I got in on Friday night, and by Saturday morning, my dad, sister, and I were on our way to the Clark County State Forest for a hike on the
Knobstone Trail.
Emi and I have wanted to hike the entirety of this famous trail for a long time now. The
Knobstone Trail runs from Delaney Park in Washington County just north of Salem and ends 60 miles to the south near
Deam’s Lake. It's the longest continuous trail in the state (plans are in the works to extend it another 80 miles), and many people use it as a training run for the Appalachian Trail. The trail snakes along through the
Karst topography that makes the southern part of the otherwise flat corn-growing state so beautiful. The
Knobstone trail exhibits all that I love about southern Indiana - tall trees, lush forests, rolling hills, and gurgling streams - and my sister and I were eager to see if it held up to our expectations. I have to admit though, our desire to hike the whole thing is tempered by the experience of two guys that we picked up a few years ago at the
Henryville Forest fire tower. Aft
er two days of hiking they were jaded by “all the trees that just look the same," and we wanted to check out if it was true or not. Starting out on the border of Washington and Scott Counties, we hiked up to the top of the
ridgeline from the creek bottom, with our hearts pumping and my lungs trying to adjust to the humidity in the air. The trail was all that we had hoped it would be, providing awe-inspiring vistas that looked out over the surrounding forested hills all the way down to Louisville. Wildflowers and GREEN blanketed the entire scene, and I was in heaven. We hiked for 11 miles along the ridges, through valleys, across clear streams, and deep into the southern Indiana forests, enjoying the lush diversity of flora and fauna
alo
ng the trail. To my surprise, the woods were FULL of blueberry bushes, which until Dad bought the new farm in Crawford County, I would have never believed, as I spent a decade in the woods just north of there and had never seen them. But sure enough, half the bushes were filled with little green berries that promise to be tasty in about a month. By the last few miles, we were started to get (just a little bit, I really do love the woods) tired and jaded with the trees, and finally came out to the small clearing where we had parked the other truck. All in all, it was a great day, and I would happily hike the entire trail, and hope to do so in the future.
The next morning, we packed up the red canoe and a cooler, and headed to
Milltown for our annual canoe trip. When I was very little, my favorite book was
Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe, and I would spend many hours dreaming of my own trips down rivers. Shortly after we moved to the farm, we bought our own red canoe and my dad and I packed it for a 3 day, 60 mile canoe trip down the Blue River, starting at the bridge on our farm and ending near
Corydon. If I had to give one defining moment in my young life that led me to my adventurous lifestyle, I would have to say that it was that first trip downriver. Although the first day started out sunny and in the shallow waters
of the upriver Blue, it ended in a lightening storm a few hours before our intended campsite. I paddled my little heart out through the torrential downpour, pounding thunder, and log jams until we finally curved around a little bend in the river at
Fredricksburg where I scarfed down the best soggy cookies ever and helped set up camp on the sharp boulders underneath the bridge. Never had I been more appreciative of warm food and a dry clothes. When we set out the next day, we had to abandon our dry camp and paddle back out into the rain, instantly soaking our bodies once again. But, the rain had raised the water levels considerably, and the skies cleared to reveal some incredible rapids that we flew through all the way to
Milltown. By the last day, we had gotten really good at scouting the rapids, and I was absolutely hooked on the thrill of speed and adventure. I left the river that Memorial Day with a smile on my face, and with the exception of one or two years in college, I've been doing it every year since. Although we only took a day trip this year, it was still just as fun, especially considering that over the last few years I have graduated from the simple paddling in the front of the canoe to steering in the back - which is a
tota
l rush to feel the control you have as you maneuver through
rapids. I held the rudder position the majority of this year's trip, with
Emi sitting up front and Dad relaxing on the cooler in the middle of the boat - much to the amusement of some other paddlers on the river. We loved it. The river has changed considerably in the 12 years that I've been running it, and they now have commercial canoe trips on the lower part of Blue River, but we still were able to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the river after we passed the majority of the novices. We saw deer, turtles, ducks, snakes, and all sorts of wildlife along the banks, sipped from the springs that flow out of the hills, and just drank in the beauty of it all. Much to the confusion of my family, I tried to take pictures while steering, and at one point, had the canoe pointed into the rocks just as we were about to enter a set of rapids... oops. After lunch, Dad took the back seat and I sat up front while
Emi took pictures in the middle. We ended the day dropping over the edge of the ruins of an old dam near
Corydon (my favorite one, the river drops several feet in the course of about 20 meters, and it feels
soooo good to run it), and finally portaged south of Harrison-Crawford State Forest after a fun full day on the water.
On Memorial Day, I spent the day watching the rain from the front porch, eating good home-cooked food, and playing with the half dozen baby ducks that my dad brought home from my grandpa's. They're the cutest things, and by the end of the weekend, I had them following me around the yard like a momma duck. Alas, I eventually had to leave the land of rain and green, and we headed to the airport in the evening. And since Louisville is the home of Yum! Brand Foods, my sister and I couldn't leave the airport without hanging out with Colonel Sanders of
KFC fame. After some Asian tourists got done taking pictures with the statue, we sat down on the bench next to him, much to Angela's embarrassment and our delight. I love my family! Overall, it was a great to see my family, hang out in the southern Indiana wilderness, and spend a r
elaxing holiday weekend at home.
I got in on Friday night, and by Saturday morning, my dad, sister, and I were on our way to the Clark County State Forest for a hike on the Knobstone Trail. Emi and I have wanted to hike the entirety of this famous trail for a long time now. The Knobstone Trail runs from Delaney Park in Washington County just north of Salem and ends 60 miles to the south near Deam’s Lake. It's the longest continuous trail in the state (plans are in the works to extend it another 80 miles), and many people use it as a training run for the Appalachian Trail. The trail snakes along through the Karst topography that makes the southern part of the otherwise flat corn-growing state so beautiful. The Knobstone trail exhibits all that I love about southern Indiana - tall trees, lush forests, rolling hills, and gurgling streams - and my sister and I were eager to see if it held up to our expectations. I have to admit though, our desire to hike the whole thing is tempered by the experience of two guys that we picked up a few years ago at the Henryville Forest fire tower. Aft
er two days of hiking they were jaded by “all the trees that just look the same," and we wanted to check out if it was true or not. Starting out on the border of Washington and Scott Counties, we hiked up to the top of the ridgeline from the creek bottom, with our hearts pumping and my lungs trying to adjust to the humidity in the air. The trail was all that we had hoped it would be, providing awe-inspiring vistas that looked out over the surrounding forested hills all the way down to Louisville. Wildflowers and GREEN blanketed the entire scene, and I was in heaven. We hiked for 11 miles along the ridges, through valleys, across clear streams, and deep into the southern Indiana forests, enjoying the lush diversity of flora and fauna alo
ng the trail. To my surprise, the woods were FULL of blueberry bushes, which until Dad bought the new farm in Crawford County, I would have never believed, as I spent a decade in the woods just north of there and had never seen them. But sure enough, half the bushes were filled with little green berries that promise to be tasty in about a month. By the last few miles, we were started to get (just a little bit, I really do love the woods) tired and jaded with the trees, and finally came out to the small clearing where we had parked the other truck. All in all, it was a great day, and I would happily hike the entire trail, and hope to do so in the future.
The next morning, we packed up the red canoe and a cooler, and headed to Milltown for our annual canoe trip. When I was very little, my favorite book was Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe, and I would spend many hours dreaming of my own trips down rivers. Shortly after we moved to the farm, we bought our own red canoe and my dad and I packed it for a 3 day, 60 mile canoe trip down the Blue River, starting at the bridge on our farm and ending near Corydon. If I had to give one defining moment in my young life that led me to my adventurous lifestyle, I would have to say that it was that first trip downriver. Although the first day started out sunny and in the shallow waters 
of the upriver Blue, it ended in a lightening storm a few hours before our intended campsite. I paddled my little heart out through the torrential downpour, pounding thunder, and log jams until we finally curved around a little bend in the river at Fredricksburg where I scarfed down the best soggy cookies ever and helped set up camp on the sharp boulders underneath the bridge. Never had I been more appreciative of warm food and a dry clothes. When we set out the next day, we had to abandon our dry camp and paddle back out into the rain, instantly soaking our bodies once again. But, the rain had raised the water levels considerably, and the skies cleared to reveal some incredible rapids that we flew through all the way to Milltown. By the last day, we had gotten really good at scouting the rapids, and I was absolutely hooked on the thrill of speed and adventure. I left the river that Memorial Day with a smile on my face, and with the exception of one or two years in college, I've been doing it every year since. Although we only took a day trip this year, it was still just as fun, especially considering that over the last few years I have graduated from the simple paddling in the front of the canoe to steering in the back - which is a tota
l rush to feel the control you have as you maneuver through rapids. I held the rudder position the majority of this year's trip, with Emi sitting up front and Dad relaxing on the cooler in the middle of the boat - much to the amusement of some other paddlers on the river. We loved it. The river has changed considerably in the 12 years that I've been running it, and they now have commercial canoe trips on the lower part of Blue River, but we still were able to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the river after we passed the majority of the novices. We saw deer, turtles, ducks, snakes, and all sorts of wildlife along the banks, sipped from the springs that flow out of the hills, and just drank in the beauty of it all. Much to the confusion of my family, I tried to take pictures while steering, and at one point, had the canoe pointed into the rocks just as we were about to enter a set of rapids... oops. After lunch, Dad took the back seat and I sat up front while Emi took pictures in the middle. We ended the day dropping over the edge of the ruins of an old dam near Corydon (my favorite one, the river drops several feet in the course of about 20 meters, and it feels soooo good to run it), and finally portaged south of Harrison-Crawford State Forest after a fun full day on the water.
On Memorial Day, I spent the day watching the rain from the front porch, eating good home-cooked food, and playing with the half dozen baby ducks that my dad brought home from my grandpa's. They're the cutest things, and by the end of the weekend, I had them following me around the yard like a momma duck. Alas, I eventually had to leave the land of rain and green, and we headed to the airport in the evening. And since Louisville is the home of Yum! Brand Foods, my sister and I couldn't leave the airport without hanging out with Colonel Sanders of KFC fame. After some Asian tourists got done taking pictures with the statue, we sat down on the bench next to him, much to Angela's embarrassment and our delight. I love my family! Overall, it was a great to see my family, hang out in the southern Indiana wilderness, and spend a relaxing holiday weekend at home. 
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