We started on a horse trail, and hiked up a hill. Once on the ridge, we bushwhacked down into a ravine. We saw a creek at the bottom, and worked our way down. Along the way, we saw bare spots where turkeys had made their beds.

We didn’t find a pond, instead, we followed another, very muddy horse trail out to a nice view of the lake.

We turned around and got on another trail … just because we didn’t find the pond didn’t mean we couldn’t hike more.

We climbed a bigger hill on the 10 O’Clock Line Trail, a 14-mile trail that ends in Brown County State Park. Once we reached the top of the hill, we followed some horse trails for a while on some narrow ridges.

We looked through the trees and thought we spotted a pond. Dave got out his binoculars and it was pretty clear there was SOME kind of water down there. We couldn’t tell if it was a wide creek or a small pond, and the ravine was too steep to go down and check.

We got to the bottom and followed the road back to the car, getting some more views of the lake.

Later, we looked at my GPS and realized we had been pretty close to the water we spotted from the top of the ridge. We just turned the wrong way. Next time, we’ll be able to go there and see if there is, in fact, a pond.

It was a fun hike of about three miles, with a couple of good climbs and some great scenery. And it was great to see Dave, I hadn’t hung out with him since before Christmas since he was sick, and we’ve both been busy.

It was a hilly 7 miles. The first half was easier, mostly following ridge tops. But the second half was a lot harder, as the trail descended into ravines and climbed back up the hill on the other side, repeatedly. There were several 250+ foot climbs.

All in all, a great hike. Looking at the photos now, it’s a bit shocking how much the weather and conditions have changed in the past few weeks. Just a few weeks ago, we were hiking in short sleeves!

Saturday

We had some things to do earlier in the day on Saturday, so we didn’t get down there until late in the afternoon.

We were a little worried about going on this particular weekend, because it was opening weekend of firearms deer-hunting season. We arrived to find that the place was nearly vacant. We picked out a nice campsite in a pine forest, and we basically had an entire campground to ourselves. We set up camp. By the time we were done, it was dark. We set out for a night hike.

We hiked the Sawmill Hollow Interpretive Trail. We had hiked this once before, during the day. It felt quite different at night, and we saw glowing eyes looking back at us a few times, illuminated by our lights. We stopped at a bench and turned our lights off. Suddenly, we could see a lake. Sometimes, you have to turn the light off in order to see. It was a wonderful hike of about two miles, and we had a lot of fun.

By the time we got back to our campsite, we were very hungry. We had brought some pork chops to cook. I got a fire going and Sarah cooked the pork chops for a few minutes in a skillet, on our propane stove. Once the fire was ready, we moved the pork chops onto the grill over the fire. It’s hard to judge how long to cook things this way, but we got it just right this time. The meat was tender and juicy and picked up a lot of the smoke flavor. Some of the best pork chops I’d ever had.

We got to bed fairly early … we were tired, and there wasn’t much else we wanted to do anyway.

Sunday

We woke up reasonably early on Sunday … but not too early. I’m not sure what time it was … nor was I too concerned with the time. One thing I enjoy about trips like this is not having to worry about the time.

I had slept quite well. Sarah did not sleep as well, and she had a headache. I built a small fire and we had some breakfast.

Another nice feature of our campsite was that it was within very close walking distance of Knob Lake. This lake had been drained last time we were here, but it has been filled back in.

After breakfast, we packed up our campsite and headed over to the trailhead for a hike. We wanted to hike Trail 1 up to Mount Baldy (aka Pinnacle Peak). Longtime readers of this blog may recognize this as the place where I proposed to Sarah back in February of 2008. It’s an out-and-back trail, one mile each way, but it’s very rugged and feels a lot longer. Later, I would hike some additional trails. Here’s a map and elevation profile.

View 2009-11-15 Trails 1, 2, 3 at Jackson-Washington SF in a larger map

The trail starts with a long climb up to the remains of an old observation tower. The climb starts gradually, but soon steepens.

From here, the trail traverses a series of hills. It goes straight down the hillside — so steep it’s hard to even walk down. Then it turns and goes straight up the next hill. It repeats this pattern a few times. It’s hard, but the scenery is beautiful.

We reached the top to find a group of people hanging out, their kids goofing around, etc. This certainly put a damper on the romantic aspect of the hike, but we stuck around for a while and they eventually left. In the meantime, we took in the views and ate some lunch.

We headed back the way we came … and the repeated hills were just as difficult on the way back. But we were in a good mood and enjoyed it anyway.

After a while, we were back at the old observation tower. We discussed the possibility of hiking more. Sarah didn’t feel up for it, but she suggested that I go and hike some more and meet her back at the car. Just as we were debating whether Rob would go with me or with Sarah, he laid down on the ground, obviously very tired. That settled that …

So, we parted ways here, for a little while.  I wasn’t really sure how far I’d be hiking, or how long it would take me. I settled into a rather vigorous pace. I figured the hills would be a little easier on this trail (Trail 2);  it was described as “Moderately Rugged,” whereas Trail 1 had been “Rugged.” However, these hills were just as difficult — if not even harder. The trail was never flat for very long, it was always going up, or down, steeply.

However, the views were spectacular. I almost forgot I was in Indiana; the land surrounding these huge hills (“knobs”) is quite flat, which makes the hills seem much bigger. And the trail followed some narrow ridge tops, with drastic ravines on either side.

You could say that these trails are not very well-designed. Generally, they go straight up each hill, and straight down the other side, with no attempt at making the grades more manageable or the climbs more gradual. However, these trails had a unique character all their own, and I felt that the design (or lack thereof) gave me a better appreciation for the sharp relief of the landscape.

And let’s not forget the views …

The map showed an overlook on a short side trail. I reached the side trail, only to find the trail blocked, by this:

I made my way through the debris, and there were some nice views, but not really much better than what I had been seeing along the main trail.

From here, I headed back. I would take Trail 2 until its intersection with Trail 3, which would take me back down to the car. The hiking was still quite difficult, for a while.

But, did I mention the views?

Eventually, I got on Trail 3. It was a little easier. There were still a few ups and downs at first, but they weren’t as steep as Trails 1 and 2.

After a couple of hills, the trail descended rather sharply, for quite a while. I reached the bottom, where I was finally on flat ground. I crossed a creek, and almost immediately reached the parking lot.

Incredibly, this hike was under four miles. It felt a lot longer, with the relentless hills. But the effort paid off with some great views.

My wife was waiting in the car for me. I don’t think she’d been waiting too terribly long … I really booked it during the second half of this hike. We relaxed for a few minutes and talked about the hike, and then drove home.

I slept much better than I usually do when I’m camping. I mostly attribute this to the fact that I brought a real pillow AND a smaller pillow with me. For whatever reason, I’ve got to have my pillows! I did wake up a couple of times during the night, but I fell back asleep right away.

I woke up, squinting as the sun was shining brightly. I heard the pitter-patter of a mouse running around my tent. I had no sense of what time it was. It felt like I had slept in, and I hoped Dave hadn’t been up and waiting for me for too long. It turned out it was 8:30, and Dave had also just gotten up.

Dave started a small fire and I heated water for coffee and oatmeal. We also had donuts … which were quite tasty, but surprisingly cold.

I’m a coffee lover, and I had purchased some Starbucks “VIA” instant coffee so we could try that. It was extremely convenient, as it was just instant coffee in pre-measured packets. I thought it was pretty good. I preferred it with cream and sugar … if it had been a little bit better, I would have had it black. I wouldn’t buy it all the time, but it was perfect for camping — no need for a percolator or French Press or other device, and we still had good coffee.

Anyway, after we had breakfast and coffee, we headed over to the fire tower area for some hiking.

We were doing the Old Axsom Branch hike in the Deam Wildnerness area.  I had never done this hike before … most of it is unmaintained or has no trail at all. It seemed like something that would work better with a guide. Dave has hiked this trail numerous times and knows his way around, so this worked out perfectly. Here’s a map.

View 2009-11-08 Old Axsom Branch Hike in a larger map

The hike started along a fire road on top of a ridge. We then turned off onto a trail that followed another ridge for a bit, before descending into the ravines below.

A tree with arms

Once in the valley, we followed a creek for a bit …

And bushwhacked through a meadow to this old cabin. As you can see, a tree fell on it recently.

Soon, we reached Lake Monroe. Apparently if the water is high, the part of the hike down by the lake can be quite difficult, if you have to hike on higher ground with more shrubbery. The lake looked beautiful, as always, and we hiked alongside it for quite some time.

We saw some killer campsites along the way …

… and some very interesting rocks, under water

Soon, we started a long climb up to the top of a ridge. There was no trail, and the first section had a lot of brush, making for a challenging hike. At the same time, leaf cover made it difficult to avoid rocks and other obstacles.

We had some nice views of the lake along the way …

… and saw a see-through tree ….

… and several “sweat lodges” …

… and a bent tree, apparently this was an Indian technique to indicate a turn in the trail.

We followed the ridge for quite a while …

… and eventually reached a spot with some great views of the lake

… and the terraced land, carved by glaciers.

We decided this was our lunch spot. Dave had brought some pita bread, salami, pepperoni, and leftover steak from the night before. This made for a delicious lunch.

We rested for a while and ate some lunch, enjoying both the cool breeze and the warm sun.  We looked out above the water … way, way above the water … above our position on the ridge, even … in time to see three bald eagles soaring across the sky. It had taken a lot of work to get here — bushwhacking through brush, and hiking up to the top of the ridge. But it was well worth it.

After lunch, the hiking was varied. We had more ridgetop hiking, some bushwhacking, and followed a faint horse trail for a while.

We reached Terrill Pond, which Sarah and I have visited a couple of times before. It’s always beautiful, and on this day, the lily pads were changing colors. Just lovely.

Soon, we were back on the fire road and headed back out of the woods. But we had a couple more miles to hike from here. We checked out a few campsites along the way … there are lots of great options for backpacking in the Deam Wilderness.

At the end of the hike, we’d gone about six miles. It was a lot of work, but it paid off.

We returned to our campsite to pack up the car. We got all ready to go, and Dave’s car wouldn’t start. The battery didn’t have enough juice. After a few failed attempts at finding someone to jumpstart the car, I called Sarah and she agreed to come pick us up. She had to buy jumper cables, but I’ve been meaning to get some for a while. I’m glad we have some now. Dave’s car started right up when we jump-started it. We headed home … what an awesome camping trip!

It’s just a short trail, a mile and a half, or maybe a little less. The moonlight was so bright that I turned my flashlight off for most of the hike. We have done this trail several times before, and it was very interesting to see it in a different light (so to speak).

The air was cool and crisp. We trod upon a bed of leaves, which both softened our step and hid rocks and roots, which sometimes attempted to make us trip. I spotted a rabbit, and we heard coyotes yipping in the distance. We marveled at the brightness of the moon, and the shadows it cast. We smelled pine trees, and crossed creeks in the dark. We held hands and walked down this familiar path, through these woods that mean so much to us, completely alone together. We had the forest to ourselves. We turned our lights off and stood arm-in-arm under the moonlight. It was perfect. But, it was over too soon.

Suffice it to say, we really liked it. I’m not sure we’ll do night hikes all the time, but there’s very little I enjoy as much as being out in the woods with my wife, and it’s great that we keep discovering new ways of doing just that.

After our hike, I wanted to try a few long exposures. Night photography is difficult, and I had some real problems, mainly with focusing. I need to work on it. But, here are a few shots anyway. I think the second shot may have Venus in it. Thanks to Sarah for being patient as I fiddled with my camera in the dark, even though it was getting cold.

View 2009-10-25 Rock Shelter Trail in a larger map

The hike started on a fire road, and went downhill for a while before turning to a narrow trail and descending more steeply. We taught Avery how to follow the blazes on the trail, and he turned it into a game to see how many blazes he could find.

Once we reached the bottom of the ravine, the trail followed a creek, crossing it many times. We tried to catch some frogs, but they got away from us.

Avery did, however, find part of an acorn — which is almost as exciting as a frog.

After following the creek for a while, we reached the Rock Shelter. Avery scrambled up to the top and coronated himself King of the Forest.

We hung out in the “Rock Shelter” for a while.

I believe Avery and Sarah were singing a song in the following shot. In fact, I think the dog is singing, too.

We sat to have a snack. Problem with that was, Rob was very interested in what we were eating, as can be seen here.

We moved on, following the creek a little longer. Then, the trail climbed rather sharply, for a while. But everyone did very well, and no one complained.

We passed a pond, and soon were on another fire road, on flatter ground.

More songs were sung; I believe there was one that never ended, followed by (paradoxically) a few others. Maybe something about a leaky bucket.

I loved this hike. It’s great to spend some quality time with my nephew; and as he gets older, there are more and more things we can do together.

On our way home, we stopped at the Musgrave Orchard to buy some fresh cider. Followed by dinner at mom’s house, and then pumpkin carving. It was a wonderful, full day.

So, here’s a hike we did back on October 24 — the Scarce O’Fat trail at Yellowwood State Forest. Our hike was nearly five miles, and the hike was harder than I remembered. But the leaves looked fantastic, and it was a great way to spend three hours in the woods with my wife. I don’t have much more commentary, but here are a map and some photos.

View 2009-10-24 Scarce o’Fat in a larger map

We had had a lot of wind and rain in the past few days, and a lot of the leaves fell. Some still remained, and some trees were quite colorful, while others were completely bare.

Here is a map, and a few shots from our hike.

View 2009-10-23 BCSP Pine Loop Hike in a larger map

The trail has a few cedar bridges, which are beautifully built and smell wonderful.

So on Saturday, we decided to do a long hike. It’s a trail we’ve done before (way back in May of 2007), the Sycamore Loop, in the Deam Wilderness found in Hoosier National Forest. Our hike, including an extra out-and-back jaunt to Terrill Ridge Pond, ended up being about 7.5 miles.

View 2009-10-17 Sycamore Loop in a larger map

The hike started with a brief section on a fire road before we picked up the Sycamore Loop Trail itself, which started on a ridge, but quickly descended into a valley and followed a creek for a while. All the while winding through mixed pine and hardwood forests … but to be sure, a lot more pines than you typically see in this area.

We stopped to rest at one of several walk-in campsites along the way. This seemed to be the best of the designated sites as far as I could tell, in a large pine forest, by a creek, with lovely limestone outcroppings — but no one was using it. It was further back than the other sites, but not by that much. We had a snack and rested for a few minutes.

We hiked on, the forest transitioned back to hardwoods and the trail turned upwards for a long, gradual climb back up to the ridge. Throughout this time, the trail either followed the top of the ridge, or skirted the edges of ravines. But the foliage was too thick to get any good photos … and really there wasn’t much of a view. This would be a good hike in the winter, if we can access the trailhead (the drive or ride there involves a 7-mile section of gravel road).

We took another break by a creek to eat lunch and filtered some water from the creek. Then continued on our way.

We passed a rather large group camping along the trail. They were noisy and disrupted our peaceful hike slightly, but we were soon past them.

The trail reconnected with the fire road, and I talked Sarah into walking down to a pond that we had found last time, Terrill Ridge Pond. Some people were camping there, so we didn’t stay long. It’s a beautiful spot … another place I wouldn’t mind camping sometime.

By this time, we had about two miles of hiking along a ridge on the fire road back to the car. There were two climbs at the end of the road that we remembered being brutal from our previous hike there. However, since we are more seasoned hikers now, and after some of the monstrous climbs in Pennsylvania, these two hills felt easy. It’s funny how your perspective changes over time.

It was a wonderful hike. We were in great spirits the whole time and perhaps a bit chilly (we forgot to take into account that it was a lot cooler in the shady woods than it was at home), but otherwise we were mostly comfortable. We stopped at the 58 Cafe on our way back (where I ate on a recent bike ride). This place is awesome and very “authentic,” as we like to say (loaded with local characters and flavor). Let’s just say they have not one, not two, but THREE different types of pork tenderloin sandwiches (a Hoosier specialty) on the menu. We each had one, and they were delicious. It’s great to be able to get a tasty meal after a long hike.