2013 Peninsula Trail at Lake Monroe

 

self pic before we split up for 2 different hikes :)

We decided to revisit one of our favorite local spots for an overnight backpacking trip in October. We last visited the Peninsula Trail in 2008 and enjoyed camping along the shore of Lake Monroe (link here).

Heidi drove and picked up the Fishers gang (me, Durena, Pat, Linda). We stopped at Starbucks and then made our way south. We met Lisa and Stacey at Cracker Barrel in Edinburgh, ate a delicious breakfast, stuffed our pockets with packets of jam :) and continued driving until we reached the Blackwell Horseman Camp.We were wondering if this camp and/or parking lot for the trailhead would be affected by the government shut down, but there were no signs so we got unpacked, got our gear distributed and got ready to hike an easy 8 miles to the lake. Pat and Linda took one of the cars and drove to a different trailhead where they would have a shorter (3 miles) walk in.

It was a gorgeous fall day for hiking and we enjoyed the beauty of the woods. We passed a few horses, and  had fun with the camera with Lisa's hiking stick/tripod!

group 2, self pic with hiking stick/tripod

We had a pretty decent map and we had hiked the route before. We came to one trail sign that didn't make sense according to the group consensus. We also saw the the sign was loose in the ground and we assumed it had been wrongly "adjusted" by someone. We adjusted it back and went on our way. We ended up at the end of a trail, behind some private homes and then knew that we had come the wrong way. We hiked back, put the sign back to the way we found it and continued on. Our afternoon was spent criss crossing an area that did not get us where we needed to be. Our easy 8 mile hike turned in to a frustrating 12 mile one!

Hey, let's try this way!

 

How about this way?

We finally made the correct turn and got to camp. Pat and Linda had enjoyed a beautiful afternoon at camp and had also cleaned up the site for us! There was a little light left in the day and we got camp chores underway (fire, water, tents, food, coffee)

 Durena getting water from the lake

 enjoying the campfire!

 tents :)

 beautiful sunset

We had a pleasant evening and a great meal! Everyone contributed a little something and we had s'mores for dessert. We slept well and had another fire at breakfast time. We decided to hike back the 3 mile route where one car was parked. When we arrived, there was a warning notice on the car, referencing the shutdown!

 When we got to the second car, we found out that that area had been closed down while we were gone. We were so happy that neither car had been ticketed or towed!! Lessons for next time we hike this: get a better map and get a group consensus of our route before we start out (instead of when we're lost!)