if it even meets Archer's Fork Road/ C14 as shown?  The Internet has a lot of information.  But on the trail, it doesn't always have everything. In this case, in person verification is needed.

Otherwise...

- School district polygons were added to the MyPlaces on my Google Earth application today.  I have all of them accounted for with in 4 miles of Buckeye Trail circuit.

Log 2015042201

I arrived in the Marietta area about 20 hours ago.  And I've been staying at a hotel on the West Virginia side since.

- More items were dropped off at the supply point

- Before I left, I forgot to charge my power tool batteries, but I got them done at the hotel.

- I set up a PO box in the unincorporated community of Whipple in Washington County.

- I attempted to track the trail from Leith Run Recreation Area to the Whipple Section - Buckeye/ North Country Trail.  But I didn't have a map, so I was working on just my memory.  And when it got longer than it should, I exited the forest on to Archers Fork Rd/ C14 and took the pavement back to my car.

- I got hiking maps from the National Forest Service Ranger Station in the unincorporated community of Reno in Washington County and found that I was tracking the wrong trail yesterday.

- I did some grocery shopping and I have enough supply to last at least 8 days.

- While I was at the hotel, I a small amount of laundry.

- I realized that my geotagged photos on Google Earth from my desktop computer didn't transfer over to the laptop.  This is because the geotags were dependent on the location of the photo files on the desktop.  The solution to the problem is to place geotagged photos on my Dropbox account, then create an identical file structure on my laptop and reassign Dropbox's local synchronizing folder to it.

- My toiletry bag has a few items that it did have before and is over filled.

Log 2015033101

This is advice to the hiking public...

All points mentioned are from the Whipple Section map and guide, October 2010 edition.

Whipple's maintenance was digitally cataloged and as per the most recent off-road inspection, and at the moment, I know exactly where we need work from the desk.  But as always, I'm open to receiving reports about its condition.  The following is just advice.. Overall in for the average speed to hike the section's roughly 15 miles of off-road from the trailhead at C9 to Brooks Road, Whipple scores about average at the moment. However, the advice is that for about the next two weeks (from March 31st, 2015). if you're on the Whipple Section - Buckeye Trail, I recommend that you hike faster between Pts. 02 - 03, which is 3.2 miles.  You might be able to sustain between 2.7 - 3.2MPH there.

I'm not sure that I've done this from Whipple's point of view yet.  But it regards public transit in the area.  In Washington County, we have the "Community Action Bus Lines," or just "CABL."  The Whipple Section of the Buckeye Trail (North Country Concurrent) has a New Matamoras/ Macksburg bus that runs on Thursdays only.  It's doesn't have enough of a schedule to be much good for lodging.  But it can help you resupply.

Now, the Village of New Matamoras is what I call "out of range" because it's more than 4.0 miles from BT/ NCT.  However, it is in range at Leith Run via the Scenic River Trail, and Archer's Fork Rd/ C14 & OH-07.  In this area, this bus runs along OH-07 and there are no formal stops, so you when you see something like a white Ford Econoline cut-a-way bus (they actually drive the GM equivalent), just waive your hand in the air and signal the on-coming driver that you'd like to board the vehicle.

From New Matamoras, this bus will make it's scheduled stop at the Washington County Courthouse in Marietta before turning north and going to Macksburg.  In Macksburg, there is a bus shelter on the west side of Main Street that's about 1/3rd of a mile north of the BT/ NCTC.  You have to board and disembark there because this bus uses I-77 on the coming to and from Marietta/ New Matamoras.

There might be a way to use transit in Macksburg to get to a camping amenity  If one hiked clockwise from Road Fork Section, they could overnight in the forest and meet the bus at Archer's Fork Rd near Pt. 2 the next morning on a Thursday and take it all the way to Macksburg.   From there on that day, begin hiking from near Whipple 18 heading counter clockwise (CCW).  Normally, it's only a 4 day hike to reach Archer's Fork Road again.   But this hike has to be precisely timed out and it needs 7 in order to catch the bus and take it back to Macksburg on the next Thursday for a clockwise (CW) hike to the Stockport Section, or take the short cut to the Village of Belle Valley in Noble County.

CABL also has daily fixed route bus routes.  It too is probably a cut-a-way type vehicle, but it runs a regular weekday schedule like a city amenity, except on holidays.  It's one of their Marietta City Routes and it terminates at the Social Security Administration on OH-26, which is about 3 miles away from Whipple 09.  This route can do both re-supply and lodging.  So if your unassisted and you've had your fill with dispersed camping in the forest and your looking forward to a pizza, Marietta awaits you ;-).