A Walk In The Woods- Raccoon Lake- Indiana

A couple of weeks ago we went camping as a family and had a really nice time. Raccoon Lake in Indiana has a wonderful family campground and plenty of activities to keep one busy. Since I am not a fan of water, I enjoyed some nice hikes while my husband was on the boat.

This was some of the scenery that was close to our campsite and while walking the first day, we came across a doe with two babies and she allowed us to get very close to her, but I can't locate those photos at the moment. 

The paths were nice most of the trail. On day two, we did walk a trail that had a little more rugged terrain and found that the path was fairly narrow in spots. 

These benches were found along the trail and made a nice spot to rest for a bit. It had been awhile since this old  lady had been hiking.  I also found the large vines from the trees to be quite photogenic. Natural beauty at its finest!

The grand doll found these to be a great seat as well. Isn't she the cutest? She was a real trooper as well. The trail was about a mile and she walked it all. 

She was amazed at how big the trees were! The knowledge that was learned on this trail could never be replaced by a classroom and text book. 

Several spots along the trail were near the water and gave us a different view of the lake . This was near the marina where the trail began. 

I thought about my grand dolls legs when I saw this tree. If any of you have followed our journey with Blount's Disease, you might remember this is how her left leg look below the knee.  If you haven't read of our journey, you can here.

Her legs are much straighter now and she is growing so big. She really enjoyed these vines. 

Mommy helped her swing on these! It was a nice break from walking she said. Kids are so cute!!

Along the trail and my reason for hiking this trail, was a small cemetery. Now, I have a fondness of cemeteries and especially ones like this. I find peace while walking through them looking at tombstones. Seems odd to many, but it is part of who I am. 

I have not investigated to see if these were original owners of this land or not. I found this to be such a nice monument for the age of it and where it is located. 

David Payne

Only one large tombstone and it looked as though another one had been destroyed possibly by a falling tree.  Still a pleasant spot to stop and enjoy the beauty around us. 

I am sure lightening had struck this tree at some time. You can almost see the exact path of the strike. This was not near the cemetery, but shows the damage that trees can get during a storm. 

From the top of the hill, we were fully aware that the steps leading down were taking us to this wooden bridge. I thought it made a very nice photo. 

Of course, the grand doll had to sit for a bit. She loved the bridge, but was disappointed that there was no water under it. I explained that because we have not had much rain lately, the ground was dry.

This was not blocking the trail, but I also just thought this showcased more of nature. How perfectly straight across is this log?

Another spot along the lake and closer to the end of our trail.

Fungus growing on a log. We were interested in all the aspects of nature you can see while hiking and we guessed as whether these were edible or not.

If you ever have a chance to visit Raccoon Lake in Indiana, I highly recommend it! The weather was perfect for our hikes and for camping. October will bring fall colors to the trees and I would love to go back and enjoy some of those colors.