Peninsula Trail Backpacking – June 2022
Peninsula Trail Backpacking – June 2022
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JUNE, 2022
After my May 2022 Dolly Sods hike with Travis, In June 2022, I did a spur-of-the-moment overnight hike on the Peninsula Trail. Christian was home for the Indianapolis 500. When the weather report showed that it was to be a great night, we decided to spend a spontaneous night out in the woods. On this trip, both Jaden and Bailey would be going along. Sadly, I had to leave Jaden at home for the Dolly Sods hike, but I was confident he could handle the Peninsula Trail without problems. Jaden is now 16+ years old, and his back legs are very weak. In October 2021, I took him on my Tecumseh Trail hike, and, with a long winter ahead, I suspected it would be his last hike. Having Jaden along on this hike was an unexpected bonus and made it a memorable night in the woods.
A beautiful day for a hike in the Deam Wilderness
Seeing both dogs in the backseat as we headed out on a hike was fantastic. After being sad for the entire Dolly Sods trip, Bailey returned to her typical happy pre-hike mood. Jaden always looks happy when we’re all in the car together. It was a beautiful day. The skies were sunny, temperatures were in the low 70’s, and the humidity was low – just perfect for hiking. It was forecast to remain clear the whole time we would be out, which meant we would likely see a beautiful sunset over Lake Monroe. The leaves were in full summer mode, so it was overwhelmingly green as we drove down Tower Ridge road to the trailhead.
Timber Rattlesnakes on the Peninsula Trail?!
We had barely started the hike when I was startled by a loud rattling sound beside my left foot. I looked down and saw a sizeable coiled snake with the rattle pointing straight up in the air. He was no more than a foot from my leg. My first thought was to grab Bailey. She had been walking right behind me, and I knew her curiosity would lead her to check out the snake. There were two Timber Rattlesnakes together just off the trail and a third on the other side of a nearby fallen log. A fourth snake rattled about 10 feet away, directly on the ‘bypass’ route we wanted to use. It was all more ‘exciting’ than I preferred.
A muddy, long green tunnel
It took about a mile for us to recover our nerves after the rattlesnake encounter. We kept the dogs on the leashes, not knowing if there was some snake explosion in the Deam Wilderness. I had never seen a snake during my Peninsula Trail hikes, let alone a rattlesnake. I didn’t think there were any rattlesnakes in Indiana. After the trip, I researched it and found that rattlesnakes are very rare in Indiana and only found in a few areas – the Deam Wilderness being one of them. The trails were very muddy, a first for a Peninsula Trail hike. I realized all my other hikes had been in the fall when the weather and trails are typically bone dry. The trees were fully leafed out, and it felt like we were walking in a dense green tunnel.
Though I call the entire hike the Peninsula Trail, technically, we had been hiking on the Tower Ridge Trail since the trailhead. We reached the Grubb Ridge Trail intersection halfway to the lake (2.5 miles). At the intersection is a beautiful campsite located in a pine grove. It is a dry camp – there is no water anywhere around it. If you plan to camp there, take all the water you need. The Grubb Ridge Trail turns left, and the (now) Peninsula Trail continues another 2.5 miles to the lake. It was easy hiking along a ridge with intermittent views of Lake Monroe down to the right. The trail soon began a relatively steep descent down towards the lake. That downhill (uphill the next day) is the only decent size hill on the hike.
Camp on the shore of Lake Monroe
When you reach the bottom of the descent it’s less than a mile of fairly flat hiking to reach the shore of Lake Monroe. But the trail in that area was very muddy and chewed up by horses. It was pretty slow for that last stretch. It was midweek and we hadn’t seen any other backpackers at the trailhead or on the trail so I was hopeful that we would have our pick of camp spots. We did – there was no one else there. Another group did hike in later but they camped on the north side of the trail. The Peninsula Trail ends at the lake, and numerous campsites extend north and south along the shore. We found a great spot about 100 yards south of the trail. The dogs rested, and I started rehydrating some Packit Gourmet cheddar cheese spread.
The campsites had what I call Dolly Sods rock chairs. I call them that because I first experienced them on my 2017 Dolly Sods hike. Combining them with a Thermarest Z-seat pad Thermarest Z-seat pad, it is a comfortable place to sit. We relaxed and enjoyed our cheddar cheese spread appetizer. The dogs kept a close eye on us (or, more accurately, the cheese spread on crackers). They always get their share – it’s one of our traditions when hiking with the dogs. Christian got a fire going early. That was good because the plan for dinner was hot dogs and Spam roasted over the fire.
‘Real’ food dinner on the Peninsula Trail
Some might dispute that Spam and hot dogs are ‘real’ food, but they’re Haute cuisine when cooked over a fire out in the woods. I never eat Spam at home, but it’s hard to beat out on the trail. I think the combination of ham, smoked sausage, and bacon-type flavor combined with way too much salt makes the perfect post-hike treat. The setting didn’t hurt, either. Sitting in our Dolly Sods rock chairs eating dinner, looking out over Lake Monroe, and enjoying the rapidly setting sun was a special moment. Making it even more memorable is that Jaden and Bailey were there with us. It doesn’t get much better than that!
After dinner, Bailey took advantage of our easy lake access to do some swimming. Christian started skipping rocks into the setting sun. Eventually, Bailey started ‘chasing’ after the skipped stones, not realizing they weren’t objects that would float. I had packed in my DJI Mini 2 drone and decided the scene would make a good drone video. On land, we were sitting in the Deam Wilderness, where, technically, drones weren’t allowed. But the lake is not part of the Wilderness, so drone use is ok over the water. I got a few shots of the dog swimming and rock skipping in action, then flew higher to get some sunset shots.
Drone disaster – airship to submarine
Christian suggested that I capture a drone shot where the drone was positioned behind him as he started to skip a stone. The drone would fly just over his head at high speed and follow the skipping stone into the lake with the setting sun behind. I agreed that would be a GREAT video clip. We lined it up (bottom right picture), Christian threw it, and the drone went forward following the skipping stone… right into the branch in the right of the image! The drone shot straight down 5-feet into Lake Monroe. The amazing thing is the drone was still functioning (but not for long!). The drone died. The sad part is I couldn’t retrieve the video!
Campfire and gorgeous sunset on the Peninsula Trail
I bet if you did a poll and asked people hiking the Peninsula Trail why they chose that hike, they would tell you the sunset over Lake Monroe. We got a great one on our hike. It was the perfect setting. The temperature was ideal, there was no humidity, and the bugs weren’t bothersome. The warmth of the fire was comfortable in the low 50-degree temperatures. The dogs were sleeping soundly on a thick down blanket I brought for them. I was at the same campsite I had used on my first backpacking trip in 2010 with my son, Christian, and my two dogs on a perfect night in the woods. I’ve done many hikes since that first trip long ago, but that June 2022 night on the shore of Lake Monroe was one of my most memorable moments.
Beautiful morning on the Peninsula Trail
The following day was as spectacular as the evening before had been. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. A thick fog hung over the southern part of the lake but didn’t extend to our campsite. Christian was still sleeping in his hammock that was slung near the lakeshore. The dogs and I explored the area around our camp. I was in no hurry to get going on the day’s hiking back to the trailhead and car. Christian enjoyed the last moments in his hammock. While he did that, I started some water to boil on my nifty MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe stove. I used the water to make some drip Dunkin Donuts coffee using my MSR drip coffee filter. Coffee in the woods in the morning is one of my favorite pleasures in life.
Hiking back to the trailhead and car
It was a gorgeous morning for a hike in the woods. The darkness of the early morning forest was in stark contrast to beams of sun that would poke through openings in the canopy. The stretches of deep mud were the only thing that dampened the mood. When we reached that solitary, nasty little hill, uphill this direction, that took the smile off my face for a bit. But the packs were much lighter, and we quickly reached the top of the climb. Our attention to the trail was on full alert as we approached the area where we had encountered the rattlesnakes the day before. Thankfully all was peaceful as we passed the area. Shortly after, we spotted cars in the distance at the trailhead. The car was intact, and our Peninsula Trail hike was over.
Conclusion – Peninsula Trail Backpacking
The Peninsula Trail, and hiking in the midwest generally, is not the most pleasurable, especially in the summer. The trails do not have the views and breathtaking scenery you encounter in the mountains. But being able to get out for a spontaneous night in the woods with my son and two Labs was just as special to me as fabulous mountain views. Jaden’s age and the uncertainty of whether more hikes are in his future made this quick trip extra memorable. The trails were surprisingly muddy and strenuous, and the rattlesnake encounter was a bit harrowing, but the Peninsula Trail gave us yet another great hike.
I am a ‘content creator’ with a passion for backpacking, creating videos, photography, and writing – with a healthy dose of all things outdoors on the side!
