Scrambling around Squaw Rock

This past weekend we went exploring with a couple of friends (Bekah and Claude) to a nearby Metropark.

 

Squaw Rock, in the South Chagrin Reservation, is named from a carving by Henry Church in 1885. Henry was a blacksmith and an artist who walked through the Chagrin River at night to carve this sculpture, as the trail we used didn’t exist. The meaning of the carving is still unknown, per the Metroparks site:

 

Included in the carving is a quiver of arrows (with the four phases of the moon), a giant serpent, an eagle, a woman with a shell behind her (reminiscent of Botticelli’s Venus), a dog, skeleton, and a baby in a papoose. While many have speculated the meaning of the work, it is not known what message Mr. Church actually wanted to convey through this piece. Other smaller carvings can be found on the river side of the rock, although it is uncertain whether they were carved by Henry Church.

 

It was a fun trail to explore as it was not incredibly hilly, and you can easily get to the water from several spots on the river’s bank. We wandered a bit off trail to scramble up a waterfall in a valley nearby but ultimately had to turn back. It was a blast (if you couldn’t tell by the photos) and we plan to head back soon with more suitable footwear!

You can check out my Flickr album here and Google Story here.

p.s. it was great to finally get my Osprey Xenith Pro out of storage!