GATES OF HELL
Once again, I want to give credit to Atlas Obscura. This may be my favorite, completely obscure site of all time. It’s so obscure in fact, that I am sure some low imagination neophyte might even say its just a drainage pipe and not really otherworldly at all. How wrong they are to completely miss the significance, the danger and most importantly…the fun of the Gates of Hell. Not to mention, its location it’s very close to my home so it was an easy afternoon excursion.
I liked everything about our excursion to the Gates of Hell. First off, I took my kids, if you are going to the Gates of Hell, you might as well make it a family affair. Now, to get to the Gates of Hell, you first must leave your car in the Tim Horton’s parking lot. This is no editorial on Tim Horton’s. I am merely stating the fact that their parking lot is your best option. Then, you take a short hike where you travel through a wooded area, down a ravine and ultimately end up in a large drainage ditch. The woods are not in the best neighborhood and you are a bit isolated on this hike, so for the sake of safety, two of our excursion members were packing heat for the hike. Once you successfully get to the drainage ditch, you then walk back toward the street following the flow of the water. In a short time, you will see the Gates of Hell off in the distance.
As you approach the Gates, you will notice all the devilish runes enhancing the entrance. I assume the language and markings on the Gate are similar to the Black Speech of Mordor and should not be uttered in our realm. When you get to the Gate, you can see that the runes go well into the portal. Far deeper than we would ever get. We used our flashlights to allow us to penetrate the darkness and even take some pictures inside the portal. As we ventured further into the portal, we experienced utter darkness. Our lights were no longer effective…it was as if the light was being absorbed. Thankfully, prior to getting to the point of no return…our courage failed us and we meekly exited back to the point of our entry. We survived the Gates of Hell.
I am sure you have always wondered where the Gates of Hell are…well, they are in central Ohio. If you feel brave and have a good imagination, you may want to consider a visit to the Gates of Hell. PT
