In late October, 2007, my brother Sean and I headed out to the only designated wilderness within easy driving distance of our home. The Deam, as we called it, is situated south of Monroe Lake and constitutes the northern portion of the Hoosier National Forest. It's not a large wilderness, about 13,000 acres, (The Hoosier NF is a little over 200,000 acres) and it's fairly new to the designated wilderness system having been established in 1982. There's still a fair amount of human evidence to be found throughout the wilderness; several cemeteries, a few building foundations, and a short fire road that leads to Terrill Cemetery, and a fire tower (talk about a great view!) but those signs of humanity are slowly being consumed by the wilderness.
Day One:
Sean didn't expect much and was really only there to get some miles in as he always feels that any hike and backpacking is better than the alternative. He was afraid it was going to be lame and "not as fun or cool as Colorado". Arriving at noon we started at the Axom Trail Trailhead and made our way around to the Sycamore Trail and headed to that trail's end near the Terrill cemetery. We found a double blue diamond that headed south along a heavily forested ridge top before turning back and looking for a place to camp for the night. We found a beautiful spot right next to a small pond, a mere quarter mile or so away from the cemetery and what some sources claim was the crash site of a UFO! The evening was a chilly 34 degrees and we heard absolutely nothing throughout the night. Total estimated miles: Segments - 2.5 + 1.2 + 1.8 + 4 +1 plus some wandering around (estimating this Blue Diamond hunter's trail, there and back, as it emptied out near the Sycamore's southern terminus which is a pretty decent stretch on the map) = 10.5 or 11
I was impressed with the trail conditions and so was Sean. The Rangers and staff ought to be commended for the immaculate shape the trails were in. Sean grudgingly admitted that the trails were in first class shape and both of us were surprised by the elevation gain and loss. No, it's not like hiking mountains but I puffed a little on a couple of the switchbacks.
Day Two:
We woke to the first rays of sunlight we had seen since hitting Indiana. I took the pic above at about 6 or 7 am. I was sore. I hadn't been camping in quite awhile and my old army rolls (1/8 inch green pads of some kind of a spongey material) were, while light, pathetic in terms of offering comfort. Of course, Sean had the best Thermarest pad and he laughed at my stiffness. We ate some grub and headed off for the Sycamore Trail at a fast pace. We found the Trail crossing 1.8 miles south and headed east at almost a trot. We were cruising. Per the norm I started developing a couple hot spots and stopped for a minute to put some moleskin on them.n That helped ALOT! Refreshed from our 5 minute rest, we started again and within minutes both Sean and I slowed our pace as we entered into a beautiful pine forest. It was as if we had entered into a kind of time warp. The distinct change in environment came suddenly upon entering this forest, as if a kind of ecological curtain had been drawn over some invisible line we had crossed. The trees were tall and straight and they dominated the scene, seeming to dwarf even the steep cliff ridges that climbed to either side of the trail. Even the wind seemed only a visitor to this place, muted and sapped of its strength, but carrying the scent of pine everywhere. The trail had been covered with fallen leaves, but upon entering this forest the path became carpeted with pine needles that gave the trail an almost springy quality. My feet liked that! Sean turned to me and said, "This place is beautiful. Ok, now I'm glad I came."
We crossed several dry creek beds, (and a pile of garbage left in the middle of one of the more picturesque crossings, no doubt by the college kids who frequent the woods from nearby Indiana University) before making our way out of the pine forest. We went back to my truck along the Axom Branch Trail to get some much needed water. Sean met a Forest Fireman and talked about HotShots training requirements and burn bans in the wilderness before we decided to go back to the Sycamore to find a spot to camp within the forest which had captivated us. This was a big decision because we had originally planned to hike the Grubb Ridge Trail up to the Peninsula Trail to camp along the lake. But the forest and its aged silence beckoned and we heeded the silent call and doubled back the way we came until we hit the perfect campsite. It was like a tiny peninsula surrounded by the dry creek bed with a pretty steep hill that led up, up and up to another short trail which led, we discovered while testing our legs and calves on the steep slope, to the service road that separated the wilderness from the Hoosier NF. Check out this campsite:
The night was even colder than the previous and ice crystals formed on our tents, our gear, and even seemed to be forming in midair. There had been a mist but it seemed to freeze right before our eyes before falling to make tiny tapping noises on our tents. Sean and I talked for a long time that night. We couldn't believe that Indiana had such a beautiful camping spot and that we had somehow found it. Sean fell asleep early but I decided to lay out on the ground for awhile and look at the stars without all the city lights. So many stars...
The biggest difference between our two campsites would turn out to be the noise level. The pond campsite was deathly still while this one teemed with life. The "CRACK CRACK" of deer moving through the forest and down the ridge could be heard all around us. At one point I had to shout as a deer nearly walked right onto my tent. It stopped, snorted, and if it ran away I swear I couldn't hear it. Sean had shouted in a startled voice, "What the hell just ran by my tent?" I laughed, "A deer!" About two hours later I hear the far off cries of several coyotes howling in the distance - - only to be answered by several more not more than thirty yards away! Talk about a shock! The noise levels died down about 3 or 4 am.
Total miles: 1.8 + 4.8 + 2.5 + 2.5 + 1.2 + about 4 = 16.8
Day Three:
We woke up and decided to head out of Sycamore and back onto Axom Branch, get the truck, and hike out to the Fire Tower. Of course our last day in the Deam turned out to be cool, sunny, and perfect. We reluctantly broke camp, said good-bye to the pine forest, made our way the several miles back to the truck, loaded our gear and drove to the trail head that led to the fire tower. As I said earlier, what a view! Take a look:
After coming down from the four story steel fire tower we changed into some clean clothes (God, I stank) and headed home. Total miles: 1.2 + 2.5 + .5 = about 4.2 or so.
Total hiking mileage: 31.5 or 32.5 miles, more or less. in two full days of hiking. Not bad. Here's Sean and I next to our tents:
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