Megan Engelhardt

I went on an adventure!

I ran across this place in a group about traveling in Ohio. I thought it would be a super awesome place to visit on a walk, so although it’s a bit of a drive for me, I headed out on a sunny day.

From everything I read, the trail was short and the path easy access.

Lies.

Oh, sure, the path was nice at the beginning. Relatively clear, going through the green woods with the sun dappling the path. I even saw a snake friend!

(Don’t worry, I kept my distance. My phone just has really good zoom.)

Then my struggle began.

I’m not directionally challenged, really. I have no idea what directions on the compass things are, but I’m pretty good with remembering where I’ve been, landmarks, general direction, that sort of thing. It seemed like the trail would be well marked, that I’d see cool sculptures, enjoy the afternoon, and be done.

But by golly if I could NOT find the stone sculptures.

The whole attraction of Worden’s Ledges is supposed to be these very neat sculptures carved into the sandstone of the forest by Noble Stuart in the 1940s and 1950s. Noble Stuart (fabulous name) married Nettie Worden, the youngest daughter of Hiram Mace Worden. (The Worden family lived in the area of the ledges in the 1860s.) Nettie unfortunately passed away just a year after their marriage, leaving her husband the property in her will. Noble began sculpting.

These woods were creeping me out. It was kind of weird, because the woods were very reminiscent of the woods where I grew up. But woods are liminal spaces, anyway, and these were exceptionally liminal.

Also maybe it’s because I’ve been binging Yellowjackets.

Such looming.

Bigfoot nest? Definitely a Bigfoot nest.

Thirty minutes after starting my walk, I texted my sister. “I am trying to find these (sculptures). Totally lost. In case I die in here you’ll know where to send the searchers.”

“Welp,” she texted back, “it’s been real.”

I’m so supported.

I passed a family with three kids and one VERY excited pupper who also could not find the sculptures. We commiserated, laughed, and parted ways.

Ten minutes later my sister, having read up on the place, texted “At least some of them seem super obvious!”

“YOU’D THINK” I replied.

Half an hour after that, I finally found them.

Everything I found online said to start walking the path to the left, clockwise, and that the first statue you find would be the sphinx.

That was the last statue I found. I entered the “cool sculpture” part of the trail from completely the wrong direction.

Anyway, here’s Ty Cobb.

I thought this was lovely. It was set back in a recessed part of the cliffs.

A ship!

Nettie, if you’ll recall, was Noble’s wife. I find this very touching. I’m also astounded by the cursive – look how neat that is! Carved in stone!

H.M. Worden was Noble’s father-in-law, and what I found online seemed to indicate that 1851 might be his in-laws’ wedding date.

They don’t know who this dude is, though.

The sphinx! She’s weather-beaten and lovely.

There seem to be other carvings that I missed, but frankly I’m pleased I found even the ones I did. I also found this guy, though, and I didn’t see any mention online of what he could be.

A moon-eyed person, perhaps?

I was able to find my way back to the main path fairly easily after this. I also ran into the family from before (who had not yet found the carvings), and was able to give them the good news that the carvings were right ahead and they were nearly there. As they passed me, the mom said “They could mark this a little more clearly, couldn’t they?”

YOU’D THINK.

Walking while listening podcast update: Let’s Get Haunted Episode 209 – The Red Ghost