Oak Savannah Trail, Hobart, IN eastend

Distance: 5.8 miles (0.2 miles were not recorded due to technical difficulties)
Elevation: 623'-689', all on paved multi-use trail
Significance: eastern section of the old railroad bed that traverses marshlands

https://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/4467859138

I took two days off from walking and stayed local, to give Zeke a rest from the heat.  On Friday I walked to the town square in the morning and met the businesswoman of the Cafe Fresco coffee shop.  She had been featured 18 months ago on CBS news.  It was my first time going into that coffee shop because she doesn't open until 7am and I'm normally on my return walk by then to avoid the heat.  The other coffee shop on the square opens at 6am

My holiday plans this year are very subdued. Erin texted me Thursday saying that Nick was sent home early that day because a co-worker's wife tested positive for the coronavirus.  He now must self-quarantine until he gets tested on Monday and the test comes back negative.  He can't go back to work until he is negative. The annual get-together Nick's family has with friends and family was cancelled for today.  Because I am around Carol who is diabetic (and so is Kevin and my stepdad), I can't take the chance either.  I understand the self-quarantining but I hate not spending more time with the grandsons.  Even their neighbors are fearful of catching this covid and are staying away.

I made the most of it, though.  I was up early and left the house at 5:30am to get to Hobart and walk the Oak Savannah Trail (OST) from the eastern terminus.  Hobart is  a lakefront town hugging the northern shores of Lake George. Its claim to fame in the Region was its red brick factories that thrived during the Civil War.  Many of the old buildings in its downtown are made from bricks produced in Hobart.

Hobart is 13 miles northeast of Crown Point and easy to get to using I-65. I got to the eastern end of the OST, parked in the VFW parking lot right by some railroad tracks at the Duck Creek Crossing, and started walking west.  It was a pleasant 69F and the morning sun was sending its slanted rays through the trees.  For 1.3 miles the trail meanders through town and has an urban feel to it.  This part of the OST is new and not part of the original railroad.

The trail gets lively as it nears the southern section of Lake George, a lake made in the 1840s when Deep River was dammed for the grist mills and brick factories of Hobart.  I had never seen this part of Lake George.  I'm only familiar with its northern shores along the town.  Water lilies  cover the water here and it's not accessible from the OST.  Zeke had far fewer opportunities to drink water than he did when we walked the western section on Wednesday, but at least it was shaded.  He was on high alert watching for squirrels, who'd dart across the path and then jump up a tree, then taunt him with their twirling acrobatics.

Once near Lake George, the trail is a straight section going east-west.  A large sign just outside oldtown Hobart refers to the next 2.4 miles as part of the Park  Prescription Program, one of five trails in the Indiana Dunes National Park ideal for people wanting to lose weight through exercise.  Indiana has always had a high adult obesity (and smoking!) rate, so I am happy to see these trails used by so many people, young and old.

By 7am it looked like the entire town was out running or cycling, getting a few miles in before gathering with friends and family.  I didn't have a deadline to meet anyone this year, thanks to Covid19, so I opted to turn around when at 2.9 miles the OST met up with the Hobart Woodland Trail, a half-mile trail through a marsh and along a treeline.  I didn't go far on this trail due to its flooding, though.

The return walk was slower.  I rested for 20 minutes to give Zeke a break.  I'm glad I started at 6am because by 8am it was 79F and getting warm, even in the shade.  It was 8:30am when we were back at the car and we were both hungry and thirsty and there was nothing open yet.

The rest of the day was boring.  I got to Valporaiso shortly before the town had its little parade (minus the marching bands), had lunch at a Dairy Queen Grill and Chill where Zeke and I ate on the shaded patio, and then drove back to Carol's by noon and stayed there the rest of the day.  People were shooting off fireworks all week long anyway, but by the evening today the sounds reminded me of Baghdad in 2007.  Even Zeke was paranoid going outside to pee.  We had a full moon out, but what good was that with the beaches closed for the weekend? Being away from my family and not being able to just walk along the beach really dampened my holiday spirit this year.

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