Five months later...

I've done some research and a little backpacking this year.  I will make a post of what I've learned and experienced in the past five months.

Interacting With Government Employees

So, the other day I finally had a return call from a park official from one of the state park agencies.  I learned a little something about different agencies running different parks and forests... something I'll touch upon in a different post soon.  So this is some of what I learned:

Any who, I found out that for four dollars, you can get a map mailed to you of the Knobstone trail in Indiana.  I also found out that indeed Knobstone trail doesn't have any reliable water sources except for two and the trail is the longest in Indiana.  The second longest trail in the state is Adventure Trail.  It was confirmed that there are very few backpacking trails in our state, but that for hiking the most popular trails are at the state parks.  The area surrounding Bloomington offers a higher quality and number of respectable trails than in the northern half of the state.

Your Best and Cheapest Information

The greatest tool that I have used (so far) is the Internet.  The Internet is constantly being fed a diet of contemporary information about trails, gear, and groups.  It's also a good place to get pumped up for a season or just to motivate an individual to start -- as in my case.  A negative is that for some, reading just doesn't "cut it", but in this day-and-age you would surely lose out on important information.  Maybe the most difficult aspect of searching for information on the Internet is that it is a search!  Weeding through the ads, web pages, web search engines and so forth, just to learn about an aspect your interested in, can be time consuming or difficult.

Now, I could include YouTube along with the Internet as a source; however, YouTube blends two forms of media - video and Internet.  The great thing about YouTube is you can watch and learn.  Some of us are visual learners and so it adds to the learning/information curve.  Hours and hours can be filled just watching others talk about their particular passion... which you then can "catch" their enthusiasm or make you yawn... to each their own!  The down-side is that most of the videos aren't necessarily the best productions and can be found lacking in some manner. 

The library is a third option for free information.  Magazines and info guides can be had for just getting a library card and maybe a late fee here-and-there.  Late fees usually run from 10 cents to 25 cents per day which isn't a bad deal.  Once you have been informed a great deal while sitting at a computer, a book can fill the minutes between activities... for example waiting for a bus to arrive or the commercials on television to end between programing.  

Fourth, another great way to gain some information is to talk to others.  While some people are a little weary of striking up a conversation with someone of the same species - cats and dogs have a hard time communicating the best way to set up a tarp tent for example.  Your neighbor, forums online, government agencies (over the phone for example), and social groups can be found with a plethora (oh, how I love using vocabulary lists from high school) of information.  Don't be surprised if you find some really good information from the less-likely people or places.  Even if the only information you discover from one source is something intrinsically valuable about yourself - like others perceptions about you that weren't necessarily true or things you wish weren't true (but you know they are).  

Finally, experience will be your best teacher and and guide.  Take what you have learned and try to apply it.  Then, when you have had an experience, evaluate your experience... this may sound rather juvenile, but often we don't take the time to process our experiences and integrate any potential lessons into our day-to-day existence.  The saying, "necessity is the mother of invention", is a great example of how experience can be some of the best information we will take to the grave.... even if it doesn't come cheap.

First Blog of Indiana Hikes

So, what next?  I've started this blog as a way of recording my adventure in getting back into hiking and camping Indiana... and other places.  After being away from this sort of activity, I have had my love of the outdoor adventure rekindled by others online who have a similar feeling.  I could have chosen just to write my with pen and paper in a journal-like form, but (at least for now) have chosen to blog it for the sake of those who might be experiencing the same.  

I started getting back into my outdoor interest in January 2009, after running across some youtube videos.  After watching hours and hours of videos, I followed links to other video topics that dealt with the outdoors - especially gear for hiking.  I tinkered with some homemade stoves.  All of this lead to looking up local trails in Indiana and the surrounding states (minus IL).  Then, I started looking at what gear I currently own and compared it to contemporary standards.  I made a few purchases and poured over more and more websites. 

My first hike was at Potato Creek State Park, IN for two miles following trail number 1.   Trail one was 2 miles long and lasted me a grand total of about 45 min - this was a beginners park trail that had various optional loops for difficulty levels (I stayed on either beginner or intermediate).  When I was done, I was tired.  All I had taken with me was an older style trail hip-pack with shoulder straps, carrying water and a few snacks.  I had gathered some information about this park and a few others; however, the most interesting information was the cost.  For $36 a calendar year, you can get into all of the state parks - this is a steal of a deal.  Afterwards, I went to a county park, Ox-Bow Park, in Goshen, IN, and drove around the park loop - not impressive, but free during the week I believe.  

Just this weekend, I made a small three hour road trip to Chicago's REI in Schamburg and spent nearly four hours going over the Isles and questioning the friendly and very helpful staff.  I give the staff at this location an A++.  More importantly, I found that they have a "Garage Sale" this Saturday.  This is where REI sells the returned/used gear that customers have used and returned for whatever reason.  Note:  REI's extremely generous return policy is well worth any potential higher cost to the customer.  I would love to go, but I'm not sure I can do to other scheduling conflicts - Dang!

Now that we are up-to-date, I am waiting for items from REI to arrive from the online store; I need to finish making some of my stoves and cozies, and get some hiking in!