This weekend you will find many people choosing to bear the noise of the cicadas and the threats of seasonal rain to relax outdoors. Camping season, which kicked off last weekend and will continue through Labor Day weekend, has people of all ages gathering gear for outdoor adventures. \nDoug Lakin, Activities Desk Manager of IU Outdoor Adventures, says he has not heard anyone say they will not go camping this summer because of the cicada invasion. A few people even told him they were excited because the cicadas would add something different this year to their outdoor experience. As for the recent downpours and tornado warnings in the Bloomington area, Lakin says, "The biggest thing the rain does is deter those who do not plan ahead. If you have your rain jacket and tarp, you will be comfortable."\nAs for foresters in surrounding state parks, they have been mowing grass, cleaning grills, setting up pit toilets and upgrading campsites to prepare for families and students who will want a piece of the wilderness experience this summer.\nMatt Brodahl, a recent graduate of IU, says he typically camps seven or eight times a year a few nights each time. According to Brodahl, he and his friends like to take guitars with them to play tunes around the campfire and drink whiskey. He spent Spring Break at a campground hiking each day to build his stamina for when he hikes portions of the 2,100 mile-long Appalachian Trail this fall. \nDan Hertel, a senior marketing major, says he and his friends like to run forest trails at night. "It's a rush because you can't exactly see what you're doing. It's not like hiking in the day."\nFor campers who like the comforts of home, sites on Lake Monroe such as the Paynetown State Recreation Area, Hardin Ridge U.S Forestry Campground and privately owned Lake Monroe Village, offer water and electric hookups with public bathhouses. On the other hand, those who like roughing it will find local state forests to their liking. The sites offer primitive camping, as well as horse camping. Primitive camping is $10 per night on Thursdays through Saturdays and on holidays. You can reserve a campsite at www.camp.in.gov.\nWherever you choose to go to camp this summer, the IU Outdoor Adventure program offers a workshop that teaches people how to "Leave No Trace" and practice low-impact camping to protect the environment. Other backpacking courses offered are Wilderness First Aid and a Map and Compass workshop. For more information call (812) 855-2231.
State parks and forests: hot summer campsites
Morgan-Monroe State Forest, located south of Martinsville, Ind. features 24,000 acres with primitive camp sites, hiking trails that range from two-thirds of a mile to 10 miles and several small fishing lakes. It is forested with some of the state's finest hardwoods. Campers must register for camping at the forest office, and swimming is not permitted in the lakes. The campground offers pit toilets, and picnic tables and grills are located on each of the sites. Located southwest of Indianapolis, Morgan-Monroe State Forest is 35 miles south from Interstate 465 via State Road 37 (5 miles south of Martinsville or 16 miles northeast of Bloomington. Follow signs 8 miles east off State Road 37.) Call (765) 342-4026.
Yellowwood State Forest, named for the yellowwood tree, offers hiking and three fishing lakes. It has primitive camping with communal water taps and pit toilets. There, you can visit Weed Patch Hill, the second-highest geographic elevation in Indiana. Its altitude is 1,058 feet above sea level. Jim Allen, the Property Manager of Yellowwood State Forest and Morgan-Monroe State Forest, says, "We don't prevent people 21 and older from drinking as long as it is kept at the camp site. At the youth camp in Morgan-Monroe, alcohol is not allowed. There is a law enforcement officer for the Department of Natural Resources who patrols the site regularly." \nYellowwood features the wheel-chair accessible Jackson Creek trail that has a packed gravel surface. It also has a wheel-chair friendly horse campsite with handicap accessible bathrooms. \nIf you go to Yellowwood, make sure to check out Gobbler's Rock. "It is a flat rock about the size of a table that is 30 feet up in a tree," Allen says. According to him, no one knows how it got there. In addition, fortune seekers can pan for gold while visiting Yellowwood and Morgan-Monroe State Forests. A free gold panning permit is required, and you can obtain a permit at the offices of each state forest. However, use of a sluice is not allowed. Archeological finds such as arrowheads and pottery should be reported. Yellowwood State Forest is located seven miles west of Nashville, Ind. on State Road 46 in Brown County State Park.\n \nLake Monroe Village Camping Resort is slightly more expensive at $25 a night for two people at a primitive camping site, but the amenities are much nicer than those at the state forests. Each site has a fire ring and a picnic table. Guests have the use of a shower house with toilets, an outdoor playground, a pool, a Jacuzzi tub and a sand volleyball court. Group tent camping is $15 per person per night, and a there is a rate of $7 per person for people who just want to spend the day at Lake Monroe. Sandy Cicchitto, manager of Lake Monroe Village, says companies use the facilities on Saturdays for their company picnics. "Up to 1300 people have come at one time," she says. "We used to do the MBA picnic for IU." Cicchitto says she can expect 300 to 400 people on a holiday weekend. Contact the resort at (812) 824-CAMP or visit www.lakemonroevillage.com.
McCormick Creek State Park is Indiana's oldest state park. Here visitors can see a beautiful limestone canyon cut by the namesake creek. There is an overlook in the park from which visitors can view McCormick's Creek Falls. It costs $4 per vehicle to enter the park, and primitive campsites are available. There is a nature center in the park that offers daily activities such as compass classes and habitat hikes. The trails range in length from 0.6 to 3 miles. At McCormick Creek State Park, there is no need to worry about big animal attacks. The bears that used to live in that area of Indiana are extinct. Marquita Manley, the naturalist at McCormick Creek, says people are more in danger of badly stored food and improper use of camping equipment. "People need to know their equipment well and check the weather before they go camping," she says. McCormick Creek State Park is located along State Road 46 in East Spencer, Ind. along the White River, 14 miles northwest of Bloomington. For directions, call (812) 829-2235.
The Hoosier National Forest offers the Charles Deam Wilderness area for people who like the extreme wilderness camping experience. There is no charge to get in, but there are no campsites with amenities people have come to expect. Mechanized vehicles and mountain bikes are prohibited, and camping within 100 yards of the Tower Ridge Road is not allowed.\n"Because it's a wilderness area, we can't use any mechanized equipment. We have to use horses to haul in gravel and hand saws to cut trees," says Frank Lewis, a forester in the Hoosier National Forest. Lewis went on to say that the Tower Ridge Road, which cuts through the Deam Wilderness, was there long before the forest was made into a national wilderness area. Ironically, he says driving pleasure is one of the highest uses of the forest because of the Tower Ridge Road. Hoosier National Forest is located in Bedford. For directions, call (812) 275-5987 or visit www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier.
Get your stock: where to get your camping equipment
J.L. Waters Company Inc., a local camping supply store, is currently selling a lot of outdoor clothing made of breathable fabrics. Zach Widman, an assistant manager, says they are selling a lot of North Face and Patagonia brand clothing. Sleeping bags and tents are also hot items. They sell larger equipment such as kayaks and canoes to campers who want to paddle in the Deam Wilderness area. The store is located at 109 N. College Ave. in Bloomington. Contact them at (812) 334-1845 or visit www.jlwaters.com.
Nyle Johnson, manager of Traildust Army Navy Surplus in Bloomington, says a lot of his customers go to Lake Monroe to camp and fish. He sells a lot of food, insect repellent, insect netting and tarps to hopeful campers. Traildust is located at 4700 W. State Rd. 45 in Bloomington. Contact (812) 825-9220 or visit http://traildustsurplus.com.
The hottest items being rented out at IU Outdoor Adventures are tents, sleeping bags and pads, lanterns and stoves. The only thing they sell are water bottles. Students can rent equipment for one night or three nights. A two person tent to use during a weekend costs $14, and sleeping bags which include pads are $8.40 for a weekend. For one night rentals, the costs are $8.40 and $5.60, respectively. Three person tents and five person tents range in price from $16.80 to $19.60 for a weekend. A two burner stove costs $7 for a weekend of use. Rates are slightly higher for non-students.\nAccording to Lakin, five percent of the rentals are for large groups such as sororities and fraternities. The rest are to groups which are typically 10 people or less. "Most people tell me they go camping for the peace and quiet," he says. Other people like the wildlife. Lakin says that when people camp, they like to tell stories about themselves and make smores around the campfire. According to Lakin, he once talked to a camper who was surprised to see an American toad, which is an animal that can blow its chin out to twice the size of its body. IU Outdoor Adventures is located in the Indiana Memorial Union on Indiana university's campus at the first floor's activities desk. Contact (812) 855-2231 or visit www.imu.indiana.edu/iuoa/index.html.
