Trip Report - Pate Hollow Trail, Hoosier National Forest, Indiana

At the Trailhead

Early March brought another training hike. This time, a 6 to 8 mile day on the Pate Hollow Trail south of Bloomington in the Hoosier National Forest. I had a few goals, in addition to just the hike.

1) Set up camp at the designated campsite on a point overlooking Lake Monroe, including deploying the hammock and tarp.

2) Cook a meal with my new stove and cook set.

3) Take a nap in my hammock to prove I could fall asleep in the thing, a feat heretofore lacking in my various tests.

The campsite.
Would have been nicer on a clear day.

The night before the hike, I happened to hit a hiking gear clearance at the local WalMart. There I bought a Sterno brand stove and a can of fuel, an Outdoor Products brand 2 liter hydration bladder, a Stanley brand cookset, some waterproof storage boxes, moleskin, trekking poles for the family, a tarp for my hammock, etc.

After arriving at the trailhead, I set off at about 10:30 AM. It was an overcast day, with rain threatening off and on. the hike was equally on and off again brutal and easy for me, though I did find myself a bit discouraged when trail runners kept zipping by me, some of them repeatedly. I was encouraged, though, to walk into the campsite at about 12:30 PM, meaning I did about 3 1/2 miles in 2 hours over exceptionally rough terrain (for me). There were frequent stops.

Tarp and Hammock... as you can see,
the tarp was too small for practical protection in rain.

Arriving in sight of the camp, I had to make my way down through brush, as I couldn't find a defined path down. The camp site itself was, well, sad. Piles of rubbish were nearby, including an old sleeping bag, the outer surface of which had rotted away.

After assessing the situation, I set up my tarp and hammock. The tarp, a Ultimate Survival Technologies all weather tarp immediately proved to be the wrong choice. It was too small to cover my SnugPak Jungle XL hammock. It had to be returned after the trip. Nothing wrong with the tarp itself - the workmanship seemed excellent. Just wasn't going to work with my setup.

Chicken Noodle Soup
from the cook set

Next I turned my attention to lunch. I set up my Stanley cook set on my Sterno brand camp stove. It is a small stove with a click-to-light feature. I managed to loose all of my allotted cooking water because I turned the stove valve the wrong way and tipped it over. As a result, instead of the really hearty meal I had planned (mashed potatoes, chicken noodle soup, and chunks of chicken), I had barely enough water available to make the soup. That was disappointing, to say the least.

After lunch, I hit the hammock. No bag, just brought a blanket and my sleeping pad, a Therm-a-rest RidgeRest. For an hour of trying, I was unable to manage any sleep. So, I packed up and headed out.

After leaving the campsite, there was a maddening series of meanders for the trail before it hit the ridge. I felt tired, and the afternoon was getting away from me, so I chose the logging road shortcut instead of finishing the full trail.

On the Pate Hollow Trail

Lessons Learned and Questions Created:

1) Forgot about the issue with the cotton zip up hoodie. REPLACE IT NOW!

2) Moisture management is an issue in general, not just with the hoodie. How should I handle this?

3) I found that the lack of time for prayer and meditation on this trip was a bit unnerving, especially as I pondered the fact that I was some distance from my car. On the way back to the car, I found myself feeling somewhat anxious about getting back before dark, though I had a solid 3 - 4 hours before dusk.

4) When they tell you to find a flat surface for your camp stove, they really mean it.

All in all, a great training hike. Questions? Feel free to leave them in the comments below!

Flatter is better...