Date: 2012-03-14
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Miles today: 0.0

I¢ll hopefully have an opportunity get back on the AT near the end of this month. The plan as it stands now calls for me to hike a 70 mile section in Shenandoah National Park. I plan to hike 5 to 6 days and it¢s exhilarating to think about being back on the trail for the first time since late last fall. I¢ve spent the last few weeks trying to get some decent day hikes under my belt as I prepare for the AT. For about 2 to 3 times per week, I have hiked from 6 to 10 miles on trails here in scenic Southern Indiana. Since March 1, I¢ve switched to carrying a 25 to 30 pound full size pack for every hike. In the past I¢ve tried various exercises but there is no better training that works for me like carrying a pack. And I¢m huffing and puffing going up hills! I average about 2.5 to 3 miles per hour and try to walk as least 2 hours without resting. On Sunday, March 4, I hiked the Tipsaw trail in Hoosier National Forest for the first time. The trail is a moderately easy 6 mile hike around Tipsaw Lake. I did the hike in a counterclockwise direction. When I pulled into the small parking lot at the trailhead and there were no other cars. The weather was very cool and windy with grey and white clouds regularly breaking up the sunshine. I could seem to sense that a storm was brewing. My bones and joints seem to have a dull ache before storms for some reason. As I strapped on my pack and headed out, the trail meanders through a low lying section of woods near the shallow end of the lake. There are intermittent 30 to 40 foot sections of the trail that are very muddy. Tipsaw trail is only open to hikers and mountain bikers so the mud is not too daunting but rather an inconvenience. After a little over a mile, I come to the beach area which is quite elaborate by National Forest Service standards. I see a beach house, a sandy beach, a large sundial and a host of other nice features. The trail merges into and then through the parking lot at the beach house. I paused to look out over the lake and the wind kicked up mini size waves on bluish green water over a large area of the lake. Once past the parking lot, the trail gently climbs upward. There are some gnarled roots and rocks on the trail but they are not so bad that I have to slow down. The trail then loops around a finger of the lake on the northwest side and curls around towards the dam. I cross an open mini-meadow area and at about 2.5 miles I reach the dam. The wind has much more force in this open area! I stopped for a moment to adjust my light windbreaker jacket and then I turned up my collar to fend off the cold wind. The dam is covered with knee high green grass and it looks to be regularly groomed by mowing equipment. As I reach about the halfway point across the dam, I see the big metal drain for the lake. Below the dam, the spillway as formed into a circular pool that looks to be pretty deep. The water seems to be running fast and I can see the white foam form in the pool as the water discharges. As I finish crossing the dam, I see a tall wooden pole and with some wooden crosspieces that form sort of a platform or a roost. I suspect this pole works as a perch for birds flying out across the lake. But today the birds are absent.   Maybe Sunday is their day off. Up ahead and past the dam is a nice wooden bench that is about 4 feet long. This must be another trademark of the USFS. There is a bench identical to this one located at the dam on Lake Celina just north of Tipsaw Lake. Just past the bench, I reach about the 3 mile mark and know that I still have half the trail distance to walk. The trail is level again for the next 12 mile. This section of the trail follows the shoreline of the south east finger of the lake. I walk steadily and then reach a gravel road. The trail markers direct me to left and I stay on the gravel road for a good distance. Finally, I see a small parking area and the trail takes off into the woods again. There is a vehicle at parking area but I don¢t notice anyone around. The trail now follows the shoreline again. I then hear footsteps behind me and two women wearing brightly colored running gear quickly pass me. The ladies give a loud ¢hey. How are you¢ and trot down the trail and disappear around a turn. I have to say that these ladies must not mind getting muddy. But oddly they look clean as can be. I¢m walking and avoiding muddy spots and the bottom of my pants from the knees down are covered in brown mud splatters. I continue on and soon pass an area where I see a sign that denotes the area as a Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration area. I see these signs often in the Hoosier National Forest. Following is what I found on Google. ¢The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration of 1937 is most often referred to as the Pittman-Robertson Act for its sponsors; Nevada Senator Key Pittman and Virginia Congressman Absalom Willis Robertson. The act was signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt on September 2, 1937 and became effective on July 1 of the following year. It has been amended many times with several of the major ones taking place during the 1970s and the most recent taking place in 2000. Prior to the creation of the Pittman-Robertson Act, many species of wildlife were driven to or near extinction by hunting pressure and/or habitat degradation from humans. The Act created an excise tax that provides funds to each state to manage such animals and their habitats. Notable species that have come back from the brink since the implementation of this act include white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and wood ducks¢I pass another field that has been mowed and then the trail veered to the left. I follow a creek that is running pretty fast and I notice the water is clear. A little further along I see inside the creek which is maybe 10 feet deep a white plastic water line. I¢m not sure what purpose this water line serves but I suspect it must be related to the lake in some way. In the distance I finally see the parking lot and my car. There are now 2 additional cars parked there. A small smattering of snowflakes is starting to fall and the sky turns much greyer. I have to cross a creek and luckily for me there is a row of field stones that I can tip toe across so my feet don¢t get wet. Once across the creek, I get to my car and unbuckle my pack and set it and my hiking poles against my car. I get the keys out and unlock the car. I stoop down to untie my boots and slip on a pair of crocs to make driving easier for me. As I do, a gust of wind slams the car door shut. I then realize that I left the keys and cell phone on the seat when I first unlocked the car. I get a sick feeling as I am not sure that car is still unlocked or not. But luckily for me the car was still unlocked. It¢s now snowing harder as I drive home.