THE TRAIL BLAZER THE INDIANAPOLIS HIKING CLUB VOL J NO 1 A REVUE OF THE ACTIVITIES FOR THE 2 YEARS FROM OCTOBER 1, 1969 to OCTOBER 1, 1971 The Indianapolis Hiking Club completed 15 years of well rounded hiking activities on October 1, 1971. The club, which was formally organized in January 1957, has had a steady growth over the years. The membership as of the 6nd of the fiscal year on October 1, 1971 was 201 members. Many of the newer members may not be aware that the pUl:"pose of the club as defined by the club constitution shall ber the encouragement of the love of nature, the dissemination of knowledge of the attractions of the out-of-doors, the promotion of outdoor recreation in the form of hik~s and outings, and the sponsoring of other activities incidental to the foregoing. The club has been very fortunate in having as o'fficers during the two years covered in this revue people who have been very dedicated in following the purposes of the club. The office:r.-s in 1970 were: President - John Wiiliarns, Vice-President - Tom Hill, Secretary - Ka:te Wicker (who during the year moved to Minneapolis and was ably replaced by Ruth Drach), Treasurer - Sylvia Retherford, Pathfinder - Ed Lavagnino, and directors - Peg Franzen, Lee Ra.mborger, Gerhard Busch, and Dora Buehler. During 1971 the officers were: President - Tom Hill, Vice-President - Jack Gainey, ,Treasurer - Joyce Archer, Secretary - Vi Hill, Pathfinder - Sylvia Retherford, and directors - Joe Lehman , Odie Cassetty, Lee Ramborger, and Peg Franzen. During these two years the club had 9 overnights, 1 bus trip, 2 family picnics, 2 Christmas ( :ia.rties, 8 club socials, plus the regular Sunday scheduled hikes. Attached and starting with page 4 are listings of all of the hikes and overnights for each year, and also listings of the members , giving mileage information for each. On October 11 and 12, 1969, Shakmak State Park was the scene of the fall overnight. Most stayed in housekeeping cabins, although a few camped in the campground , Shakamak is always beautiful in the fall, and the hiking wa~ enjoyed by all. In the evening, the social activities in the log cabin recreation building was an outstanding success. Each group displayed their skill at making pumpkin faces, and the refreshments which were served ·around the huge fireplace after the evening's activities finished out a delightful day. February 21 and 22, 1970 was the date of the next overnight at McCormicks Creek State Park, where the beautiful Canyon Inn was the site of the overnight lodging. Some 75 members and guests had a very enjoyable weekend of hiking. Perhaps the highlight of the social ac­ tivities in the evening was shadow skit put on by some of our young people, The next overnight was the joint meet with the Louisville Hiking Club at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky on April 25 and 26 , 1970. About 120 people from both clubs were present for some interesting hiking amid the beautiful scenery of the Park. The Indianapolis Hiking Club was the host club this year, and it was pleasant to meet with our good friends from Louisville. George and. Marie Scobee did their usual good job Saturday evening in calling for the square dancing and getting nearly everyone to participate. Natural Bridge State Park in eastern Kentucky was the scene of our Labor Day Weekend on ~September 5, 6, and 7, 1970. Over 40 people enjoy~d the spectacular scenery of the park nhich is located in the Cumberland mountains. Page 1 THE TRAlL BLAZER (The Indianapolis Hiking Club - 1970 and 1971) Paga 2 Once again the-members of the club spent·a fall overnight at Shakamak State Park on October 10 and 11, 1970. About 60 members and guests enjoyed the gorgeous fall coloring and the perfect weather. One of the highlights was the hallowoen party Saturday evening as part of the activities. The club went to Pokagon State Park for the weekend of February 27 and 28, 1971. Although there was no snow, the lake 'iras frozen and many enjoyed skating there. Approximately 80 people were present for this outing of winter hiking and fun, and all enjoyed the stay at the lovely Potawatomi Inn on Lake James at the Par k. The Louisville Hiking Club was the host at the next overnight which was at Spring Mill State Park on April 24 and 25 , 1971. ~Tith 94 people in attendance from our club, the joint attendance was over 150 people. The hiking was good , and the Louisville Club, as usual, had a well planned soc~l evening, with George and Marie Scobee calling for the square dancing. Memorial Day weekend, May 29 , JO , and Jl, 1971, found 42 members spending three lovely days at the Gnaw Bone Camp in Brown County. This camp situated in the hills neaT Brown County State Park, has much to offer to a club such as ours in the way of outdoor entertaininent. The owners, Nr and l1rs. Fred Lorenz were superb hosts, and the ghost story in an old cabin, a~d a moonlight hay ride were two examples of the little extras they provided. There was lots of good hiking, boating on the lake, and bird watching. Our last weekend of the two ~ar period covered by this edition of the TRAIL BLAZER was on Labor Day at Pine !fountain State Park in Kentucky on September 4, 5, and 6, 1971. ·rhe Kentucky State Parks are all beautiful, different, and interesting, and Pine t-lountain was a delight to all who attended this outing. It was a delightful weekend, and on Sunday a car caravan to CUillberlar.d Gap National Historic Park nearby proved to be of interest to 'veryone - particularly the ice cold watermelon served at the noon luncheon in a picnic area nearby. Many times groups of hiking club members take vacations together. In June of 1970 a group of 11 went backpacking in the Smoky Mountains. During the third Wf>ek of August, 1970, a group of 17 took a on~ week vacation together at Isle Royal National Park in Lake Superior. During 1971 a couple of backpacking expeditions were made to the Smokies, once in June and again in October. Here is a write-up of one of the backpacking trips& •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 0 0 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • ••••••••••••••••• BACK PACKI.NG THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL IN THE SMOKEY MOUNTAINS (By Syl.via Retherford) On June 7, 1970, a group of Indianapolis Hiking Club members assembled at the Laurel Springs Motel in Cosby, Tennessee to begin the first group backpacking experience. Our party consisted of Bill and Nell Larrison, Ruth Overpeck, Tom and Vi Hill, Jack Gainey, Gerhard Busch, }~ry Francis Milam, Kenneth, Frank and Sylvia Retherford. Next morning at 6:00 A.M. we were ready to g9 by truck to Cades Cove , our trail head. It was a cold, windy ride in the back of a pick up, ~ercifully broken by breakfast in Gatlinburg. After much picture taking and adjusting of packs , we shouldered our loads and were underway toward Spence's Field on the Appalachian Trail. Noon found us lunching in the sun on the top of the ridge. By J:OO P.H. we had topped Thunderhead Mountain, been enamoured by the view, and were on our way to the trail shelter at Derrick Knob . Our packs were heavy and new to our backs, so we all agreed that those were the hardest eleven miles any of us had ever biked. r--- Dinner of unfamiliar packing food was wolfed down with enthusiasm and we heard no Jomplaint of insomnia that night, in spite of the fact we slept on the ground sheltered by our ponchos. We had found a sensitivity session, so we were sung to sleep by their wistful, plaintive songs, accompanied by a guitar. l'RE TRAIL BLAZER (The Indianapolis Hiking Club - 1970 and 1971) Page J Breakfast .of packing food and we were off on a sunny, dewy morning toward our next shelter at Silers Bald. Jack Gain~y and }1ar y Francis Milam were early starters and took a Tong turn but a f ew yards from the camp and hiked an extra ten miles for their mi stake, ._'he rest of us arrived at our shelter at noon to find the trail crew cleaning it up r eady for our occupancy. No other hikers had arrived, so it was all ours. There was a second shelter down by the spring. We hung our packs behind the bear proof steel mesh cabin front, and chose our beds from the fourteen hardware cloth bunks, unrolled our sleeping bags and flopped down for a nap before lunch. The afternoon was spent lolling in front of our shelter in the forest. Water flowed f r om the spring over the hill and firewood was for the gathering. Many groups of hikers stopped to pass the time of day with us. Two high school senior gi r l s chat ted with us for awhile and decid~d to stay the night near the shelter. Fifteen boy scouts arrived late and nestled down a few hundred feet away. The fol lowing morning four hours of hiking trought us to the 6600 foot Clingman' s DomG and an array of tourists in their sporty clothes. Backpackers ar e a scroungy looking group after three days on the trail. One froiendl y couple gave some of us a ride the seven miles to l~ewfound Gap pass, Rnd W!I were on our way to Laurel Springs Mot el via the Appa­ l achian Tr ail.