The posted coordinates will take you to the trailhead where the
Ghost RR trail splits off from the Dogwood Loop. To get here,
simply follow the Dogwood Loop from Parking Lot A. Be aware that
Edison
Woods Preserve is often very muddy, and that the trail is
somewhat steep. Wear appropriate footwear, and bring insect
repellant! You will follow the Ghost RR trail up to the South Ridge
trail. When you reach this trail, please do not go any higher in
altitude. There is no established trail right here, and the park
boundary is nearby. There are several traditional geocaches in this
area, and I have based my terrain rating on theirs.
Trail maps are available at the parking area, or you can print
one from the website.
When you first turn onto the Ghost RR trail, you will notice
that the terrain is changing. At the top, you will be at the
intersection of the South Ridge trail, named for the large stone
ridge the trail runs beside. Called the Berea Escarpment, this
ridge is the transition zone between two physiographic regions of
Ohio. A physiographic region is an area of land in which the
terrain and rock type are the same. Any escarpment, or zone
where the elevation makes a dramatic change, will be a dividing
line between two physiographic regions.
A map of physiographic regions of Ohio is available as an Adobe
Acrobat file at the Ohio DNR
website. It might be a bit overwhelming at first glance, but it
is worth a look. First, find Erie County, top and center of the
state. You will see that most of the county is colored purple,
which represents a region called the Lake Erie Plain. In the
southeast part of the county are two small regions, one purple with
dots, and the other green with dots. The dotted regions make up the
Berea Headlands. The Berea Escarpment divides the Berea Headlands
from the Lake Erie Plains here in Edison Woods, and continues south
to an area east of Columbus. If you follow the Escarpment down the
map, you will see that there are different colors representing
different landscapes on either side of the line.
Like 2/3 of the state, Edison Woods was once covered by glaciers
which affected the development of the landscape. A million years
ago, mile-thick ice covered the are, but warmer climates around
15,000 years ago caused the glaciers to begin to melt. While the
ice began melting at the southern end of the glacier, the ice
remained thick in the north. The water from melted ice in the south
was dammed by the ice in the north, and the trapped water formed a
glacial lake. The glaciers did not melt all at once, but instead
went through several cycles of melting and refreezing over the
course of thousands of years. Geologists have discovered that
several lakes of different depths formed in the same area at
different times.
Glacial Lake Maumee dates back to about 15,000 years ago. The
South Ridge at Edison Woods, high above the trail of the same name,
is part of the Berea Escaprment, which made up the south shoreline
of this ancient lake. Glacial ice formed the north shoreline. The
soil at the top of the South Ridge is made up of sand, gravel, and
rocks from the prehistoric shore. At the lower elevation in the
park, on the other side of the Berea Escarpment, the soil is
different. This is clay formed at the bottom of Lake Maumee and the
other glacial lakes that followed.
Eventually, the climate warmed enough to melt the glaciers for
good. When the northern ice dam melted, the last deep glacial lake
drained away, and Lake Erie was formed. Geologic evidence remains,
and Edison Woods offers an ideal opportunity to inspect it in
person. Enjoy your walk across an ancient lakebed as the Berea
Escarpment rises in front of you on the trail.
LOGGING REQUIREMENTS: According to Earthcache rules, in
order to claim the find, you must perform an educational task. I
ask that you email me two pieces of information:
1 - Most GPS units have some method of altitude measurement,
although it is not always entirely accurate based on the make and
model of your receiver. Please take altitude readings both at the
low end and the high end of the Ghost RR trail and email me the
difference in the readings.
1(a) (optional) If, in your travels, you should happen to
find information in the park that would tell you the altitude
change from the low end of the Ghost RR Trail to the top of the
South Ridge, please also email the number and the location where
you found the information.
2- What kind of stone makes up the Berea Escarpment? (If you do
not recognize it just by looking, stop at the Adventure Walkway on
your way back to the parking lot.) This stone was quarried here in
Berlin Heights as well as in towns to the east like Amherst and
Berea, and geologists refer to the type in this region as Berea
(blank)stone.
Logs not accompanied by email within a reasonable amount of time
will be deleted per Earthcache rules. Please don't make me have to
do that! Photos are not a logging requirement but it would make me
and the Erie MetroParks happy to see some of the people who are
enjoying this park.
References:
Ohio DNR
website
Camp, Mark J. 2006 Roadside Geology of Ohio. Missoula,
Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company
Erie
MetroParks website (Thanks to the Erie MetroParks and Lois
TerVeen for allowing this Earthcache!)