Bernheim Forest and Arboretum

Tracy and I celebrated our last day of travel with an early morning visit to the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest. We awoke before the sun and drove to Clermont, Kentucky where a lovely lady asked if we wished to donate to the grounds. We did. I will mention that since I’ve been connecting with other troll hunters, I’ve learned a money saving trick. If you purchase a membership to an arboretum, most of them offer free visits to other arboretums as a courtesy. While I’m quite content to put my money into each arboretum, the savings could add up if you visit several trolls throughout the year.

We entered Bernheim while the darkness still held on to the land. Because our ultimate goal was to get home, we saved some time by driving rather than walking to the first troll. Our first stop introduced us to Mama Loumari.

Mama Loumari

Pregnant, Mama Loumari rests against a tree while her children Little Elina and Little Nis play nearby. This small family is joined together with both husband and father, Isak Heartstone, in the fairy tale narrative, While the Weather Got Better. Unfortunately, Isak’s permanent home is Breckenridge, Colorado, so we did not “meet” him…yet.

As all trolls are crafted with recycled materials, some of the materials used include local wood, bourbon barrels, and scrap from the Louisville Slugger factory. Each troll pays homage to its local environment.

Because our arrival coincided with the early opening, we had the trolls to ourselves. The peaceful environment created a wonderful experience. We saw signs for Little Elina and hiked to her.

Little Elina

Little Elina sits half a mile from her mother. While playing in the woods during winter, Little Elina looks up and sees a feather falling. This sign of good luck signals a fertile forest and foreshadows the birth of Mama Loumari’s baby.

Little Elina lays out rocks in the shape of a feather. However, the original rocks were stolen shortly after her 2019 installation. As a result, new stones were laid and visitors now bring colorful stones and gifts to decorate her. We found them decorating her hair. Sadly, graffiti also decorated Little Elina.

As we made our way back to the car, we decided to walk to Little Nis.

The Path to Little Nis

Our walk started terribly. My shoelace caught on a root and before I knew it, I crashed to the ground. I had protected my face, but my knee suffered some trauma. Tracy wanted to do what was best for me, but I anticipated a long drive would make for a stiff knee. We thus continued the plan to walk as I hoped walking would work out the pain (it did).

The path was spectacular! Morning ice trimmed the tall grasses and the delicate leaves all around. Small frozen pools of water lay before us. We mostly stepped over them, but occasionally our feet would step and crush the thin layer of ice. The silence we felt as we walked along the path was interrupted only by the birds waking for the day and our steps along the path. I loved every moment.

Within ten minutes, we left our path and found Little Nis playing by Olmstead Pond.

Little Nis

Little Nis’s own reflection fascinates him. We walked on a bridge across the pond from Little Nis and saw his reflection as well. In warmer weather, fish and turtles seem to be under Little Nis’s inspection as well.

Typically Little Nis is the first troll seen when visiting Bernheim. However, we initially passed by him as the darkness hid him from our view. Personally, I enjoyed seeing mom first then the kids.

The Bernheim Forest and Arboretum had so much to see. We missed the famous tin man, but our main goal—seeing the trolls—was met. Reluctantly, we returned to our car to begin the long journey home.

The remainder of our trip consisted of gas, bathrooms, Dairy Queen, and home. We talked and snacked, but mostly we gave thanks for a safe and wonderful trip.