RETURN TO TURKEY RUN STATE PARK

Early last month I discovered Turkey Run State Park. It is a beautiful Indiana State Park. The trails are spectacular as they are challenging but not overwhelming. Navigating the trails is not an endurance contest, but it does take a certain amount of concentration as one walks on wet rocks, narrow cliffs, over boulders and up and down steep staircases and ladders.  Yesterday was the day that I returned with my family. We had great fun. When I visited the park alone last month, I 'raced' through various trails and hardly took anytime to enjoy what I was seeing. The visit yesterday was not about trying to hike on every trail, but to enjoy the trails that we did hike. Still, when the visit to the park was over, we managed to hike 10 miles.

Park Entrance

'The Punch Bowl'

One of the three ladders that we had to navigate

You cannot imagine how difficult it was to climb up this steep, slippery rock. 

My daughter decided to experience Sugar Creek up close.

Daddy/Daughter selfie

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Your Food Diary For:

Friday, September 2, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Mccain - Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal	300	54	5	8	0	2
Read - Three Bean Salad	300	65	0	5	1,500	55
Cliff Builders - Protein Bar - Chocolate	280	29	10	20	270	21
	880	148	15	33	1,770	78
L U N C H
Subway - Footlong Turkey Breast on Wheat	560	92	17	36	1,890	11
	560	92	17	36	1,890	11
D I N N E R
Denny's - Avocado Chicken Caesar Salad	500	11	37	35	1,249	2
	500	11	37	35	1,249	2
S N A C K S
Sun Chips - Harvest Cheddar	210	27	9	4	320	3
Jack Link's - Matador Teriyaki Jerky	240	21	5	30	1,590	18
Fiber One - 90 Calorie Chewy Bars	450	85	10	5	400	25
	900	133	24	39	2,310	46
Totals	2,840	384	93	143	7,219	137
Your Daily Goal	3,423	428	114	172	2,300	128
Remaining	583	44	21	29	-4,919	-9
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,493 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 194.4 lbs in 5 weeks     

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Friday, September 2, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking	319	1,773
Daily Total / Goal	319 / 30	1,773 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	915 / 210	10,409 / 4,130

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SATURDAY IS WEIGHDAY
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This week I checked in at 212.9 lbs. 
This is 2.7 pounds up from last week.
It always disappoints me when the scale points to the wrong number.
Here is my explanation.
I find it hard to believe that I really gained three pounds this week.
More likely, last week when I weighed myself, I might have been slightly dehydrated.
Perhaps this morning, I am more properly hydrated.
Anyway... What am I going to do?
I can answer that.
I am going to remember that on December 24, 2014, I weighed 309 lbs.
This means that I am 96.1 lbs less than I was on that day.
I think I will jump up and down a few times to celebrate that achievement.
And after that, I might take a hike.

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This section on the geology of the park was lifted from turkeyrunstatepark.com

GEOLOGY

In terms of history, the geology of Turkey Run State Park offers a unique view into the past. A walk into one of the ravines takes the visitor on a trip through time when the sandstone gorges represent 600 to 300 million years of nature's handiwork.

The exposed bedrock is Mansfield sandstone, after Mansfield, Indiana. This deposit was formed during the Carboniferous Period when the buildup of sand at the mouth of the ancient Michigan River was slowly compacted and cemented into solid rock. The swampy environment of this period gave birth to vast coal deposits. Coal was mined here in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Seams of coal are still visible along many of the trails.

More recently, during the Pleistocene Epoch, the sandstone bedrock was carved into today's familiar canyons and formations by the eroding action of glacial meltwaters. The Punchbowl on Trail 3 is an example of a pothole that was scoured out by glacial erratics caught in swirling backwash. Erratics are pieces of bedrock from Canada that were carried here by the glaciers. Some of the larger erratics, or boulders, can still be seen in Boulder Canyon on Trail 9, and smaller ones, pebbles, in Sugar Creek.

In the last few hundred years, the wind and water erosion of the sandstone has continued at a slower pace. The gorges are very similar to what was seen by Native Americans and pioneers.

TURKEY RUN STATE PARK

Yesterday I found the best closest state park to my home city of Chicago - Turkey Run State Park.  Who knew that Indiana which is basically as flat as Illinois over much of the state was hiding this treasure. Until I 'discovered' this park on the internet on Thursday evening - I certainly did not know about it.

Turkey Run State Park is an Indiana state park located in Parke County, Indiana, in the west-central part of the state on State Road 47 2 miles (3.2 km) east of U.S. 41. It was Indiana's second state park, with the first parcel of land being purchased in 1916 at the cost of $40,200 when the State Park system was first established during the Indiana state centennial. It hosts the Turkey Run Inn, built in 1919. The origin of the name "Turkey Run" is unknown but the most accepted theory is that wild turkeys would congregate in the gorges (or "runs") for warmth where early settlers in the area would trap them in dead-end gorges and hunt them with ease.

A system of trails offers hikers plenty of outing opportunities during the summer months when the drainage is relatively free of water, and the suspension footbridge across Sugar Creek, the main drainage provides access to trails on the far side. Trail 3 is particularly noted for its ruggedness, including ladders and narrow but deep gorges. Floating down Sugar Creek through the park in either inner tubes, canoes, or kayaks is very popular in the summer months. There are 3-mile (4.8 km), 8-mile (13 km), or even 11-to-15-mile (18 to 24 km) trips down Sugar Creek. Also, in the spring when heavy rains and snow melt flood the narrow gorges, many more adventurous hikers will go "creek stomping" through the narrow gorges. However, the fast moving current, steep gorge walls, and unpredictable contours of the creek beds make this activity dangerous if the water level is high.

The hikes start by crossing a very beautiful suspension bridge.

The suspension bridge from Sugar Creek

This is me in the far distance on the suspension bridge that leads to the best trails

suspension bridge photo taken by a fellow hiker at the end of the day.

This was a 'selfie' taken when no one else was around to snap a photo for me at the start of the hike.

I had no major troubles traversing the water-starved creeks and wet rocks as my visit yesterday was  in late summer. Let me amend that. Twice I took a step and my left foot was completely engulfed in water. This is particularly funny to me. Last year when I purchased these hiking shoes for my hike up and down Half Dome in Yosemite - I purposefully did NOT buy shoes with water resistance.  I figured California was in drought and water resistance would have just added an unnecessary expense to the shoes. Two Things. First, although California was in a drought, we did managed to catch rain on our way down the mountain on that October day last year. Second, I apparently was unaware that hiking was about to become my favorite pastime. I believe my next pair of hiking shoes will be water resistant!

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TURKEY RUN STATE PARK TRAIL MAP

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This rock formation is called 'THE PUNCH BOWL'

During my twelve mile hike at Turkey Run, I climbed up and down a lot of wooden and stone stairs. In this photo I am standing in front of one of four LADDERS that needed to be climbed. They were much easier to climb up than to climb down.

This photo does not quite capture how narrow this passage nor how steep the steps were. You will just have to take my word for it.

Covered Bridge that dates back to 1882.

SUGAR CREEK

My twelve mile hike included walking on Trail 3 & 9 which are listed as 'VERY RUGGED' (No argument from me - These trails were not your basic 'Sunday walk in the park.'  I spent nearly five hours at the park and I did not see everything. I will definitely return to this park in the future. There is another park nearby which is said to be just as nice - SHADES STATE PARK.  Surely I will need to check out that park as well..

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SATURDAY IS WEIGH DAY.

223.3 lbs
I lost another 1.1 lbs this week.
That was 'easy.'
All I had to do was walk/hike 100 miles!
(Perhaps if I ate a bit less, my success would be more rapid.)  What's the hurry? This is a never-ending marathon. 

For the past three months, at the high-water mark of 241.9 lbs right in the middle of my recovery from a hernia, I have consistently been losing weight, virtually every week. 

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Your Food Diary For:

Friday, August 5, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Essential Everyday - Butter Flavored Grits	700	147	7	14	2,380	7
	700	147	7	14	2,380	7
L U N C H
Subway - Footlong Turkey Breast on Wheat	560	92	17	36	1,890	11
Cashews - Dry Roasted & Unsalted	400	23	33	10	0	3
	960	115	50	46	1,890	14
D I N N E R
Landshire Sandwiches - Ham & Cheese	520	64	16	36	2,480	14
Soft-baked Oatmeal Bar - Cinnamon	230	35	8	4	190	13
	750	99	24	40	2,670	27
S N A C K S
Homemade - White Chocolate Chip Cookie	400	52	21	0	276	0
Nature Valley - Crunchy Oats & Honey	190	29	6	4	160	12
	590	81	27	4	436	12
Totals	3,000	442	108	104	7,376	60
Your Daily Goal	3,881	485	129	195	2,300	145
Remaining	881	43	21	91	-5,076	85
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,951 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 205 lbs in 5 weeks.

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Friday, August 5, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
HIKING 12 miles	283	1,951
Daily Total / Goal	283 / 30	1,951 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	1059 / 210	13,105 / 4,130

	Turkey Run State park
Location	Parke County, Indiana, USA
Nearest city	Marshall, Indiana
Coordinates	39°53.1′N 87°12.2′W
Area	2,382 acres (964 ha)
Created	1916
Operated by	Indiana Department of Natural Resources

I have always thought that a 'creek' by definition is a minor tiny place where water flows perhaps just a few miles long. My idea of what qualifies as a 'creek' apparently needs to be reassessed.

Sugar Creek is an 82.4-mile-long (132.6 km) tributary of the Driftwood River in east-central Indiana in the United States. Via the Driftwood, White, Wabash and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River. Sugar Creek was likely so named from the sugar trees growing along its banks

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2 h 41 min (155.0 mi) via US-41 S

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Sugar Creek is apparently a very popular name. I have hiked near a Sugar Creek in Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. They have nothing in common other than their name.

SUGAR CREEK WATERWAYS LIST FROM wikipedia.com

• Sugar Creek (Driftwood River), a tributary of the Driftwood River in Indiana
• Sugar Creek (Duck River), a river in Tennessee
• Sugar Creek (French Creek), a tributary of the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania
• Sugar Creek (Georgia), a tributary of the Ocmulgee River
• Sugar Creek (Middle Island Creek), a tributary of Middle Island Creek in West Virginia
• Sugar Creek (Minnesota), a stream in Fillmore County
• Sugar Creek (New South Wales), a tributary of the Wallingat River in Australia
• Sugar Creek (North Carolina), in Charlotte, NC
• Sugar Creek (Little Miami River), a tributary of the Little Miami River in Ohio
• Sugar Creek (Ottawa River), a tributary of the Ottawa River in Ohio
• Sugar Creek (Tuscarawas River), a tributary of the Tuscarawas River in Ohio
• Sugar Creek (Susquehanna River), a tributary of the North Branch Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania
• Sugar Creek (Sangamon River tributary), in Illinois
• Sugar Creek (Wabash River), a tributary of the Wabash River in Indiana
• Big Sugar Creek, in Missouri
• Sugar Run Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania