Hoosier Hiking

“I don't know if it has been confirmed yet as to where the party will be on Friday. Camp Peeper is always a good location.

Where ever it is, I will be there.”

“I think we're staying at Peeper on Friday night. I will probably leave my car at the fire tower and walk to the cave campsite from there. If I have empties to return to my truck after Friday night I might drive down to the next parking lot and walk from there. I'm definitely not going down to the horse camp to start my hike because I hate crossing that fu$king stream. Seems like I slip every time I go across it.

Who's showing up with breakfast on Saturday morning?”

“http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier/images/maps/trail_maps/deam_wilderness_backpage.pdf

Okay, camp peeper is the site directly under the words Terill Ridge on the map I have attached, right? We will need to park at the fire tower that evening and hike the 2 or so miles back to the site. This is right yes?


Why not just camp at one of the closer sites or are they too small?

What stream are you talking about?”

“the stream you have to cross right before you hit the trail that goes off grubb ridge and up to the cave (when coming from the horse camp).

Camp Peeper is right on the pond, correct?”

“Okay on the stream. Yes, camp peeper is right on a pond”

“hey if anybody wants to hike from peeper to patton i would be up for that”

“I think that's probably what I'll do. I'm not sure how far it is, but I don't have anywhere to be on Sunday, so I don't care when I get back to my car.”

“i bought that headlamp, crash

it rocks”

“ducky, i checked the map, and its about 7 miles from peeper to patton, if you take the shortcut to the cave”

“btw, the cave is not on hays trail, but it is in the vicinity. it is actually on a sidetrail which is not on the map. there is also a secret path to the cave, which i could tell you about, but then id have to kill you”

“The last time I was there I believe I stumbled across a trail sign for the 505 Trail. What is this and did I make it up?

I think Hay's Trail goes to the right and the path to the cave goes to the left, correct? After that split, the Hays Trail took me to the trail of which I speak. Does the trail start in the woods or is there a trailhead somewhere?”

“the 505 is a relatively newer trail that loops off of the grubb

if youre coming from blackwell, the hays trail is just before the patton cave trail

Does the trail start in the woods or is there a trailhead somewhere?”

which? the 505? it is entirely in the woods. so is the patton cave trail. the hays trail has a trailhead, on a different road from the 3 main deam trailheads”

“What town is closest to this?”

“bloomington, in”

“Crash - I think you meant 545 Trail. Or is there a 505 I don't know about?”

“i dunno. the one with numbers”

“the 545(505) trail is not on my map. as far as the patton cave trail; i know how to get there, so i guess i don't care if it's on the map or not.”

“Still planning on this trip. :) Money, at this point, would be the only thing preventing it.

The Camp Peeper to Patton Cave hike is nice. I may be doing that instead of the Grubb Ridge around to Patton. (My luck, I'll miss that trail turn off to Patton and wander around aimlessly in the Deam Wilderness)... :p

Lizs! You gotta come!”

“MsDo, what time are you getting there?”

“I'll be night hiking into camp peeper on Friday night. I'll leave from work at around 4:30 and should be to the Deam at around 8:30 or 9'ish.”

“I am now a maybe. It sucks having a large family. They schedule events every weekend you want to hike. I think I can weasel my way out of it though.

I will probably still make it in around the time doolittle shows. Hey, we can hike in together and put a scarin into who is already there.

Moooooohahahahahahahahaha”

“I like the way you think!

Although, you've just gone and ruined it. Now they know! :p”

“Will there be machetes?”

“but no bacon rings”

“are we not your family, wk? and i bet we can put up with you being smelly more than they can. screw them. youre ours!”

“What? Me? Smelly?

Machetes? Doolittle, have you been reading my trip reports?

Remember that machete yeilding freak amazon woman from the Deam last year?”

“Oh yes, I've read your TR's. Not to mention we had our own machete yielding individual at the Deam in our own group over Memorial Day weekend. Not sure what he intended on doing with it.”

“You guys must be reading a different map than the one linked in by WK. Unless the first campsight you are talking about is directly above "Terill Ridge", that's about 2 miles from the tower. Did my print just not turn out correctly??

Also, I don't see any ponds just Lake Monroe. All of the other locations you are talking about are not mapped i.e. Peeper, the cave etc. So give it up and tell me where I can get the real map!

Thanks a bunch! :-)”

“my national geographic topo map shows peeper. it's not named, but it's on there. if you follow the roadbed straight back from the tower you will see a big flat spot. that's it. there's a pond there. the cemetary is to the left slightly before you get there.

the cave is not on the map either. for reference sake, start at the blackwell trailhead and take grub ridge around counterclockwise. You will pass a junction with the Hay's Trail and then come to a fairly wide stream crossing. Right when you get across the Grub Ridge Trail goes to the right and anotehr trail goes up the hill to the left. That's what you want. At that left turn, it will look like your'e walking directly to the tip of the finger the lake makes right there, except uphill.

Indiana people correct me if I'm wrong.”

“Thanks ductape. I'll check out National Geographic maps. Is that on a map making program you have or is Hoosier National Forest one they print for sale?”

“All this talk about the pond at camp peeper... you know it's really just a fire retention pond, not large at all, not much of a pond, not so great for water, so bring a good filter or bandana. Having said that, the camp sight is nice & it is a water source if needed. Oh, there are also lots of peepers in the spring! duh.”

“Let's drain the pond and fill it with beer!”

“WK: I'm sure many have tried, and from the sound of the Friday night party crowd, there may be another attempt this Dec.... Shall we all give our beer brand preferrences? That could be important. btw, that whole family thing, I'm sure they'll understand your need to be with us! Does the trip leader nead to send a special request letter to Mrs. WK?”

“A letter may make it worse. I have to let her bring it up to me, not the other way around. That will just piss her off.

I am planning on packing a tent, sleeping bag, maybe a saw and a case of beer for Friday evening. Probably put everything in my Gregory Palisades pack and just leave my other pack back at the firetower.

I will try to find something good (beer wise) that comes in a can.”

“wk, what is it exactly that you have to get out of?”

“Hanukkah and or a good friends X-mas party. The problem is both events are on the same day and Barb is torn on which to go to.

She has already told me I can go hiking, but she is playing the guilt trip on me.

If she decides to skip Hanukkah, I stand a better chance”

“Party on Wayne!!! Back in!

I will be down on Friday”

“i am a maybe... i want to bring my oldest son... subject to his interest.”

““Party on Wayne!!! Back in!

I will be down on Friday”

Sweet! I guess Hanukkah is a no go this year, eh? ;)”

“No, it's on. I just won't be there.

I think this is the day of my Christmas party at work which will be cool. I will be able to get home quicker to pack instead of having to take a few hours off.

How long a drive for you is this Ms. D?”

“I've said it before and I'll say it again. Who's bringing breakfast on Saturday morning?”

“I have an nice coffee container that keeps the joe hot for something like 2 days straight. If I remember, I will brew up a pot and bring it.

I also have a good recipe for a cinnamon coffee cake that I will make up.

This will have to do. I know a place we can get a real breakfast, howver we will have to drive to it.


Regarding the hike on Saturday, it looks like the majority of people wil take the Axom branch from camp peeper over to the cave. How is everyone planning on coming out?

Back out the way we came in?
Continue hiking to Blackwell and have a few cars here to shuttle?
last edited: 11/02/06 2:50:42 PM”

“"How long a drive for you is this Ms. D?”

I don't remember. I'll have to map it out tonight when I get home. All I remember about the drive home was a police chase that past us before Brown State Park. Crazy people.”

“I think I'll hike out the way I came in. Like I said, I have nowhere to be on Sunday. I will have nothing but time on my hands. I finish school and quit work that Friday. Hopefully I'll have a job lined up for the beginning of the year. I guess I won't be too upset if I don't though.”

“I just have the drive home back north, but that will not take long.

I am just looking forward to seeing old and new faces. Oh yea, and hiking too!”

“I'm now in as a definite. Gotta hike. Now!
last edited: 11/06/06 2:50:17 PM”

“I am not going to be able to make my own trip. A friend of mine had asked me to be in his wedding in May. Then he got the girl pregnant and they're getting married on Saturday the 16th.

I left me as a maybe because I might still come out and hike Sunday and Monday. If anyone's interested in sticking around let me know.”

“That's too bad dude!

They can get married at the cave!”

“I nominate Wounded Knee as our new trip leader.

Exciting things always happen on his trips.”

“You sure about that...Let's see what has happened on my trips...

Mammoth Cave - Hiker falls and goes boom. Trail distances and toughness over estimated almost causing the collapse of several other hikers. Tornado touches down within 10 miles of campsite(s). Spirit Coyote is pelted to near death with walnuts.

All Deam trips - Wounded Knee is heard mumbling to himself, "Where the #&%!$ are we, this doesn't look familiar." Or taunghting amazon chicks that walk past that are carring 6 foot machettes.

Any visit to the state of Penn - Rain tends to follow Wounded Knee, especially when visiting the state of Penn. First visit brought 2.5 inches of rain which fell between the hours of 6PM and 5AM. Group was camped at the bottom of a hill where all the rain ended up. On second visit, rain held off until Sunday, however, group nearly lost their way hiking out because everytime a map was pulled out to figure out where we were, the rain destroyed it.

Okay, what else am I missing?

Who is planning on being in on Friday evening?”