Tent City on the Two Lakes Loop--A Trip Report

“I’ve been backpacking with some large groups before but nothing like the throng of backpackers that overran the Two Lakes Loop Trail in the Hoosier National Forest in early January.

I don’t know if they were trying to counteract the consumer-crazed after shock of the holiday formerly known as Christmas or running from New Year’s Resolutions, but they came in droves, from Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois. They were old, young, experienced and green.

Some staggered under 50-60 pound packs towering above their heads while others skipped through the woods with satchels so small I’d be hard pressed to fit a change of underwear and a granola bar.

The melting pot of hikers was the brainchild of Top Spot Outdoors in Evansville, a new outdoor store which recently began planning public trips for its customers. Not a bad marketing idea considering a number of the hikers were getting their feet wet on this adventure, and came completely outfitted by Top Spot.

Their first experiment in hosting trips produced a small handful of hikers. But news travels quickly and on a quiet Saturday morning in January, more than 30 backpackers exploded onto the trail like the start of a marathon.

It was an unseasonably warm weekend for early January with temperatures into the 50s on Saturday and climbing into the mid 60s by Sunday. We hiked under sunny skies with gusty winds that whipped as high as 30-40 mph. The group quickly spread out as each hiker found his pace then bunched up again as others stopped for breaks. I imagine from the air it may have looked like a giant worm inching its way across the forest.

I’m not usually one to hike with a large group, but I was excited about the opportunity to meet a lot of local people who share my enthusiasm for the outdoors. As I moved up and down the pack, names and home towns were thrown at me and I struggled to tuck at least a few away in memory.

We hiked clockwise curving our way in and out of the inlets of Lake Celina with views across the lake of the recently restored Rickenbaugh House and boat launch. Jacob Rickenbaugh settled the area in 1854 because of the abundance of oak and chestnut trees and a natural spring he used in his hide tanning process. The present day sandstone home was built for the family in 1874 by a trio of Belgium stonemasons, who also constructed the magnificent Archabbey Church at Saint Meinrad.

After arcing away from lake for a short while the trail emerges from the woods on the Lake Celina dam. The water mirrored the sky in a brilliant shade of blue. Several hikers stopped for a break while others moved on.

On the far side of the lake, a short three-mile connector trail branches to the right running along the land bridge that runs between the Celina and Indian lakes. The main trail continues on around Indian Lake creating two small loops or a figure eight.

At Indian Lake the trail again emerges from the woods overlooking the dam. After a short grassy, and a bit muddy, decent to the dam, much of the group stopped for lunch. I snacked on beef jerky and dehydrated pears then lay on my back for a while to watch the clouds over the choppy water.

I decided some quiet time would be nice and departed ahead of the group eating lunch at the dam. My thoughts were soon interrupted by a small group of day hikers going the other direction. An older gentleman stopped to talk and said he was scouting for a place to take a Boy Scout troop from northern Indiana. He had family in the area and had hiked over on a small section of the American Discovery Trail. The American Discovery Trail used the Two Lakes Loop Trail as part of its meander across the country from Delaware to California.

At the north end of Indian Lake I waited for some of the group to catch up as I wasn’t sure where we planned to camp for the night. We ended up camping under a large stand of pine just two miles from the trailhead. We hiked a total of about ten miles for the day.

Just before reaching camp we made two wet stream crossing with water just above the comfort level, especially for those wearing trail runners. I watched in amusement as a big brut of a man wearing rubber waders carried a number of hikers with their packs across the small stream. My ego too big to take a ride, I used my hiking stick and careful footing to easily make my way across without getting wet feet. I also carry a pair of foam sandals in case of higher water.

At the campsite we spread out through the pines forming smaller communities of tents. We appropriately dubbed ours the ghetto and set about putting up tents and cooking hot food. After a bite to eat and a cup of hot chocolate I turned my attention to building a fire. I found a nearby stone fire ring buried under a pile of brush and pine needles and soon had a small blaze going.

The night was cool and we gathered around the fire for a fun night of fireside chatter. The sky was clear overhead and a half moon sent shafts of light through the pine branches. The gurgle of a nearby creek lulled us to sleep along with the snoring of neighbors.

I woke with the daylight and fixed coffee and oatmeal before breaking camp. Our group decided to head out early and was the first to leave camp after saying a few good byes. One big hill and short jaunt later we were back at the trailhead.

I had a surprisingly good time hiking with a group this size and made several new acquaintances that I hope to keep in touch with for future trips. From now on when I hike this trail I will always remember the night a small city descended on the Two Lakes Loop.”

“hmmmm, no mention of any hot backpacking females in the group....to bad

at least you had a good time

trying to imagine some guy carrying everyone across the creek...lol”

“Actually there were a couple Ewker but they were all taken and brought there men with them lol. :(”

“good report...i don't remember this on the trips page, was it?...were you part of this group?...do they rent equipment?...that's all the questions i have LOL

i've hiked this loop 3 times....once saw nobody, once saw a couple people, and once was overran by boyscouts and ATVs”

“thrifty, just heard about them through my brother. he was supposed to go but couldn't make it. I don't think they do any outfitting. ATVs on the trail! I hope you reported them.”

“with that many people, i hope the trip leaders paid extra careful attention to teaching lnt principles”

“if i'm not mistaken some parts of that trail are open to ATVs”

“so thats why ive seen it so trashed”

“yeh, there's nothing like settling into your tent at night only to hear this sound that sounds like a chain saw getting closer and closer and then you see this big train sized head light that lights up your whole tent...i thought that was so inconsiderate, whether they're allowed there or not”

“dangerous, too. they couldve ran you over. i have a buddy who hiked the AT down in georgia, and he almost got run over in his tent by some yahoos in a jeep”

“Added photos for this trip. Pics 8-13 are this trip. The others are a previous trip.

http://www.thebackpacker.com/pictures/album/2e3u6vjh.php”

“Hope to do this trail in January :) Was it flat, hilly, muddy, wet? What would be the best places to camp along the trail in your oppinion? Is the little loop interprative trail worth doing?
last edited: 11/16/06 7:34:19 PM”