Sweet Arrow Reserve

A little over two years ago, the township in which I live was given a donation of land both farm and wooded by the late Dr. Dille near Dayton, Ohio. The donation was contingent upon the residents of the township voting to add a tax to develop and maintain a reserve that would include trails and perhaps some other recreational features for its residents and others.

For the next year, it seemed nothing was happening, but then recently, I noticed a small paved area entrance added for small amounts of parking for hikers.  A sign was posted which essentially indicated, the area while open, was still being developed and the initial trails were only marked by small posts with orange flags.

Anxious to check things out, I took a short hike on the land to get an idea of what it was like.

Surprisingly, there are some small challenges as the wooded section includes some hills which are not for the casual walker.  There is a creek that needs to be forded twice and while not deep, currently, at this time of year, there wasn't any simple way to ford without either simply stepping through it, or leaping it, if you didn't have waterproof hiking boots.

The trail is not completely clear and at one point I found myself on what appeared to be a pathway, but there seemed to be no more stakes. Not sure if I was encroaching on private property, I ultimately turned back.  However, it did provide a nice discovery.  An old tree that was hollowed out and had an appearance of what the British call a Wendy house.  It was fun to look at though it did need to have its insides cleared if one wants to step inside it.  It will be an interesting addition for children who are able to hike this portion of trail.

The woods are sparse and the trail is not tough, but the fact that it is so close to my home, I can walk it if I am looking for a quick hike in a very close area to where I live.

I am hoping the trail becomes much clearer over time and it will be fun to visit when Spring returns just to see what kind of flora it supports.  As there are few currently walking the trail, the deer have not yet gotten used to visitors to their former private area and can be regularly seen foraging and running through the wooded areas.