I recently had the chance to hike at the Morgan-Monroe State Forest. It was early May and the weather was cooperating with this hiker.
The forest has over 24,000 acres of steep forested, hardwoods.
The state purchased the land in 1930.
There was a beautiful sunny sky overhead and warm temperatures on the day that I hiked there!
I decided to hike a section of the Three Lake Trail.
This trail is a little over 10 miles in length and is a loop trail. It’s considered rugged to hike in places. The trail is named after the three lakes that it passes by.
One of the lakes was drained due to a dam failure on Bean Blossom Lake.
The other two lakes are still intact!
One of the trailheads is located across the road from Cherry Lake, which is very near the forest office.
I found a small parking lot there, which was almost full but I managed to find a place to park.
I took off down the trail, anticipating what the day might bring.
The forest has become like a second home. I am familiar with its trails.
On this day, I was hoping for some inspiration, a bit of nature.
The beginning of the trail was full of light, the sun filtering through the trees, but soon I found myself crossing a wooden plank bridge and into a deeper part of the woods. The shade from the canopy of trees overhead covered me like a blanket. I was in my element with the creek, the sounds of the forest, and the scent of damp wood and moss.
The trail twisted and turned around trees but it followed the creek for a while.
Before long, I found myself crossing the creek again. No bridge this time. It wasn’t deep. There were a lot of rocks covering the bed of the creek. It was a kaleidoscope of earth tone colors with shades of red and browns. My grandpa us to call it “ Brown county” stone. My grandfather said it had to do with the color of the stones. The kind you find in this area. That research is for another day.
The woods was full of movement and sound: a chipmunk scurrying across a log; a hawk flying through the trees; a deer, startled by my presence, running off into the brush.
I crossed over a ridge that had a deep gully on my right. I could see the creek below and I would guess it was at least 100 feet down from where I stood.
Soon I was ascending up a rather large hill. It was not too steep though my legs begged to differ.
I was having a good day. Soon it was time to go back.
I had passed a few people along the trail but for the most part it was a day of solitude.
You get to know the woods as well as you do yourself. Maybe sometimes more.
Nature always provides.
The trail as I mentioned before is in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest.
The forest encompasses more than 24,000 acres in Morgan and Monroe counties in south central Indiana.
To find this place, the address is at 6220 Forest Road. Martinsville, Indiana.
It’s located off of SR 37/69 North of Bloomington.
A quote for your week: “The one who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. Those who walk alone are likely to find themselves in places no one has ever been before”. Albert Einstein – German born physicist and activist. 1879-1955.
Susan Anderson is a resident of Owen County who enjoys hiking and backpacking and writes a weekly column about her experiences. Readers can reach her via email at saanders@hotmail.com or on Instagram @farsideoftheedge.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Three Lake Trail | A Hiker’s Path
Reporting by Susan Anderson, For the Evening World / The Herald-Times
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