We spent a chunk of the weekend at Patoka Lake, which is an Indiana State Park that has a private marina nestled inside. While my wife was off fishing and boating, I got in ten miles or so of hiking. Honestly I’m not sure I’d come back here; getting from the Marina to the actual hiking trails is about four miles of bike path, i.e., concrete and asphalt. Most of the trails themselves are through areas that have had controlled burned in the last few years. In addition to being less green, this also means that the trails bear only the vaguest resemblance to what the official trail map shows; many of the branch trails don’t seem to have been reconstructed yet.
But still, a bad day in the woods beats a good day at my desk any time! More photos on imgur.
That’s a pretty nice area. The burns don’t look too bad, and it could always be worse - you could be walking through burnt mature forest with deadfall. Ask me how I know
Yeah, been there, done that. Around here at least most of the burns are prescribed rather than out of control. I don’t regret having walked these trails, but there’s not much to bring me back again.