Two Lake Loop Update

Good Afternoon!
     I ran the Two Lake Loop in Hoosier National Park again today.  This time I ran it counter-clockwise. My time was only 5 minutes faster.  I don't think there's really any difference.  Last time I wasted time looking for the trail that washed out but didn't encounter any people. Today I stopped to look at a baby turtle that a hiker and his son found on the trail and wanted to share and talked for a few minutes with a couple who had been camping and their dogs were checking me out to be sure that I wasn't good game to chase.  Oh, I also took some time to stop and remove 6 ticks from my legs after crossing one of the dams.
     They have mowed the dams.  I don't think it really helped. Since they obviously used a bush-hog the grass was still 4-6" tall and difficult to traverse. I also slipped on the clippings. You don't generally think of cut and dried grass as being slippery.
     The water in the lakes was down. The trails were dry but still moist. Really good for running.  All of my lovely little streams were gone. Evidently the storms the night before I ran this trail and reported dropped a lot more water than I thought.  The 8 streams that I mentioned that were wide, deep and swift enough to require some skill to ford are down to 4 streams that are shallow (deepest ankle deep) and can be crossed without getting your feet wet if you really care to work that hard.
     The camp sites are great and only $17.50 for rustic and $22 with electricity.  Showers are available. I'm going to make a reservation soon and spend the night there sleeping in the back of my Sienna. That way I don't have to get up at the butt-crack of dawn to make an hour drive for a 7am (6am my time) gun.  Also I can go back and take a shower before driving home. The ranger at the gate this morning again said that she thinks very few of the runners stay overnight in the park.  I think they're nuts.
     Be prepared for southern Indiana heat. Our first day over 90 was almost two months ago. Today it was 83 under the trees in the park!!!   That's hot for a run no matter where.  It was hot enough that I stopped and anchored my bandanna  under my hat so that it would cover the back of my neck when I went across the dams. The trail under the canopy of the deciduous trees was noticeably cooler than when under the pines. Of course the pines are pretty scraggly and, as I reported before, many areas look like they've suffered a tornado touch down. That actually could be very likely around here - i.e. tornadoes bouncing off mountain tops.  In any case be sure to hydrate well and bring some salt. Do whatever you do to protect yourself from extreme heat.
     Hope to see you here on June 9th.!
Good running!!!
Russ