I realized the other day that is has been quite a while since I’ve had a real adventure. I remembered that stupid idea three hours later while trying to catch my breath after the most recent escapade.

Our exploration of the week was a series of little-known nature preserves along the Wabash River near the Tippecanoe and Warren County border. The properties are owned by “Northern Indiana Citizens Helping Ecosystems Survive,” otherwise known as NICHES. According to the website http://www.nicheslandtrust.org, NICHES is a nonprofit organization based in West Lafayette and formed in 1995 to work with cooperative landowners in purchasing undeveloped property outright or to administer gifts such as land donations or conservation easements.

Caves in Black Rock

The first stop of the day was Black Rock Barrens and adjacent Weiler-Leopold Nature Preserves, two properties that cover nearly 300 acres of habitat ranging from rare siltstone glade communities to tallgrass prairie. Under a cloudless china-blue sky, I pulled into the small gravel parking lot off Black Rock road in eastern Warren County.

Saddling up with daypack, hiking stick and camera, I headed into the woodlands of Black Rock Barrens. A short loop trail meanders from the parking lot, through the wooded uplands and down to the Wabash River bottomlands along an old field.

The steep ravines of the area reveal the underlying bedrock and the preserve is noted for its spring wildflowers. Unfortunately, the weather has been so cold of late that even the damp south-facing slopes were still devoid of any vegetation, save a few green sprouts of indeterminate origin.

The Weiler-Leopold preserve next door is encompasses some of the woodlands and rock but also features many acres of restored prairie. A notable feature of the prairie today is the fact that it doesn’t exist, at least until spring rolls further along, because the grassland has recently been burned to keep it healthy. While fire is vital part of maintaining a prairie ecosystem, the vast blacked acreage smells like burned dinner and isn’t wholly attractive at the moment. In a month, the area will be bursting with new growth.

Unknown riverside structure at Blackrock Barrens

Having hiked, committed a series of contemplations and briefly watched a great horned owl, I headed back down the road two miles to the Wabash Bottoms area. This 70-acre property is essentially flood-prone river bottom that makes wonderful wildlife habitat but offers little enticement for hiking aside from solitude. I wandered the area for a while and had lunch on the banks of the river. A pair of wood ducks flew off as I sat down. I had disturbed their courtship and loud indignant squeals echoed in the windless silence.

One noteworthy feature of the property is an active eagle nest across the river, the first one in Tippecanoe County since the late 1800’s. While there is a dirt pull-off that goes to the river’s edge, observers should remain on the road to avoid upsetting the nesting birds. Don’t plan on being alone if visiting the area during weekends between now and early May. A strong pair of binoculars or a spotting scope is also recommended.

Granville Sand Barrens

My last stop was at the Granville Sand Barrens, southwest of the Granville Bridge over the Wabash. This 40-acre tract encompasses what is considered the finest example of a sand barren in Indiana. Right now, the area simply looks like an unkempt prairie with exceptionally sandy soil but once the plant life opens for business, several interesting and rare species of flowers make it worth visiting. Note that the two black dogs who live across from the parking lot are exceptionally friendly and will undoubtedly join you for the hike.

With the brevity necessary for short column, the previous words pretty much sums up my day. There was another little adventure but it hardly seems worth mentioning. Actually, the specifics won’t be mentioned because I’m sure that trespassing likely occurred at some point after I got slightly turned around while hiking near one of the nature preserves.

Black Rock

The problem arose because of a simple navigation error. I wrongly assumed that the nearby ridge top road would be an easier and much shorter route back to the van than the difficult cross-country bushwhack I has just completed along the river.

After climbing a cliff that nearly made my heart burst on several occasions, I indeed found the road. Walking along in the sunshine, I quickly became overheated but continued in the belief that a tree line a mere half mile ahead was the location of my car.

It wasn’t. However, on the bright side, I made very good time over what turned out to be a three-mile road course. It is amazing that a pack of snarling farm dogs can do for your overall time in the three-mile dash, even while wearing a backpack.

Hopefully, sometime tomorrow I will stop panting.

Map of Black Rock Barrens:

Black Rock Barrens

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