January 5th Hike

Yesterday morning was a great day for a hike.

Temperatures were in the 20's and the sky mostly clear.

I was going to O'Bannon State Park near Corydon, Indiana in hopes of finding some ice formations that you don't see everyday....ice marbles. I found that and more.

About 5 minutes from where I parked is a large limestone bluff and I could see lots of large icicles hanging from the cliff. I also saw water dripping down and the closer I got I could tell there were going to be ice marbles on the ground. Not only were there ice marbles there but I also saw ice disks, something I had never seen before. There were big globs of ice that covered some branches and leaves. There was even an ice thumb that had formed on the stem of a leaf that was upside down.

I spent about 30 minutes there taking pictures and looking at the ice then continued on up the hill to see if a new shelter bad been built on the trail overlooking the Ohio River and into Kentucky. This shelter proved to be for the most part done and much bigger than the earlier one being able to hold at least 15 hikers. One thing I know for sure is that I'll be using it this spring as I make another attempt at hiking the whole 27 miles in two days. My previous attempts had been messed up by weather and lack of water. I know the springs are running now from what I saw yesterday and with the spring rains they'll be even better. This time I plan on making the whole loop and this shelter will help in a big way.

The whole thing about yesterday it was a great hiking day and my body told me it liked it as well telling me it was ready to go again. %-)