Indiana State Parks and Indiana Dunes National Park

We planned, and the universe laughed. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is off; Indiana State Parks and Indiana Dunes National Park is on!

We decided to put GSMNP on hold for either a winter trip or a spring next year trip. We had a few projects come up that we decided made it smarter to have a shorter time away. We are installing a new master closet in our house all my our own selves, and it's going to take some dedicated, focused time that we will have over spring break, if we aren't gone for all of it. Then, our washer started its Final Cycle Into Imminent Death, and the closest delivery we could get was during spring break (please, Washer Gods, let the washer last until then).

All in all, a smarter decision to have a shorter trip away and make sure we have time at home to get these projects done and settled. 

The Plan. One day and one night in Turkey Run State Park and Shades State Park. This is an easy combo, since the two are only about 15 minutes away from each other, and we will try out the Inn at Turkey Run. We've been meaning to go to these two, especially this winter, because Turkey Run has fantastic rock formations along the creek, and when the creek freezes, you get a hike you can only do a few weeks out of the year. ALAS, our plans were foiled by me and JD getting covid in early February, so it will be a wet spring trip. We've got some neat hikes picked out, and hopefully it won't be too muddy.

From there, we head on up to Indiana Dunes National Park and the neighboring Indiana Dunes State Park. We planned out two full hiking days there, and staying at a nearby hotel. Again, have some nice trail options picked out and we are excited about the water views, even if we are staying far, far away from that frigid nonsense.

As a grand finale, we are going to head over to Chicago and spend the night there. We will hit up hopefully three museums that the kids will lose their minds over, and get some Chicago-style pizza (or... not, if you are JK and allergic to tomato). There will also be train rides, naturally.

We will head home after a full day in Chicago.

A Trip Owed

I am currently owed a solo trip. 

Let me back that up. Obviously, at a very shallow level, this pandemic screwed up a lot of plans people had. Some of those plans for us were lots and lots of travel. We had two glorious, GLORIOUS trips planned for 2020 that we had to cancel (basically, big loops of national parks out west, with cool extra things, like a train ride and viewing the night sky at Kitt Peak). We put them off and put them back into our pocket of "somedays." 

In October 2021, I decided I was taking a solo trip. For a lot of reasons, I was in stress city. So I was going to go away. At first, I wanted to go, obviously, back to Estes Park. Although JK never would have stopped me, I could tell he did not love the idea of me hiking up in those huge mountains by myself, and so close to when it could snow huge amounts. I could not truthfully tell him I wouldn't hike alone, because I was absolutely going to do that, so I decided to ease his mind and go to Tucson and Saguaro National Park instead. My brother and his family are there--they live practically at the base of one of the park units--and he would come with me and hike, or my sister in law would.

Great! It was going to be fun. But then a long standing injury of JK's reached a critical point and required surgery. Even minor foot surgery means no walking, and so, I canceled my plans, as you do. Six weeks of no walking sucks, by the way. 

Now we are about to enter to vortex of JK being gone for three weeks for trial, where I am the solo parent, and at some point when this trial is over, I am doing this solo trip. I mean, I would actually love it if we could ditch the kids and go on a trip together, which we haven't done since... 2015, when we went to NYC for two nights together and left EJ with Grams. JD wasn't even born. 

Anyway, solo trip. Or trip with JK. The top of my list is always to be RMNP and Estes Park, so let's just take that as a given. JK really, really, REALLY wants to get to the Grand Canyon, and honestly, that's one I think might be more fun without kids. The hikes are not easy, and if we could snag a camping permit, we could even try hiking all the way down. I would love to go to the Utah parks, but I want to go in as close to off season as I can because yikes, those crowds. We are both very interested in doing Acadia soon.

If I am by myself, I want to hook up with one of the many outfitters who do guided backpacking, and do that. That way, I can hike myself into oblivion, and JK won't worry because I am with a knowledgeable group. I am taking some backpacking classes over these next few weeks so I can start learning, and I am excited. 

Where would you go? It's so hard to choose. 

Gear Post--Kids and Clothes

Gear post! For multiple days now, I've planned a morning hike with the dog, and had it either rain or ice on me, thus canceling my plan. So instead of pretty pictures of frosted trees in Fort Ben, I've been working out in my gym and thinking about gear. 

Child Carrier Devices. Whew you can spend a pretty penny on these, but if you are into walking or hiking or anything that involves being on the go on foot with kids who just won't keep up, it's worth it. This was a purchase for us on par with a car seat--it was going to be in regular use, and we were going to keep it as long as possible. Unlike a car seat, we could reuse it for the next kid (our kids have too big of an age gap to effective reuse car seats before the expiration date) and eventually resell it. So. We sunk the money in, and I would do it again.

Having said all that, our first one was a bit of a cheat. We were about to take a weekend hiking trip for the first time with a slow moving kid, and scoured Craigslist of all things to find a child carrier backpack. We found a Deuter Kid Comfort, one of the original models, and got for the low price of $20. It had been well loved but was still in good condition.

We used it for quite some time before deciding to upgrade for the next kid--also we were older at that point, and wanted something with a bit more back support, so that we could keep using it until new kid was older and ready to roam free. Incidentally, the Deuter still had a ton of life left in it, so we gifted it to another family with younger kids. The Deuter is still out there, living its best hiking life.

We moved on to the Osprey Poco, which had several great upgrades. Our Deuter didn't have a sun/rain shade (most of them do now), and it did not have a great place for JD to put his feet. The Poco DID have those things, and it was a great addition. It's also got great pockets, and who doesn't love pockets?

A critical thing to look for is a good hip belt, along with how the back is vented. Those two things--support plus cooling--will make the hike more enjoyable for you all. 

In the end, I high recommend either the Deuter Kid Comfort or the Osprey Poco. I lean towards the Poco, but keep in mind we had a older, used model of the Deuter. The two are very comparable. 

Eventually, JD declined to be contained, and wanted out. He was still too little to keep us with us, and frequently wanted to be held, which, the kid is a tank. So, we said goodbye to the Poco, and got a piggyback assist device. Picture included so you can see what I am talking about.

As you can see, it's literally that: it assists with a kid riding piggyback. There would be a harness for JK, a harness on JD, and he just stood on the bar. When he was done and wanted down, we would unclip and JK would either leave it on, or I would stuff it in my daypack. Easy peasy.

Clothes. This is so specific to each person, but here's what we like. 

• Kuhl pants. We love their hiking pants. The material is great and durable. 
• Duluth Trading Co. Dry On The Fly pants. Again, durable, great material, more pockets than I can shake a stick at. Love that I can roll them up and that they have double snaps so one side doesn't sag down. 
• Smart Wool. Does anyone really do a base layer better than Smart Wool? I don't think so. I've got leggings that I layer under my favorite hiking pants, a long sleeve shirt, and a long sleeve hoodie that I wear as a base layer or as a hoodie. 
• Duluth Trading Co NoGa pants. Sometimes I want more of a yoga pant style material, and that's when these are my go to. I get the slim leg (but not leggings) because the regular is way to wide and swooshy. 
• LL Bean, sweaters and vests. When I am hiking in super cold weather, I have a few really heavy-weight cable knit sweaters from LL Bean that do the trick, especially if they are paired with my smart wool. Then I don't need a super bulk coat (unless its even colder). We are both also very picky about our vests, and we like LL Bean vests. They have a nice sweater fleece long vest that does not pill, is a long length, and is the material I like, aka, no swooshing sound while I walk. Also, many pockets. 
• Duluth No Yank. These tank tops and shirts are fantastic. The material is such that it tends to stay put, rather than ride up, and it's all longer in length, so truly, I am not yanking my tops back down. They just don't ride up.

Basically, the themes and things I would look for in clothes are (1) does it fit and feel comfy, even when you are squatting? (2) do you like the material? (3) POCKETS; and (4) does it feel durable? I am willing to spend a bit more if I know it will last, and I don't regret the money I spent on my Smart Wool, Kuhls, LL Bean, and Duluth stuff. 

The Almost Trip: Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Well, we will just chalk this one up to a missed trip, and save it for planning purposes I guess. I was defeated by a combination of the Midwest weather and my own forgetfulness. 

I was driving to Buffalo NY for a baby shower, and the route between my place and Buffalo takes you directly through Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I've been meaning to stop for years, but we are always racing through on our way to family, usually with increasingly hostile small humans in the back (the trip to Buffalo is at least 8 hours), so we've typically just pushed through. This time, though, it was just me and EJ, so we thought we take our time and stop mid-trip for a hike.

Life did not cooperate.

A storm swept across the Midwest, starting with dumping rain all over us for more than 12 hours, then having the temperatures plummet. Our backyard is still covered in ice. We received a generous helping (for Indiana) of snow to sit on top of that ice. The storm then perfectly traced the route from my house to my sister house, dropping buckets of rain, ice, and snow all along the way. We delayed our departure time to let the roads clear up, and even then, the road to Buffalo was littered with semis and cars off the road in ditches, being rescued by tow trucks. It was very slow going and dicey in some parts. 

We decided it was best to drive through, and I waved to CVNPS on the way, figuring we could stop on the way back.

You know what's helpful for hiking in a national park in the snow and ice? Your microspikes and trekking poles. You know what I forgot? My microspikes and trekking poles. I looked around Buffalo at various stores, and while I could have easily bought extra trekking poles, microspikes were nowhere to be found.

EJ and I thought we might give it a try, but one look at the trail head convinced me that was a bad idea. Ice was the reigning theme, and the last thing this trip needed was for the only adult, driver, and sole source of EJ's ability to get home to bite it on the ice because we tried to hike without the right equipment. 

Sometimes, that's part of the adventure--the miss. It's always part of learning to hike and have more adventures--knowing when to make the right call, knowing your limits, and knowing the limits of the people you have with you. EJ and I have a funny thought somewhat disappointing story that is part of a larger trip where we had a great time, and we have a plan we are looking forward to pulling off. I will remember my gear and hope for better weather, and there are no injuries, which seemed pretty likely.

I can't wait to hike Brandywine Falls, though.