After completing our 4 mile hike to and from Old Man Cave, we were tired, hot (after all it was July), and hungry. By now it was late afternoon, and it started to rain a little. In addition, we also had to drive 3 hours to Columbus . Instead of calling it a day, we decided to go check out Ash Cave. Since it was a short hike, we figured we could wait just a little longer to eat.
Easy Hikes
The walk to Ash Cave was short, less than a mile. And, the trail was paved all the way to the cave. So, there was absolutely no terrain challenge. All things considered, this was an appropriate hike – even though “easy” hikes are usually not on my son’s list. He usually passes over those for the more challenging trails.
Beautiful Cave
If my son had avoided this trail just because it was easy, we would have really missed out. Ash Cave is beautiful, like a private oasis in the woods. The cave walls were accented with multi-colored stripes, and the years of erosion formed a beach which created the cave floor. To the far right of the cave, a stream of water fell from the top of the large stone mountain. Despite the signs directing people not to ‘swim’ in the water, many people gathered at the base of the waterfall in the natural pool – some boldly wearing bathing suits.
Worth It
Given the lack of challenge to reach the cave, it was a bit crowded and a tad noisy. Most of the noise was made by people standing under the fall. So this, (at least at the time we went), wasn’t very peaceful. All the people also made it a little difficult to take pictures. Unless, you wanted to include people in them. Nonetheless, it was worth seeing.
