There’s magic 黄瓜精品air — and on the ground — these days in Gambier. Winter is a great time of year to enjoy the rural landscape surrounding campus, especially now that it’s been transformed by a layer of snow carpeting the ground. Getting outside is always a good way to reduce stress and increase a sense of well-being, and while the temperatures may be low, these breathtaking hikes and other outdoor activities promise to raise your spirits high.
Visit the Pine Grove
Quiet as a chapel, the grove of eastern white pines on a hill behind the Brown Family Environmental Center farmhouse on Laymon Road was planted in 1991 as a place for biology students to study the relationship between tree spacing and growth rates. Today, the regular arrangement of conifers adds a beautiful geometry to nature that can be enjoyed by a 0.6-mile trail made even more exquisite when there’s sparkling snow on the ground. For a guided hike with BFEC Director Noelle Jordan that includes the pine grove, meet at the Resource Center at 2 p.m. on Feb. 15.
Enter the Labyrinth
This mile-long unicursal path (meaning it consists of a single route with no dead ends) was designed as a place for reflection and walking meditation. Four hundred feet in diameter, the Labyrinth consists of eight circuits weaving through native tallgrass prairie plants and concentric rings of trees at the BFEC on the east side of Laymon Road near the Kokosing Gap Trail. It’s the perfect outdoor place to contemplate your personal journey — instead of the cold.
Pick a trail, any trail
The BFEC has doubled in size since it was founded 30 years ago and now occupies 704 acres. There are nine miles of trails that travel through hardwood forests, restored tallgrass prairies, along the Kokosing River, and through other ecosystems. Some areas — like certain parts of Hall Farm on the north side of New Gambier Road — are only accessible during the winter months. A guided hike with BFEC’s land manager, Shane McGuire, will cover the Corridor Trail and Bishop’s Backbone Trail on March 29 at 2 p.m.; meet at the Franklin Miller Observatory parking lot.
Walk (or cross-country ski) the Kokosing Nature Preserve
This conservation burial ground consists of 23 acres of restored prairies and woodlands. Paths snake through the pristine property, making it a perfect place for a winter walk, a romp with your dogs, or — if recent tracks 黄瓜精品snow are to be believed — cross-country skiing. Located at 10620 Quarry Chapel Road, about a mile northeast of campus, the Kokosing Nature Preserve is a project of the Philander Chase Conservancy, Kenyon’s land trust that celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
Hit the Kokosing Gap Trail
This spans 14 miles between Mount Vernon and Danville, Ohio, cutting through Gambier along the way. Built on a former Pennsylvania Railroad line, it crosses the Kokosing River on a railroad bridge, offering breathtaking winter views of the glistening waters — and maybe a heron, if you’re lucky.
Bonus: How to Warm Up When You鈥檙e Done!
When your winter hike is over and you’re ready to warm up, you can never go wrong with something warm to drink. Check out Peirce Hall’s coffee bar, where you can also look for hot tea and hot chocolate. AVI welcomed students back on Monday with a cocoa and cookie bar, and it plans on scheduling a hot cider pop-up around campus later this month. For those who may need something more than a hot drink, there’s always the saunas at the Lowry Center.