The Big Push

Today I'm putting two hikes in one post. These two particular hikes were not about doing a trail in a certain amount of time but getting the miles in I needed to reach my goal for the year.

On December 27th I had 20 miles to go to reach 400 so I went back to the Two Lakes Loop Trail in Perry County, Indiana to get 12 miles in. I had to do this one a little different because the streams were up from heavy rain the days before. On this particular trail there are some stream crossings that can make things a wee more interesting if the water is up. The trail was a little tougher this time around as well because of the muddy conditions, which mean you really had to watch your footing a lot more. But as I said time was not important so I was a little more careful.

This particular time I did the trail in the shape of a comma, doing some backtracking to make sure I got all 12 miles in. There's one spot on the trail that is a particular favorite of mine, which I've probably told you about already, maybe more than once. The picture at the left is a little brook a lot like what you might see in Tennessee in the mountains. With the rains of the days before this one was a little more bubbly than normal but with the sounds of the water running over the rocks it made a great place to have lunch. I even took a little more time to eat this time so I could just take it easy there a little longer. And I saw people on this day as well. A couple from Vincennes, Indiana were doing the loop as were three guys from Evansville. Those three were packed up to spend the night. I told them about a place on a hilltop that would probably give them a view of Indian Lake. I don't know if they used it or not as I kept going to finish my own walk. When I finished I had just 8 miles to go to reach the goal.

Two days later came the day. I was back to the same 12 miles as I had done two days before and this time I was planning on doing the loop the way it was supposed to be done. That meant crossing the streams that I had avoided the hike before. The first stream crossing isn't that bad as you can walk on top of a fallen log. You still have to keep your balance and not fall off, which I do with my hiking poles. About 300 yards later, however, you have the other stream and unless you want to walk several hundred yards upstream to find a place to cross the best way is to simply take the boots off and wade across. The difference this time, because of the higher water levels, the walk was about 15 feet wider than normal. The water temperature was still in the upper 30's and a bit chilling on the toes. As you can see in the picture all of my red blood cells were trying to make a fast escape to higher ground to get out of the cold.

I kept going and was even pushing myself a little harder as I went, I guess knowing I was getting closer with each step. At this spot here where this picture is taken, I did take a quick water break for the next big hill climb. It was on this climb where near the top I started hearing what sounded like some kind of animal or bird screaming from a tree. The closer I got the louder it got. Finally, about 20 yards away, a young broadwing hawk shot out of a tree and toward the next ridge. I was surprised he let me get as close as he did before making a quick escape. A little later I heard the same screams coming from the next ridge. It could be he was looking for a girlfriend. Anyway I kept going.....and going and going and going. This particular time there was nobody else on the trail like the day before. I stopped at my little brook once again to eat. You really have to be there for a while to appreciate it. Of course those of you who live close to spots like that know what I'm talking about. They're hard to get away from once you find them. They're complete no-stress zones and once you find them they're yours for keeps.

When I got got Celina Lake I was about to cross the spot that would put me over my goal. But I had decided beforehand that I wasn't going to do any celebrating until I got done with the hike. With four miles to go there were too many things that could happen and I didn't want to lose focus and possibly get hurt in the process. I did go through a little bit of a letdown I think for the next couple of miles because suddenly everything I had worked for for the last year was done. I had reached the goal I set out to do. With about a mile and a half to go, however, I saw this image at left and that perked things up for me as I grabbed the camera. I think it was the reflection in the water that grabbed my eye first even before the sycamore trees along the lake bank. The water was completely calm, almost like a mirror. I'm thinking of maybe doing a painting similar to this picture later one. It was just one of those times you want to not forget. Finally I reached my truck and at first I was going to let out a big war whoop but there was another truck there so I decided against it right then. After I got out on the road, I did let that yell go out into the air. I kind felt like I had earned the right to do it. But I was not completely done yet. I still had New Year's Eve and I really wanted to get a few extra miles to add on to that final number.