Ladders, Bridges, and Ravines: Turkey Run and Shades State Parks

I cannot even begin to describe how much I loved these hikes. Right here in Indiana, which you think of as flat and corn fields as far as the eye can see, you've got these two gems. 

We hiked an absurd amount, and I can't believe the kids and Hank held up for it. It's an hour drive from our house, so we geared up, and hit Turkey Run first. 

We started with trails 6, 7, and 11 as a warm-up hike. The kids were super excited when they realized we would be hiking through a ravine and a mostly dried up creek, jumping back and forth over the water. They also very much enjoyed the stairs and the little lookout spot. 

We then combined trails 1, 3, 5, and 10 to create a very wobbly loop around--and we even split up at some points because...

Ladders! Yes! We had to climb ladders! I! Love! This! Hike! What's not to love? Hiking through ravines, along creeks, through creeks, up ladders, past waterfalls, over a freaking suspension bridge... It was The Best. 

Alas, Hank could not hike up a ladder, so we took turns finding an alternate route with Hank, while the other person climbed with the kids. 

After that, which was a solid 5 miles at that point, we headed out to go home except WHOOPS maybe not, we decided to really quick go over to Shades State Park, which is only 15 minutes from Turkey Run. Because we are bananas, we then went on ANOTHER hike of trails 1 and 4, adding on 2 miles. 

JD passed out in the car on the ride back, and I am pretty sure EJ did too. Hank had only been with us for a week at that point, but he seemed thrilled with the entire thing.

Honestly, some of my favorite hiking. It was just wonderful. It was very easy to choose your own adventure--you could keep it easy, or you could make a really hard hike out of it. It's pretty critical here to have good hiking boots or shoes, because you're often doing some light rock scrambling, and the rocks can be slick. I saw more than one person wearing flip flops with blood running down their leg from a fall. 

Some of this was on the edge of JD's abilities--not because he couldn't do it, because he's a climber and loves danger, but because I needed him to listen and do as I said, when I said it. That's a harder skill for him, and he has not yet learned to assess the best path to take, so there were points where I needed to be behind him for safety (the ladders) but I knew when we got up the ladders, it was slick and he needed to choose carefully where to step. Luckily, EJ is quite excellent at finding the best path to take, so she went ahead and assessed things for us while we brought up the rear. 

Anyway, the kids loved it and were already asking to go back.

Lawrence Creek Trail - Fort Harrison State Park

We did one of our (the adults) favorite trails in Fort Harrison--Lawrence Creek. It's a mixed use trail, for hikers and mountain bikers. Part of why it's such a great trail is because of the mountain bikers--all the obstacles they set or leave for them also make great things for the kids to do too. Rocks, downed trees turned into wide balance beams or jumps, log mountains, curves, and more--it's a fun one to do. 

Here's Lawrence Creek Trail on All Trails. 

It's 4.5 miles, but we tacked on just a bit more to make it an even 5 miles. This was the longest single trail hike the kids have been on, so I was thrilled with their accomplishment. We've stacked hikes before--3 miles with 4 miles, etc.--but that usually involves a sitdown break and change of scenery. This was just, get on the trial and go, don't stop style, and they aced it. 

5 miles of hiking = 1 tired puppy. Hank did great on this hike, though he's got some leash learning to do. 

Updates

Well, that was an unexpected break, but so it goes. 

We continued to struggle after the loss of Finn. The kids, as kids do, asked if we would get another dog, but my heart was not in it. We told them that if the right dog showed up, we would know. 

The universe took my deflection as an invitation, and a rescue organization contacted us about Hank.

Hank is a fifteen month old golden retriever, similar in age and coloring to our sweet boy. Hank is a rescue, coming out of a bad situation. He's a sweet good boy, and has been with us for two weeks now. He needs love and attention and some medical help, and we've got those to give. He's been on his first family hiking excursion, and had a blast. 

Hiking updates: We've been hiking at Fort Ben mostly, but we also did a great side trip to Turkey Run and Shades State Parks. Our Acadia Trip is planned and finalized, so I am excited to share more about that. We had a lake vacation with some hiking and biking, and a trip to Buffalo with a nice easy hike through a local park. Hank and I are doing a couch to 5K challenge.

Hike: Camp Creek Trail

It was a beautiful, sunny day, and Grams was scheduled to pick up both kids. By 2:00 pm, I'd already worked a full day and thought I had more to do, I decided to take a quick break, leave my downtown office, grab the dog, and do a solo hike. 

Park: Fort Harrison State Park
Trail: Camp Creek Trail
Distance: 3 miles (full trail is a bit less, but I added on some other areas)

Gosh, what a muddy mess. I knew it might be, given our hike over the weekend, but I had hoped that a few days with no rain and decent temperatures would make it tolerably muddy, not "sloppy wet mess that makes you fall on your ass" level of muddy. That's what hiking boots and dog towels are for, though, so on we went. There were a couple sections where I turned back or took a connecting trail because it was such a mess that I didn't want to do more damage to the trail than what was already done. 

Finn and I had a blast--the sun was shining, there were so many things to smell, the crowd was super light, and the birds were singing. Finn did a great job of sitting prettily and waiting for other hikers with dogs to pass. He didn't bark or try to play with them at all, and he hiked along with a slight amount of slack in the lead. He's becoming a good hiking dog, despite his lazy nature. 

It was much easier to settle into a few more hours of work with some peaceful time outdoors under my belt. It's also easier with an exhausted puppy.

Hike: Lawrence Creek Trail

I've been spending a ton of time on my rowing machine and stretching and icing, and it's paid off. My foot was feeling like it might be ready for hike, so we hit the trail. 

Park: Fort Harrison State Park

Trail: Lawrence Creek

Distance: 2.5 miles (full trail is 4 miles)

We've had a constant stream of rain and snow the past month or more. It rains, then it all freezes and turns to ice, we get anywhere from a light dusting of snow to several inches, then it melts, and the process repeats. Even if my foot was fine, it would have made hiking difficult--you either get ice, or you get mud. There is no in between. 

When we started, the trial was ice. We did not have our microspikes, which probably would have been good to have, but it ended up being fine. We crunched along at pretty good speed despite the ice. Every minute we hiked, it got warmer--and it began to melt and expose the mud underneath. We had to stop at every creek crossing and carry JD across, then give Finn enough leeway to get a running start and jump over. 

We were all a happy, muddy mess by 2 miles in, which is when JD decided it was going to be a great idea to jump into the creek.

Since we were now in possession of a soaked 4 year old in 32 degrees Fahrenheit, we decided to call it quits and headed back. It was probably best for my foot to not test it too much--it was sore later but not too bad. JD was stripped down to skivies and bundled up, and medicinal hot chocolate was applied to both children.

The trees were really something to behold--they were all still coated in ice, so with the sun shining through them, it was like walking through a crystal forest. There was glinting and glistening everywhere, and tiny faint rainbows would dance fleetingly in and out of your line of vision. 

Gear Post--Daypacks and Dogs

We are by no means expert-level hikers. We've never backpacked or camped, though I am hoping to learn this year. We have hiked quite a bit though, enough to make us fairly experienced, and with kids of varying ages. We hiked with dogs, in varying environments, and we've got stuff we like, mistakes we've made, and stuff that's lasted through thick and thin. 

Daypacks. I use the Osprey Sirrus 24 Daypack, and I've got the 3L hydration reservoir in it. Key for me is the hip belt--I wanted something that would give some back support and not just a flimsy strap. This has a good, solid strap with some pockets for light storage (my phone does not really fit in there, but I cram masks and tiny hand sanitizer in there, because these are the times we live in). 

My focus in buying it was the hip belt and size, but there are some features that surprised me and made themselves indispensable. The mesh backing lets my back breath, and I never really overheat with the pack. We eventually started doing enough hiking that we got trekking poles, and lo, there is a place to attach the collapsed poles when I don't need them. Never thought I would use the attached raincover until I did, and not just for rain--snow, sleet, and even the memorable times I wrapped up creek-soaked children shoes in it and transported them home for a washing. The way the pockets are arranged makes sense and works well for access. There are a few places to clip carabiners on the outside, which is where I hang the collapsible dog bowls. 

EJ has a small kids hydration pack--the Osprey Moki 1.5L. She started using it around age 5, and has used it up to age 9. Now that's she's 10, she's switching to a larger daypack, and this hydration pack is shifting to JD. It's got the airmesh harness to keep them cool, and a small pocket so they can carry a snack or two.

JK uses a very old Camelback hydration pack. Sometimes he uses the actual reservoir, but more often, he sticks in his favorite water bottle. Since JK is the designated hauler of children who refuse to walk another step, he keeps a slim, light pack, and I carry the bigger pack with all the snacks, extra water, first aid, dog gear, etc. 

Dog gear. We hike with our golden retriever quite a bit, and we hiked with the previous golden too, until he got too old and politely declined* anything more than an amble. Telly, our previous dog, had endless amounts of energy and was extremely athletic. Finn... well, he's an excellent snuggler. He's still a puppy (turned 1 in October 2021), so he's got energy, but he's quite lazy, and he's the most clumsy dog I've ever had. He's very sweet though, and he likes to come with us, but he's also like OMG WHY about halfway through a hike, so we are measured about the length of hike we take him on. 

We keep a water bottle for Finn with us, and have a collapsible down bowl. It's the United By Blue Earth Day Collapsible Double Dog Bowl. It's easy to clean, has a spot for food and a spot for water, collapses, zips up, and comes with a hook, so I hook it on the outside of my pack. We even travel with these, and it's his car bowls. They are just fantastic. 

We don't exactly live in bear country, so we also hike with dog treats for Finn. He's food motivated, and he's still learning proper etiquette, so we use the treats to encourage (bribe) him.

Finn has three harnesses, and we always hike with a harness. He's quite large and strong, and the harness gives us a better ability to control him while still being gentle. If he surges ahead, the front clip makes him turn around--so she just doesn't surge. We have a Pet Safe harness, a Ruff Wear harness, and one from Duluth Trading Company. Our favorite leash for hiking is one that we got from Target, and it has the hand loop at the end of the leash, but also a hand loop about halfway down the leash. It gives us a comfortable two hand grip on the leash, which I like. 

I hike with a small first aid kit for Finn. I got mine from REI, and it's the Adventure Medical Kit--First Aid Kit For Dogs. It's small and its got all the basics I would need for him for minor injuries.

Lastly, we always keep towels and dog wipes in the car. Hiking can be muddy business, and we don't want to miss out on the fun in order to stay clean! We got WeatherTech mats in our vehicles--in part due to winter weather slush, part kid crumbs, and part dog dirt. It does make it so our floors and carpet are pretty protected, which is great. 

*Telly would see us assembling the hiking gear, stare at us with a disgusted look on his face, and go lay down in his favorite spot, but with his face buried in the corner. Okay, Telly, we get the message. Though that was really only the last few months of his life--before that he still was very energetic.