WHEN THE CLOUDS COME TO YOU

Sunday I decided it was time to go back to the Two Lakes trail in Perry County, Indiana for an 8-miler. What made this hike so cool was the fog that kept the temps down and the ground damp.

First of all there was a lot of people in the woods on this trip, more than I really expected. I saw one group of about ten when I first started and more along the way. The first thing that caught my eye, though, were all these spider webs on the ground that you normally don't see otherwise. The heavy dew had made them all quite visible and there were literally tens of thousands of them along the way. Somewhere in that black hole you see there is a spider waiting for his breakfast to land in the web. A lot of his cousins were doing exactly the same thing.

It was also the time for the sprouting of the annual mayapple crop. Besides the thousands of spider webs there were also thousands of the small umbrella like plants starting to sprout everywhere. This one looked like he was about to be eaten by the log next to him but in reality he was really quiet safe. (Although that 'eye' on that log looks a little hungry if you ask me.) Not long after I got past him I heard a shotgun blast not too far from me in the woods. Turkey season had come in and this guy was close but the weird thing was I didn't hear any turkeys around. And in this case I know I would have heard something. I think the guy was someplace he wasn't supposed to be really.

I also found these freshly grown moss balls along the way. They actually looked like you could have put your toes on them and given your feet a massage. I think it would have felt good too meself. My favorite stream, which I've shown you many time was running like it should. I stopped for a few minutes to listen to the running water but didn't stay to eat this time. I wanted to gain a little more ground and go about another half mile before taking a lunch break at Lake Celina.

I know this picture is on the small side but really this is how Celina looked this day with fog hanging over the trees. Though you can't see them there were a group of kayakers farther over on the right and a cople of canoeists on the water too. This was a good spot for my lunch break with it fairly quiet. After the break I hiked back into the woods and got around the next inlet then heard the sound of a loon somewhere on the lake. If you've never heard one I can tell you you won't ever forget after you hear it. I've seen them here before and like to watch them more than the ducks and geese.

Finally there is this. I know, it just looks like a regular creek bed. Well.....sometimes Mother Nature doesn't like the way things sit so she decides to change things. The creek bed on the right used to be the dominant stream with all the water flowing down the right side. If you go there now you'll find a big pile of sandstone rock blocking the creek bed and the washed out area on the left that allows the water to pass down that side. The bed on the left can actually handle more water so I guess it is really for the best. She really knows what she's doing.