NOTE: This is a new column, published on 6-26-10

HAZELRIGG, Ind- It’s funny: no matter how many times I bike on a rail-trail, there is always that evil little voice that says, “Go ahead, you should go a little farther before turning back.”

I know better than to listen to the voice but like anyone affected by a terminal case of wanderlust, I go blithely forward.  And in the end, I find myself hoping that the buzzards circling overhead will at least wait until I’m unconscious before attempting to eat my eyeballs.

The location of our latest misadventure was the newly-opened section of the Farm Heritage Trail (FHT) that runs from Lebanon to Thorntown.  We felt that the beautiful late June afternoon was perfect for exploring this newest rail-trail in our state.  It would have been, if I had only heeded that little voice.

The problem lay in the fact that my bicycling workouts have been few and far between this summer.  Between untested quadriceps, a serious case of bike-seat-butt and a deceptively hot day, our little jaunt to check out the FHT ended up as a very reasonable facsimile of the famous Bataan Death March, only less humorous.

For those unaware, the FHT is work in progress that will eventually provide a foot and bicycle path from the northern suburbs of Indianapolis to Lafayette.   Once completed,the path will extend 60 miles and include already-completed segments of the Kewasakee Trail in Thorntown and the Zionsville Rail-Trail.

This latest segment is open largely due to the efforts of Friends of Boone County Trails, a local group that has gotten past the talking stage of good intentions and actually done work on the ground.

Currently, the newest segment to open business leaves the west side of Lebanon at Sam Ralston Road and flies in a nearly straight line to Thorntown with a minor jog near the halfway point at the small burg of Hazelrigg.   We chose the section from Hazelrigg to Thorntown for our initial exploratory trip.

The path had recently been surfaced with finely ground limestone and tiny cinders.  The path has been graded smooth, compacted and offers a relatively easy ride for fat-tired bicycles.  We say ‘relatively’ because there are stretches where a mountain-bike tire seems to sink imperceptibly but enough to create friction, making the ride a bit more laborious as if riding uphill.

Regardless, the ride is slightly challenging but not ridiculous.

Ridiculous is exactly what we attempted.  Starting out at noon from Hazelrigg, we were delighted with the plethora of wildflowers, the abundance of small wildlife and the bucolic countryside scenery along the way.  Though the sun glared down from a cloudless china-blue sky, the humidity didn’t seem outrageous and the ample trees offered a shady respite if needed.

As we pedaled northward, the abundance of flora and fauna long the trail was magnificent.  Butterflies were in profusion, wildflowers likewise bloomed in abundance and what seemed like an endless variety of other plant life crowded along the trail.   A few small woodlots along the former tracks offered a glimpse into deeper woods as squirrels scurried to hide and red, yellow and blue birds punctuated the sky overhead.

When a window opened in the greenery, the rural countryside stretched out in endless view.  Large, well-kept farms rose above cornfield oceans, shimmering in the heat like a distant oasis.  The only sounds were the wind, the songbirds and the occasional barking of a far-off farm dog announcing our passing.

The ride to Thorntown produced a bit of sweat but the thrill of discovery pushed all thoughts of discomfort aside.  Upon reaching the paved Kewasakee Trail, we pushed north to Sugar Creek in spite of our diminishing water supply and protesting legs.

The trail stops at Sugar Creek but many people continue northward on the old right-of-way.   The change is dramatic.  The pavement ends on the north side of the bridge and well-groomed trail becomes a gravel and mud single-track affair that is essentially a narrow tunnel bored through a vegetable morass the density of boiler plate.

After going north for another mile in this vegetable corridor, I stopped to consider turning around for the day.  That’s when I noticed that it had grown jungle-hot…and my water was nearly gone…and whenever I stopped, swarms of deerflies descended like the demons from Hell.  Oh yes, and everything south of my waist was quivering with exhaustion and on the verge of committing rebellion.

That’s the moment when the ride turned from a lark to survival.

Actually, there was never any real fear that I would expire on the trail but for a while, death did seem the preferable option.

I tried to take my mind off the sweat sleeting into my eyes like battery acid and the sun that rasped my back like sandpaper but to no avail.  Even the appearance of a locally-uncommon Baltimore oriole flitting among the trees couldn’t take my mind off the misery.  The fact that I could also see miles down the arrow-straight trail to my destination didn’t help.

Only a few years later, I did finally arrive back at my car in nearly one piece. As I stumbled over my dragging tongue, I put my bike into the back of my SUV and felt the first delicious wisps of air conditioning as I started the car.  I love air conditioning

The trail had indeed provided a wonderful escape.  Even if other segments aren’t finished, this 10-mile ride through the agricultural countryside of Boone County will undoubtedly prove a boon to active tourism and prove a huge asset to local residents.   We give the Farm Heritage Trail a hearty “thumb’s up!”

And, as soon as the weather cools off, we’ll be back.  I imagine mid-December is nice.

Links:

Farm Heritage Trail

Friends of Boone County Trails

Newest section of the FHT:
FHT Map