Hoosier
National Forest
Photos
Fred, our leader,
guides us along the warren of trails to his favorite hidden hollow
where we will camp. Conversing with him is Joanne, with John, Chuck P.,
Dave, and Paul following in succession. We backpacked about seven miles
to our campsite, dayhiked 12+ miles the next day, and then backpacked
out the third day. Fall colors were just ending, with colorful trees
still in evidence and a rainbow-colored patchwork quilt of leaves to
walk upon.
Mary
and Fred crawl under the fallen tree as Joe prepares to climb over it.
Paul is apparently scratching his head, deciding how to handle the
obstruction. With few exceptions, the trails are old logging roads
which generally follow ridge lines and are unmarked and unmaintained. A
topo map and compass are vital but still may result in times when you
aren't quite sure which old roadbed you are on and where it is going.
In fact, several times we wound up bushwacking, looking for the correct
route to our destination. Be aware that most maps show only the few
maintained trails, not the unmaintained trails or old roadbeds now used
as trails, and there are no directional signs at intersections.
Our
campsite for the two nights was in Bad Hollow, a misnomer, for in
actuality it was a very nice hollow. Its dry stream bed had a few
pockets of standing water which we filtered for drinking and cooking,
the area was spacious, allowing all to find comfortable, flat plots for
tents, its remote location provided us solitude, firewood proved
abundant, and its scenic value was high.
The
backpack out followed a 14 hour rain, making the leaf-strewn trail
tread slick, as well as the rocks, branches, and mud which the leaves
obscured. We covered over 25 miles on our three day outing, and the
roller-coaster terrain resulted in 2700 feet elevation gain and loss
for the extended weekend. The rain also unburdened the trees of most of
their remaining leaves. Here Susan, Kathy, Eric, Judy, and Dave lead us
through the woods.
The Sierrans:
Kneeling (l to r): Mark, Paul, and Judy
Row 2: Donna, Susan, Fred, Mary, Marianne, Andy, and Joanne
Back row: Joe, Kathy, Chuck P., John, Chris, and Dave
(not in photo: Eric)
