Hiker's path: A day in the Deam Wilderness savoring the smell of pine
The area which is now the Charles C. Deam Wilderness was first settled in 1826.
It was one of the last areas in Indiana to be settled because the steep hills and narrow ridgetops were hard to clear and the soil wasn’t good for farming.
At one time there were many settlers in the area. Today, there are just remnants of what is left behind from the early pioneers.
Old roads that have left impressions in the earth and old graveyards are some of the few telltale signs left to prove that homesteaders once lived in this place.
The land has been allowed to return to its natural state over the past decades.
The Charles C. Deam Wilderness was designated by Congress in December 1982. It was named for the first State Forester in Indiana, who was a pioneer in forest conservation and an author of books on the trees and flora of Indiana.
Charles Deam traveled throughout the state and collected more than 78,000 plant specimens, discovering 25 new plant species.
He developed a keen interest in nature and was recognized as one of the foremost botanists in the country. He was largely responsible for initiating the state forest system we have today.
The forest service acquired the first land now in the wilderness boundary in 1935 as abandoned, tax-delinquent farmland. The first priorities were to stabilize erosion, rehabilitate the damaged land, and control wildfires. With the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) program of the 1930's the Forest Service began reforesting the hillsides.
The Deam Wilderness encompasses nearly 13,000 acres of the larger Hoosier National Forest, which in total contains 202,814 acres.
Within the Wilderness are 37 miles of trails which allow for hiking and horseback riding.
It’s 37 miles of trail that I have come to love.
The temperature outside was very chilly when I hiked at this beautiful forest. I dressed in layers to stay warm and carried some snacks and water in my small day pack.
It was a good day for a hike!
I chose to hike the Terrill Ridge Trail.
It was an easy enough hike because it followed a ridge for the most part. It’s an in and out trail, which means hiking to one point and turning around and hiking back out to the trailhead. This trail is 2 miles in, 2 miles back, for a total of 4 miles.
I drove to the trailhead parking lot and then started off on the trail for a day of exploration.
There were three trails that started at this trailhead, but the signage was good and I had a map of the forest with me. I am actually very familiar with most of the trails in this wilderness trek. I have been hiking in Deam Wilderness for years.
The trail that I was on was very wide and basically was an old road that eventually led to a cemetery.
I walked slowly and purposely through the wooded landscape that surrounded me. I felt myself relaxing into my hiker mode: a journey on foot with a bit of wanderlust thrown in.
The forest around me was quiet. I enjoyed the stillness of the woods. It kind of put things into perspective. I came up on the intersection of the Sycamore trail with the one I was on. The sign was clearly marked with arrows pointing the way. I continued going straight.
It was a quiet walk. I heard the occasional drilling of a pileated woodpecker off in the distance.
The brown, earth tone colors of winter and the slight chill in the air assured me that winter had arrived. I was surrounded by pine trees on each side of the trail.
Pine needles and cones lay on the ground underneath them. I love pine trees. The scent makes the forest smell so good. The pine sap, I don’t like so much. At least not when I get it on my clothes.
I hiked along and finally made it to the end of the trail: the cemetery. I took a break for a few minutes, listening to the silence.
I soon turned around and headed back. I savored every step I took on that old pioneer trail.
When I arrived back at my car, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction from my afternoon in the woods. Just a peaceful walk in the woods. It had been a good hike.
To get to this place, take Ind. 446 south of Bloomington. After crossing the causeway on Lake Monroe, drive 7 more miles and turn left on Tower Ridge Road. Follow the gravel road to Hickory Ridge Fire Tower. The trailhead can be found in the parking lot.
A quote for your week: “It had to do with how it felt to be in the wild. With what it was like to walk for miles with no reason other than to witness the accumulation of trees and meadows, mountains and deserts, streams and rocks, rivers and grasses, sunrises snd sunsets. The experience was powerful and fundamental. It seemed to me that it had always felt like this to be a human in the wild, and as long as the wild existed it would always feel this way.” — Cheryl Strayed, American author
Until the next trail,
Happy New Year!
Susan
This article originally appeared on Evening World: Hiker's path: A day in the Deam Wilderness savoring the smell of pine
