Spring's a comin' round again!

It's been a while, but I'm back! This last year has been kind of tough, so I didn't really get an opportunity to do much hiking (or much blogging), so things have been kind of slow on this blog. THAT is going to change. I've got a major case of spring fever and the itch to hit the trails is coming on strong! Unfortunately, so has the wet weather, so the trails are hitting back...LOL

Although it's not really hiking, I did recently make a quick trip past the Indianapolis Zoo's White River Gardens greenhouse to see a wonderful assortment of Orchids and the beautiful way they have renovated the area. I have to admit missing the large palms that used to be it, but I'm sure the new ones will grow to fill in the space. They have also added a few waterfall features that really add to the overall ambiance of the area. I took lots of great photos, which I will be posting soon, so keep checking back!

Signs of Spring

Spring has finally arrived here in Indiana, although, winter is still putting up a heck of a fight! Still, we have gotten a few warm weekends in and the forest flowers are showing all their color! On recent hikes through our favorite parks (Holliday Park and Cope Environmental), I did manage to get a few pictures of Spring in all her wild beauty.

Cataract Falls Reborn

The pictures above were taken at Cataract Falls at the beginning of February. Indiana has had its fair share of rain, ice, and snow this winter and nowhere was that more apparent than the Falls.

If you look back to the pictures I took of the upper and lower falls in October, the water levels have significantly risen! The clear, slow moving river that barely trickled over the falls had regained its voice and now crashed over them in a muddy majestic fury! It was truly a wonder to behold. Nowhere could be seen the amazing limestone bed formations that we saw and walked on during our earlier trip. The river appeared to have risen by approximately 3-4 feet in the flat areas and oxbows between the falls.

The lower falls, that had a drop of maybe 25-30 feet in October, had been the most visibly reduced, appearing now to be only a few feet tall, completely hiding the actual depth of the pool. A large stone slab that had fallen along the cliff wall opposite the lower falls was now vitually impossible to see except a small triangle of stone poking up out of the water. What would account for this change of depth? My guess would be the reservoir located further downstream was backing up due to the extra water from this season's runoff.

The upper falls, which is closest to the covered bridge and the entrance of the park, were still quite visible, but where once had been pathways that children could follow to get directly behind the falls, deep water prevailed. The water was also the most turbulent here, as it had further to fall than at the lower falls location. It was amazing how much the landscape had changed!

Hidden Treasures

 

Sometimes small towns are not given nearly enough credit for developing beautiful parks. Today we found just such a park to hike in Pendleton, Indiana, located in Madison County just north of Indianapolis along I-69. The park covers approximately 150 acres and is located centrally to the town of Pendleton. It has trails that follow Fall Creek and a couple of small tributaries in the area. There is also a decent sized children's play area and a variety of sports areas (ie...basketball, baseball, etc.) located on the grounds.


I would consider this a beginner's hiking park or more of a casual stroll. All of the trails appeared to be either paved or covered in gravel. There were very few real physical challenges beyond distance. Still, the grounds are well-maintained and well worth the walk in any season. The view from the bridge over the upper waterfall was enough to make the trip worth while for me. The backwash of the river just before crashing over the edge was truly amazing! I am endlessly fascinated by how water moves under pressure and waterfalls are always a delight, no matter what size.

Winter Arrives A Week Early

Wow! Indiana took a bit of a hit this weekend. I live in Central Indiana, so we got a mix of ice and snow. Northern Indiana and some parts of southern Indiana took on more of one or the other. It was a real mixed bag. I finally managed dig out my old hiking shoes, but found just cleaning off the porch and sidewalk a bit treacherous under the current conditions. Not good hiking for a beginner like me, in my opinion.

Still, I would have liked to have gotten out and done some hiking. The best I could do was some "close to last minute" christmas shopping later in the afternoon on Saturday. It was a truly beautiful time of day to be out and about. About four in the afternoon, the sun was shining through the ice covered trees at a low angle and the dancing light made them shine and sparkle. Absolutely enchanting. I felt a little like a four year old looking up and telling mommy to look at the shimmering lights. My boyfriend was trying desperately, of course, not to slide us off the side of the slush-covered roads, so I think I was driving him a little bit nuts with my "ooo's" and "aaahhh's".

Unfortunately, I am not one to drag a camera around everywhere I go, so I was unable to get a picture. I'm sure I'll get plenty of opportunities before the end of the winter. I'm hoping to get back out to Cataract Falls soon, as all the snow and rain we've received lately will have greatly improved the river's volume of water and there are bound to be some wonderful icicle shots from the overhangs around the falls.

Happy hiking and be careful out there!

Product Review: Swiss Gear Hiking Pole

I've recently purchased my first real piece of hiking equipment. It's a hiking pole made by Swiss Gear. It's something I've been wanting since I started hiking. My sense of balance going downhill and crossing streams over logs is a bit iffy, so I wanted something that could provide a little extra balance. Eventually I may get two, but for now I just wanted the one so I can keep a hand free for the camera.

The Swiss Gear Hiking Pole is a very nice piece of equipment for the price. I bought mine at Dick's Sports, which tends to be a little pricey, but I have seen it slightly cheaper at Wal-mart and online at Amazon. It's red aluminum with black ergonomic handles. The stick can be easily adjusted to height (which is great because I'm short). The handle has a small compass embedded in the head. I double checked mine and it seems to be working appropriately.

I've taken it out on my first hike and it worked just as I hoped it would. There is little to no flexing in the pole. The tip comes with a plastic cover or you can remove it to reveal the spike (would I would expect will be more useful during the winter months). I have found that just about or slightly above elbow height works best for me. I would give this product 4.5 stars out of 5.

Indiana's Largest Waterfall (per volume)

 

Cataract Falls, IN

Back around mid-October, my boyfriend and I went on a photography/hiking trip to Indiana's largest waterfall (per water volume), Cataract Falls. It's located in West Central Indiana, about halfway between Indianapolis and Terre Haute. Due to the drought season we've been having here in the Midwest, the falls were at an all time low, so we were actually able to get close up and see features that were normally hidden by the river.

The Falls themselves are actually broken up into an upper and lower by about a mile or so of wandering riverbed. Geologically speaking, Indiana (and a good portion of the Midwest) was at one time at the bottom of an inland sea. Because of this, the primary rock is sedimentary in origin (mostly limestone, shale, clays, etc.) Cataract Falls is a great place to observe the layered nature of these stones and how water works to erode them. Even more interesting is what happens when a much harder stone is trapped within those layers and then eroded out through river action, as in the picture above "River at Work". In fact, because of the low level of the river, we were able to observe an almost alien moonscape that the river had churned out when it is running at full capacity. The imagery was fantastic! Who could imagine that such details were hidden beneath the water's surface?