Great Stories On The Adena Trace Trail T R

“Well it doesn’t look like Randal’s going to write a trip report so I guess I will. J Sorry it’s so long.

The trip started a little earlier for me. I took Friday off and decided to mess around exploring the area before the hike started. I first hit the Quakertown State Recreation Area. Not much for a hiker to do there, it’s manly just a fishing spot and a shooting range. I decided to take the back roads “scenic route” from there to Mounds State Recreation Area and quickly found myself lost in some back woods area on the west side of Brookville Lake with a very low tank of gas. As the needle got lower the banjo music got louder. Fortunately I stumbled on the little town of Brookville Indiana where I found a gas station. I filled up and headed to Mounds SRA.

I messed around there a bit, taking a few trails and eating lunch. Being that it’s called Mounds SRA I couldn’t go there with out seeing the mounds themselves. There is a loop trial that goes to the mounds and has the option of making it a two of four mile trail. In the interest of time I opted for the 2 mile route. As Indian mounds go these are pretty pathetic. If it weren’t for a sign I wouldn’t have even known the piles of dirt behind them were the mounds but oh well. It was getting close to the meeting time so I headed off to the meeting spot.

Forgive me if I miss someone or get their name wrong; I’m horrible with names. Plus I can’t remember who got there Friday and who got there Saturday morning. At the parking lot I think I met Golfhiker, Attila, Hubcap, Salem, UPlover, Randal and Wonderfool. I can’t remember if Mike(Rusty Hatchet), or as we called him party pooper, was there Friday or Saturday. We headed down the path and shortly met up with Sticks and his dog Angie. I had my dog Sammie with me as well and for some odd reason Sammie and Angie did not get along at all. There was much growling all weekend.

We stealth camped that night (shhhh) about a mile and a half from the trailhead. It was a great campsite. We all ate dinner and before long it was dark and we were sitting around a very nice, very warm fire and that’s when the stories started to fly. Randal is a very excellent storyteller. I recommend you hike with him if you ever get the chance. He told many very detailed and entertaining stories. I won’t go into the gory bloody details but if you ever hike with him ask him if he’s ever hike the Adventure Trail. It was Sticks’ 53rd birthday (happy birthday Sticks) so he decided to do it up right. He toasted, in his own honor, many times with some bourbon he’d brought that was SUPPOSED to last the whole trip, but was gone the first night. J Now Sticks’ stories started to fly too and it was almost as if him and Randal were in a story telling contest only the contest wasn’t who could tell the best story but who could tell the loudest. After a while they were in their own world playing off each other and entertaining the rest of us. We slowly trickled off to bed to sleep through the cold night. UPlover was the only brave one of the bunch who opted to tarp camp. But then again if I had a custom made negative 5 degree down bag big enough to hold five grown men I’d probably camp with out a tent too.

The night wasn’t good to Wonderfool. This was the coldest she’d ever camped in and it took its tool on her in the night, but after the fire was rekindled she warmed up quickly and was just fine. We all ate breakfast, cleaned up our “stealth camp” and headed to the trailhead to meet the rest of our party. Of course we went to the wrong parking lot and was 30 minutes late meeting them. To make matters worse I had left the back door of my car slightly open and the battery ran dead. After a quick jump-start from Salem we were on our way. Thanks Salem!!!

At the right parking lot we met Crash Bang, Wounded Knee, Csiler, Hubcap, and clio2727. Hubcap if you came Friday night I apologize. I don’t think I heard you say 2 words the whole trip so I couldn’t remember, but then again with this group it was kind of hard to get a word in. J

We decided to split up, some doing a long day and some doing a shorter day but all meeting up at the same camp sight. UPlover, Attila, and maybe Hubcap? (again sorry about the names) drove what they thought was about 3 or 4 miles up trail to start a longer hike. It ended up being more like 8 or 9. Those mile monsters did about 15 miles that day!!

We all met up at the campsite for the night and it had been totally trashed by boaters. Crash Bang had the great idea for us to clean it up. We burnt the trash that would burn and split up what wouldn’t between us and carried it out the next day. It felt good to leave a campsite in better shape than what it was when we found it.

We lit another fire and again the stories started to fly. We pressured Randal into retelling his Adventure Trail story, not that you really have to pressure Randal into telling any story. Man you really got to hear this one. Those of us that had heard it the night before couldn’t help but notice it was slightly different than the night before but that just made it that much more entertaining. This night Sticks was the first to turn in. Maybe the bourbon from the night before had something to do with it? Mike(Rusty Hatchet) was soon to follow. This is why the rest of us wanted to call him Party Pooper.

Some say that night was colder than the past but I slept better but that could have been because I was more tired. That morning we all kind of rolled out on our own schedule. Sticks was the first to depart with his dog Angie. I think I actually heard my dog Sammie applaud when Angie left. We all headed out at our own pace, me some where towards the back. I took my time going out taking in the few sights of the area and snapping some pictures. There wasn’t a whole lot to take pictures of. I think Crash summed it up best when he said this was more of a social trip than a scenic one. I definitely concur. You couldn’t have asked for a better group of hikers. Everyone was nice and had great stories to tell.

The last couple miles of the hike out I started craving a burger with blue cheese and a beer. I was thinking there’s no way the little town of Brookville would have a restaurant that would have anything like this. I rolled into town and strolled down main street and found a place called Ye Old Shack. I opened the menu and sure enough there it was, a burger with blue cheese and bacon and they served beer! I got a half-pound burger with bacon and blue cheese, french fries, cool slaw and two beers for under $10.00. After that I went to the dam to take some dam pictures and maybe buy a dam souvenir for my wife but they didn’t have a dam gift shop.

Again, it was nice hike with you all and I can’t wait to do it again. This was a great group of people. Randal, you did a great job planning this and are very fun to hike with. Hope your ride home went ok.”

“I gotta hell of a splinter in my index finger on my right hand which is making it difficult to type and use the mouse.

Great trip! Great stories! Had a blast. I am trying a new site for pictures. Hope this works. I still have to title these.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/backpakn2@sbcglobal.net/album?.dir=7093&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos
last edited: 3/20/06 8:23:07 AM”

“Dang that's a long trip report for just an overnighter. LOL

Here's my pics. Nothing great.

http://community.webshots.com/album/548712671ZHaSRf”

“This was a very entertaining trip. Good hiking and good people - lots of laughs. I didn't really take very many pictures either, but will look through them tonight to see if there is anything worth posting to an album.

thrifty, I was the last one into camp on Friday and quietly set up my tarp. I was the one recounting simers tales of polar bears, collapsing forests, and the whiskey trek gang.

I'm still not exactly sure what happened Saturday morning when UPluver, Salem and I tried to add a couple more miles to the Saturday hike. We somehow ended up at a trailhead much farther from where we intended to start. The trail didn't quite seem to match up with the map. After 1.5 hours of fast hiking and then coming across the place we though we had started at, we understood why.”

“Sorry hubcap. It's a bad combination of a lot of people on this trip and me having a horrible memory. The strong personalities of Randal and Sticks and the long conversations I had with others pushed other memories out of my head. LOL”

“Hubcap,

Yeah, not sure about the place we started either. When Crashbang drove me back to my car on Sunday(very quickly I might add :-) ) I still didn't see another road to turn on???

BTW, I found the website for the air mattress you have. I'll probably purchase one in the next couple of days”

“LOL it was definitely entertaining!!
It was a great weekend...good weather, good trails, good booze and great company....and a LOT of laughter!
The line of the weekend......"What's that bright light over there???


Oh it's the moon!!!”

“BTW, I found the website for the air mattress you have. I'll probably purchase one in the next couple of days”
Salem
11:07:23 AM

I didn't know Salem and Crash Bank shared a sleeping pad! That's so cute ;)

LOL, thanks Uplover, I forgot to add that one to the report”

“oops, that's crash banG not crash bank...i think my fingers are still numb from the cold

looks like we had good timing for this trip...we're suppose to get 6-8 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow”

“6-8 inches of snow would have made this trip REAL interesting!”

“Strong personality?! I think I was rather subdued!

I put up 3 pics but that was about the limit


http://thebackpacker.com/pictures/album/zj6mv1ba.php

Frank...Frank! Don't look at the light!
last edited: 3/20/06 12:16:31 PM”

“I like this one...everyone's listening intently with a big grin...it had to have been during the "Diarrhea Story"

”

“you think randall and wanderfool made it out yet?”

“They haven't posted here yet, I hope they didn't kill each other on the way home.”

“Hello everyone!!!

Well Laura made it back alive and here I thought for sure she was gonna die on me. I have never heard anyone cry that much in their tent in my life!!!!. She really perked up after the Vicadin though!!! I think she learned a lot on the trip (as did I!!!!!!!!)

Thanks to Thrifty for writing the report , I really think he did a great job!!! Good pics too!!

Thanks to Sticks for the Knob Creek Bourbon and for keeping the Friday night gang from freaking out when we mistook the moon for Mr. Ranger coming to take us to jail. What a hard core bunch of woodsmen we were that night!! Geezes!!! (Yes, there was a green meteorite dammitt!!!)

Thanks to all for fixing up the campsite Saturday night!! You all did a great job. I wish we could have gone father south as the best overlooks and trails are there, oh well!!!
Thanks to Hubcap and Uplover for putting me on that cooking pouch!! I have already made three of them and they work great!!

All my love and respect to WK for making it possible for me to experience the same “Mammoth” feelings/memories that he covets to this day. Yes, I truly owe him a big one and am making plans to repay that debt as soon as possible!!! !OH and he gets credit for posting the worst pic of me in the outdoors ever!!!

It was good to meet/ see everyone again and maybe we will cross paths again. I am heading down to Big South Fork for a whole week http://www.thebackpacker.com/trips/trip/915.php
If your interested check it out, but after this trip, I’m really ok about doing it alone!!!
See ya later.
Randall”

“Sounds like wonderfool had a good time anyways...
snip from trip report:
it took its tool on her in the night”

“All my love and respect to WK for making it possible for me to experience the same “Mammoth” feelings/memories that he covets to this day. Yes, I truly owe him a big one and am making plans to repay that debt as soon as possible!!!

Now THAT'S funny!! :D”

“Thanks to everyone for a great time. It was my first real backpack trip and definitely won't be my last.”

“Sounds like a fun trip, good report.

The part about the dogs rang true. Dogs are more likely to fight than get along.”

“Great hiking with everyone. Randall thanx for organizing. I know you got more than you bargained for.

Wounded Knee,after seeing that picture of you with the ax, Im glad you got a splinter only on your finger! :)

http://community.webshots.com/photo/548712671/2086707120083410341PLMEuJ”

“glad you made it back alright randall and thanks again for a great trip

Attila that shot was taken at just the right time...he was just holding it like a normal axe and then the exact time i shot it he stuck it to his crotch LOL

Dogs are more likely to fight than get along.

actually these two dogs have never had problems with other dogs but for some reason they just didn't like each other...i think it was the age difference...mine's 11 and angie is 4...as hard as it'll be i'm thinking about not taking her anymore
last edited: 3/21/06 5:16:36 AM”

“LOL, kinda @ Randall.”

“Thanks Tim for the great trip report. It was a great social event, attached to a small hike, but that's okay. Gotta say, I was impressed with the Adena Trace Trail, although it might be less enjoyable during the summer boating season.. Other than a couple of doggy incidents, all went well. Randall did a great job of planning & executing a fine spring hike. Until we meat again...........”

“LOL, kinda @ Randall.”
Wounded Knee

LOL don't worry WK I'm sure you can out run him!!

I finally got my photos up

http://www.midwesthiker.com/phpBB/modules.php?set_albumName=album06&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php&page=1”

“Nice pictures UP.”

“yep, those are some great shots!!
I sould have gone with you guys.
See ya later.
randall”

“Looks like a great trip . . . just wish I could have been there. Nice pics everyone!”

“thanks for the great trip all together and of course Randall for the organization. It was great for me to join this kind of trip for the first time, will do that again. But next time it needs to be much much warmer :-)
got some pictures too
http://www.thebackpacker.com/pictures/album/e4x06rqp.php”

“well, partypooper, if you had spent more time around the fire and less in your tent, you would have been nice and warm

:-P”

“well, that was not me, I partied with you and enjoyed Randall's stories. As long as I stayed at the fire all was good :-)”

“arent you mike?”

“No, I think that is Frank.”

“frankly, my dear.....”

“Frank...is that really you? Funny you don't look like a moth...”

“I'm confused.... name tags next time!”

“I'm confused....

So what's new?? lol”

“Hey Golfhiker,

Do you remember my name? hehehe”

“LOL @ Salem

Salem...hmmmm Salem...yeah that name sounds familiar! Yeah, I think I know you!”

“Who is Salem and where is wonderfool?”

“WHO is this Wounded Knee guy and why is always whining and did someone mention stealth pooper”

“Why didn't this oldog character show up on this trip?”

“I had a great time! I am definitely hooked. Great pics everyone, I only have a few worth sharing. It was great meeting everyone! BTW- I'm not a troll anymore!!!
last edited: 3/24/06 1:25:18 PM”

“yea, I missed you guys on this one,actually I was surprised that Crash made it. The season is young ,so there's plenty more were this one came from.”

“Hey Cheri,

Be careful this weekend! That group you are camping with is a roudy bunch of hoodliums.”

“Sounds like my kind of group! But I can't go to the Hocking Hills trip(3/24-3/26) but I will be at the LV trip 3/31.”

“Hey csiler I get a kick out of that formal family photo. I almost fell outa my chair LMAO when you first started posting and I checked your profile. Nothing wrong with family photos it just wasn't what I expected to see.”

“This is the longest running trip report on record.... Oldog, "stealthpooper"? stop that!”

“nope. beefcake and cactus magnet is a week older and still running
last edited: 3/25/06 7:20:52 AM”

“funny, I dont remember all those kids on this hike.
thats a full house.

Crash-frank is clio2727 and Mike is rusty hatchet.
later”