A hiker's path: A day among the hemlocks at Selmier State Forest near North Vernon
I recently got to visit one of the smaller state forests in our state. The Selmier State Forest is located near North Vernon, Indiana.
The forest, consisting of only 355 acres, was donated to the state of Indiana by Mrs. Frank Selmier. Frank Selmier had a strong interest in the outdoors. He planted several acres of trees on the property from 1921 to 1934, which included pine trees, black locust, black walnut, sycamore, and tulip trees. Most of the property was placed in Indiana’s Classified Forest Program between 1927 and 1931.
There are several short hiking trails in the forest that are self-guided. Most of the trails connect to each other.The Muscatatuck river borders the eastern side of the property.
There also happens to be a beautiful stand of eastern hemlock trees located on the property.
It was a beautiful, sunny day in Indiana when I was at this forest. The temperature outside was hovering right around 60 degrees.
I arrived at the forest early in the afternoon. I found a small map at the forest office which gave me the lay of the land and headed out to explore the trails.
The forest was easy to find and I soon found my first trail of the day.
I chose the self-guided forest management trail to start. This trail is a mile in length and is considered moderate in ease of hiking. I pulled into the gravel parking lot and preceded to the trailhead.
The trail features tree identification, successional areas, timber management, and a pond. It was a nice walk down the wooded path.
Eventually I came to a small creek and after crossing over, I started to ascend some steps that were built into the slope ahead of me.
It was a quiet walk in the woods and one that I welcomed. I was looking for the hemlock trees, and though I did see a few scattered amongst the hardwoods along the trail, the bulk of them had to be elsewhere.
I soon finished this trail and headed down the road to try to find these trees. On a hunch, I drove down an old forest road and found the river on the left. I continued driving until at last, there they were. The hemlock trees. They were growing along both sides of the road and especially along the river banks. I had found my stand! I parked at a small parking area, got out of my car and began walking the old road. I took many photos of the trees.
The eastern hemlock tree is one of Indiana’s native conifers. They can grow to be more than 100 feet tall and can live up to 300 years. I was truly in my happy place.
As a bonus I found some beautiful spring wildflowers, “Hepatica,” growing on the banks of the river as well.
The river current was moving slowly though the water level seemed to be up somewhat. A few ripples here and there told me there were probably undercurrents beneath the surface. I have learned to respect the force of rivers and my own limitations. Today, the Muscatatuck was reflecting the blue sky off its surface.
The river is 53.7 miles long and is located in south-central Indiana. It’s a major tributary of the East Fork of the White River and drains 1,000 square miles. It was very peaceful there by the river, amidst the hemlocks.
It turned out to be a wonderful visit to this forest. I plan to revisit it in the future to explore the other trails.
To get to this place: the address for the state forest is 905 E. County Road 350 North, North Vernon, Indiana.
A quote for your week: “It is in the wild places, where the edge of the earth meets the corners of the sky, the human spirit is fed.” — Art Wolfe, American photographer, conservationist
Until the next trail,Susan
This article originally appeared on Evening World: Hiking trails at Selmier State Forest near North Vernon, Indiana
