This will quite likely be the wimpiest post-trip report on BPL ever. But that’s pretty much what I was after; the point of this trip was not to make miles, but to test out some new gear, check how my body is doing after the spinal fiasco of a couple of months ago, and see one more of the trails in the Hoosier National Forest – which is not the greatest hiking area ever, but it’s what I’ve got.
Anyhow, this time I went out to Lick Creek Trail. Like most of the trails in the Hoosier NF, it’s laid out in old abandoned farmland, and some chunks of the trail are pretty obviously old farm roads. Much of the trail is graveled for the pleasure of horses, and many spots are more “one lane gravel road” than “trail through the woods.” But hey, how can you not like a trail where one of the trailheads is on Grease Gravy Road?
On a Tuesday morning, the trail clearly hadn’t been walked by people or horses lately. The biggest hazard was trail spiders; I think my hiking poles did as much work clearing webs off the trail in front of me as they did for balance and propulsion. Being as I tend to hike with my mouth open, and I didn’t spot all the webs in advance, I also became somewhat of a connoisseur of the taste of spider silk.
The trail runs up and down a bunch of hills, though not very steeply. The one steep spot that shows on the trail maps has actually been rerouted to a gentler, longer path. The soil is rocky, and it’s hard to believe anyone tried to farm it without being poor or unable to go somewhere better – which is actually probably true of the settlers here. Lick Creek was home to a free black settlement before the Civil War. The trail supposedly passes close to the Lick Creek Cemetery, though I wasn’t able to find it, and the only signs of old homesteads were the daffodil patches that crop up here and there.
Otherwise the flora was typical for the Hoosier: small hardwoods, a few larger trees, some patches of pines where the CCC came through and planted, lots of undergrowth, most of which (greenbriar, multiflora rose, blackberry) has thorns. There was also some poison ivy, though not as bad as on many trails around here.
I saw plenty of deer sign but no deer. Restless rotisserie sleeper that I am though I startled the heck out of one that was apparently grazing very close around midnight.
The one stream I was hoping would have water didn’t at this point in the summer, so eventually I made camp not too far from one of the muddy wildlife ponds. Ultimately I decided to hike out in the morning without drinking any of the pond water; even after settling overnight and being hit with a blast of Aqua Mira it wasn’t real palatable. So I hiked back to the truck, enjoying the pre-dawn forest noises (and not enjoying the barking dogs and road noises in the distance, but after all, this is Indiana).
As for the new gear:
Aarn Mountain Magic 50L Pack: At 3 1/2 pounds this pack isn’t exactly ultralight, and it is more fiddly in setting up the myriad straps than any other pack I’ve ever owned. But – it also transfers weight to my hips better than any I’ve ever owned, and offers more freedom of movement and a better center of gravity. I don’t want to sound like a hype machine (you can read their web site for that) but it works for me. Given that I don’t dare compress my spine right now (even a small day pack carried on my shoulders at the moment makes my leg hurt very quickly) this pack is the difference between my hiking or staying at home, so for me, it’s a keeper. The only drawback is that the front pockets interfere with the way I’ve grown used to using my Pacerpoles (held quite close to my body, as they recommend) and requires a wider stance. I can live with that.
ZPacks HexaNet Bug Shelter: Well made and plenty roomy enough for me and all the gear I’d normally keep close at hand – though bear in mind that I’m a little guy and side-sleep quite comfortably on a 3/4 length pad without spilling off. High quality as you’d expect from ZPacks. I was a bit worried about whether the pole cup would work with the goofy handle on the Pacerpole, but it was no problem at all.
Inov-8 Roclite 315: First trip for these after about 12 hours of break-in. Replaced the stock insoles with Blue Superfeet and they were plenty comfortable. More than enough traction for the wimpy trails around here. For some reason though I had more trouble than usual with gravel getting into the shoes, even compared to other trail runners. Might have to invest in some gaiters if I keep using these.
SeaToSummit Aeros Ultralight Pillow: I was hoping this would have more overall loft than the Exped pillow I’ve been using. It didn’t, and was more of a pain to delate, so not worth the extra few grams. Unfortunately that leaves me with a quantry; I need to work out some reliable way to get my head elevated as I side sleep to keep my spine straight. So far what’s working best is to use a foam knee pillow to cradle my head, but that’s a pound of extra weight right there.
Garmin Foretrex 401: For my personal use case – saving tracks to plot on Google Earth later – this performs as well as my aging ETrex unit, at a considerable weight savings. I wouldn’t want to try to use it to actually get somewhere though.
And finally – me: I do appear to be up to hiking (or at least sauntering) with a reasonably lightweight pack on. I didn’t sleep well, but I don’t sleep well at home either. I didn’t have to take any more painkillers than usual, so that’s a plus. Really the worst part was the drive home; sitting down is still the worst thing for my spine. Next step is to try something more challenging; I’ve got my eye on a section hike on the Knobstone Trail later this month.
