Entrance to this state forest off IN37 is three miles south of Martinsville or 12 miles north of Bloomington. Here is where we decided, rather impromptu, to hike the 10.2-mile Low Gap Trail.
The forest office was closed but we were able to grab some maps from the self-serve shelves. The maps came in handy, as the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) does not have the Morgan-Monroe state forest map for download on its website.
It was no surprise that there was no one at the trailhead except for a DNR truck.
The singletrack trail started out slippery after yesterday's heavy rains. But the trail was in good condition for most of the hike, traveling into limestone ravines, limestone overlooks, through pines, locusts, shagbark hickory and oaks. Tulip trees, the state trees of Indiana, had already shed their pretty yellow-orange flowers. Wilted pedals littered the path along the trail.
Halfway through our hike, the clouds turned dark, giving the forest an eerie feel. By now we were relieved that we had half of the hike behind us should we get wet, but the heavy canopy kept what rain did fall off us. I was so wet from sweat, any more rain would not have mattered much, but being cold from heavy rains was a concern.
The forest office was closed but we were able to grab some maps from the self-serve shelves. The maps came in handy, as the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) does not have the Morgan-Monroe state forest map for download on its website.
It was no surprise that there was no one at the trailhead except for a DNR truck.
The singletrack trail started out slippery after yesterday's heavy rains. But the trail was in good condition for most of the hike, traveling into limestone ravines, limestone overlooks, through pines, locusts, shagbark hickory and oaks. Tulip trees, the state trees of Indiana, had already shed their pretty yellow-orange flowers. Wilted pedals littered the path along the trail.
Halfway through our hike, the clouds turned dark, giving the forest an eerie feel. By now we were relieved that we had half of the hike behind us should we get wet, but the heavy canopy kept what rain did fall off us. I was so wet from sweat, any more rain would not have mattered much, but being cold from heavy rains was a concern.
We were now in the Backcountry, passing three campers and a wide fossil bed laden with crinoids and brachiopods. I could have stayed here longer to collect some specimens, but I didn't want to hold Sharon up, who was pacing us at a brisk tempo. I must admit that I did squeal with delight at finding the fossils, which were en masse here. I have enough crinoids at home, collected over the years from my visits to southern Indiana. The entire southern half of Indiana is a fossil bed, extending south across the Ohio River Valley into Kentucky. Indiana is what made me interested in fossils as a young college student, collecting crinoids and Brachiopods in the area state parks, thanks to a college geology course. (The brachiopod is the Kentucky state fossil.)
This loop hike was pretty much the same terrain throughout the hike. Admittedly, the last three miles were rather boring, as we ascended on an old logging trail uphill before crossing a paved road and continuing on for another mile on the Mason Trace trail.
We got back to the van in 3:53 hours. We were impressed with our stamina and the flora around us. I had always wanted to do this hike as a college gal, but was scared off by the news of human male predators stalking young single women.rif
I rewarded Sadie with a 12-pack of Alpo at Walmart, fed her one can in the parking lot. I have got to put some muscle mass on that dog as she is simply too thin. She doesn't act sick, she simply looks it. She is not eating her dry food, but give her people food and she will chow down, much as she would have done to Sharon's jerky she was chewing on in the van. I had warned her while still inside the store that my dogs love beef jerky and salivate at the site of it whenever Kevin eats it.
We made it back to Sharon's house after 5pm. She made some baked pierogies and we all feasted on the treat. My legs were feeling the hike, we were finding ticks on ourselves, and that made me realize that Sadie probably has her share of those pests on her. She is going to have ticks on her until we get to Montana, and now I am going to have to figure out how to best rid her of those things. She had one engorged tick on her ear while still on the trail, and many more between her toes when I checked her feet. Looks like a bath is in order for her when we return to CP tomorrow.
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