A hiker's path: Trekking the ethereal forest of Hardy Lake State Recreation Area
This past week I spent some time in southern Indiana. I have been exploring trails in the area and this time, I visited Hardy Lake.
The Hardy Lake State Recreation Area is located in Scott and Jefferson counties. It contains 2,178 acres including 741 acres of surface water from the lake.
The lake is the only state reservoir that wasn’t created for flood control. The dam was constructed on Quick’s Creek in 1970.
The lake is surrounded on all sides by limestone and rocky bluffs, caves, and embedded fossils, while the property itself has only slate and shale exposure. The lake is surrounded by a beautiful forest and has some great hiking trails.
It was a beautiful day for February, with a temperature in the mid 40s when I hiked at the lake. The sky was sunny overhead but a bit of a chill in the wind kept me bundled up.
When I arrived, I went to the beach area first to see the lake. It was a beautiful sight, even in the winter, with the blue sky overhead reflecting off the surface of the water. There were a few geese floating about. A very tranquil scene.
My main purpose though was to hike so I sought out the trailhead of my chosen path for the day. Trail 5 and 6 just happened to be nearby and intersected with one another. Trail 6 is a loop trail and is called the Lakeside trail as it affords great views of the lake. It intersects with trail 5 which leads to the campgrounds. Together they are a little over a mile in length and are considered easy to moderate in ease of hiking. I had decided to hike trail 5 first.So, I found my trailhead and took off to see where the trail would lead me.
I took off walking on trail 5 which passes through Eastern cedar thickets, white pine tree groves and poplar trees, as well as a mature forest.
As I walked along and passed the first cedars, I noticed that the air was permeated with a light mist. Mixed with the filtered sunlight coming through the trees, the forest had an ethereal feel to it.
It was very quiet and I felt like I was in my element.
The cedars began mixing in with pines and the faded pine needles made a soft surface under my feet as I walked.
Even the air smelled of pine and damp earth. I seek these places out sometimes and other times I just happen onto them. This was one of those times and I was snapping photographs and taking in the landscape around me.
Further along the path, I began to get into more of the old growth forest part of trail. There were lots of old fallen, moss-covered logs and beautiful, old trees.
Old growth forests contain large, old trees of long-lived species. Usually there will be trees of various ages in mixed in. These forests support diverse flora and fauna and provide habitat for many birds, mammals, and amphibians.I eventually made it to the lakeside portion of the hike which was equally as enjoyable as the first part of my walk. The views of the lake were stunning.
It wasn’t long until I was back at the trailhead and then back to my car. The hike had been a happy surprise. There was more to this place than met the eye.
I knew that I would have to come back to this place sometime soon to hike the other trails to see what else I could discover. It had been a good hike.
There are six hiking trails all together and all of them are easy to moderate in ease of hiking. In addition to hiking, there is also swimming in the summer months, boating, fishing, camping, and picnicking at the beautiful recreation area. A seasonal gate fee applies for admission. No charge during the off season.
To get to this place: Hardy Lake is located four miles east of Austin, Indiana, off I-65 South. The address is 5620 North Hardy Lake Road, Scottsburg, Indiana.
A quote for your week: “The sacred place of silent minds and deep souls is the depth of the forest”. — Mehmet Murat Ildan, Turkish playwright, novelist
Until the next trail,Susan
This article originally appeared on Evening World: Hiking Hardy Lake State Recreation Area on a misty day
