Monday Oct 16, 2023 - Kevin decided he wanted to do a backpacking trip so he started walking on the treadmill each day with a 30 pound pack on his back. After a week of that he saw a window in the weather and decided to hike the Adventure Hiking Trail that runs through Harrison-Crawford State Forest and O'Bannon Woods in southern Indiana, outside of Louisville KY. We booked a campsite for Monday through Thursday and I thought I'd camp in Tiny while he was hiking. We got there Monday afternoon (it was a 2.5 hr drive from Indy) and on the way into the campground we dropped off a gallon of water where the trail crosses Cold Friday Road. The trail is known for its lack of drinkable water so we thought we'd drop off a cache for day 2 so he didn't need to carry so much.
He's getting ready for the trail
packing and getting his food together
Here's where he cached some water for day 2
Kev's got a hat clip for his GoPro, so he can take video of his hike
Dinner in the RV the night before leaving for the hike
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023 - The AHT is 25 miles long, so Kevin was planning to do around 8 miles each day and hike it in 3 days. He started hiking first thing Tuesday morning and was going to be crossing a road outside of O'Bannon woods in early afternoon. So I rode my bike from the campground to the road crossing and hung out with him while he cooked some ramen for lunch. He ended up hiking a little over 10 miles by the end of the day and set up camp about a mile and a half from the Cold Friday Rd crossing where we had cached water.
This trail is in the campground and connects with the AHT
There he goes....
I met up with Kevin at lunch time where the trail crosses Rt 462
See ya in 2 days!
On my bike ride back to the campground I stopped at the the fire tower and climbed to the top
It was a beautiful fall view
I'm always nervous climbing to the top of fire towers. They never seem all that safe and they have lots of warnings saying you could die by falling from them. I was happy I made it to the top and then back down safely!
Kev's first campsite about a mile from Cold Friday Road
My campsite in the campground
View from my window
Wednesday Oct 18, 2023 - Kev planned to hike 8 or so miles today, and passed a few of the AHT shelters as he hiked. He had lunch at the Indian Creek Shelter and hiked 10 total miles today and stopped at the Lloyd's shelter with a beautiful view of the Ohio River. I hiked to the Nature Center from the campground and enjoyed the small village they have there. The Nature Center has one of the few Hay Presses still in operation in the US and they have oxen that are the muscle for the machine when they run it. It would be fun to come back and see it in action sometime.
Indian Creek Shelter - Kev was happy for a picnic table to rest at
I took the Tulip Valley trail to the Nature Center and stopped at the Bird Viewing Blind
Really cute bench
and another couple more
The hay press was used until the early 1900's when cars became popular and horses were used less for transportation, so less hay was needed. The hay press was a way to press hay into bales making it easier to transport. The hay was forked into the box, a weight was dropped onto it and then an ox, attached to the press walked around it raising a press from the bottom, further pressing the hay.
the hay press goes all the way to the ceiling
The light shining through the barn reminds me of my Popop's barn
The bridge at the Nature Center for the other half of the Tulip Valley loop,back to the campground
Kev stopped at the Homestead Overnight Shelter for a break
Lloyd's shelter with the view of the Ohio River. Kevin set up his tent inside of the shelter since there was a chance of rain in the night.
View from the RV of the very empty campground
Thursday Oct 19, 2023 - Kevin had only 5 miles to hike on Thursday morning and he made it back to the campground around 10:30. He loved the hike and wants to do it again, with maybe shorter hiking days, so I'll come with him.
Yay Kev!
