Hike #5 Owen-Putnam State Forest
January 27th, 2018 - I love driving the roads of Owen County. Not only do they wind through beautifully wooded hills, but they have down-to-earth names that remind you where you are...the back county. Rattlesnake Road, Owl Hollow, Fishback Creek, Coon Run and you just know there is a story behind every one of them.
My earliest memories are of these very woods. Though not the exact same tract, my family is lucky enough to own a piece of land in Owen County. Luckier still, it borders Owen-Putnam State Forest.
The hike to get to Owen-Putnam starts with a long climb to the pond. Every parcel of land around here seems to have a human made pond. Ours is quite humble as they go but we love it all the same.
We were surprised to find mushrooms in the middle in the winter, but alas this warm streak seems to have encouraged a few. This particular jelly is commonly called brown ear. I am told it this is the one that you find on sweet and sour soup. Tempting, but I let them be.
By the start of the twentieth century the lumber industry and agriculture had all but destroyed Indiana’s forests. As a result, there was a large conservation effort to buy land and re-establish some semblance of what was lost. As you walk through Owen-Putnam the untamed wild undergrowth and the healthy amount of massive trees make it hard to believe this land was desolate a hundred years ago.
I doubt these pines are native as they were planted by the thousands in state parks by the NCCC, but they are gorgeous. I always feel like I’m hiking in northern Michigan or out west.
A day that started with rain and dreary clouds opened up to a sunny, warm break from the winter cold. A fog settled in at dusk and gave a everything a mystical sheen. These woods never cease to stun me with their many variations in hue and character. On this day I felt extremely fortunate to be able to share them with my dad and many friends. Owen-Putnam is definitely worth coming back to time and time again.