Post by Head Honcho on Sept 22, 2013 22:13:08 GMT -5
I needed a break towards the end of 2012 so I decided to run away for a few days to Deam Wilderness down in southern Indiana.
I must confess there really wasn't any planning to this trip. Originally I was planning on hiking a good stretch of the Tecumseh trail,but that would require my wife and I leaving my truck at the finish and then having her drop me off at the beginning. It snowed the day before I was to leave, I didn't want my wife to get out on some of the country roads just in case. So I grabbed my Hoosier forest map and drove out to Deam Wilderness by myself. One of the nice things about this area is all the trails loop around, so there's no need to have some drop you off.
I drove down in my 4x4 and parked at one of the designated parking areas and got out and just started hiking. I got mostly through one of the loops on the first day. I came to a nice camp site down in the south east corner. I made camp for the night, ate some dinner, and then climbed into my sleeping bag for a cozy nights sleep.
The next morning I got up and finished the loop. I ended up at the fire tower for lunch. It's a metal tower that was built years ago to keep an eye on the surrounding area during the high fire risk times. It stands 110 feet tall and has, I believe, 133 steps to the top. I powered my way to the top and sat down for a while to rest and have lunch. Quite and interesting experience.
After lunch I hiked back to my truck and then drove to a different section of the forest and started hiking again from that point. Once again as it started to get dark I found a place to make camp for the night. I had a little extra time so I made a snowman at my campsite. (Look for him in one of my pictures, I named him Bob.)
Remembering that the night before condensation had built up on my low pitched tarp I decided to pitch the tarp more open. This proved to be a mistake. Sometime past midnight it started snowing, heavy, thick snow. I spent the next several hours waking up off and on. Either to push out against the tarp to keep the snow from piling up, or because the snow was blowing in on my uncovered face. All and all, I was still warm and once I finally got to sleep for good, I slept just fine.
I packed my gear the following morning and hiked back to my truck. The snow fall from the night before was absolutely beautiful. The ride back home was uneventful. Another fun time outdoors coming to end, hopefully many more outdoor days in the new year.
I must confess there really wasn't any planning to this trip. Originally I was planning on hiking a good stretch of the Tecumseh trail,but that would require my wife and I leaving my truck at the finish and then having her drop me off at the beginning. It snowed the day before I was to leave, I didn't want my wife to get out on some of the country roads just in case. So I grabbed my Hoosier forest map and drove out to Deam Wilderness by myself. One of the nice things about this area is all the trails loop around, so there's no need to have some drop you off.
I drove down in my 4x4 and parked at one of the designated parking areas and got out and just started hiking. I got mostly through one of the loops on the first day. I came to a nice camp site down in the south east corner. I made camp for the night, ate some dinner, and then climbed into my sleeping bag for a cozy nights sleep.
The next morning I got up and finished the loop. I ended up at the fire tower for lunch. It's a metal tower that was built years ago to keep an eye on the surrounding area during the high fire risk times. It stands 110 feet tall and has, I believe, 133 steps to the top. I powered my way to the top and sat down for a while to rest and have lunch. Quite and interesting experience.
After lunch I hiked back to my truck and then drove to a different section of the forest and started hiking again from that point. Once again as it started to get dark I found a place to make camp for the night. I had a little extra time so I made a snowman at my campsite. (Look for him in one of my pictures, I named him Bob.)
Remembering that the night before condensation had built up on my low pitched tarp I decided to pitch the tarp more open. This proved to be a mistake. Sometime past midnight it started snowing, heavy, thick snow. I spent the next several hours waking up off and on. Either to push out against the tarp to keep the snow from piling up, or because the snow was blowing in on my uncovered face. All and all, I was still warm and once I finally got to sleep for good, I slept just fine.
I packed my gear the following morning and hiked back to my truck. The snow fall from the night before was absolutely beautiful. The ride back home was uneventful. Another fun time outdoors coming to end, hopefully many more outdoor days in the new year.