Central Indiana Wilderness Club Deam Wilderness

Charles C. Deam Wilderness

The Best Place to Backpack in Indiana

by Bruce Crook

I had two, maybe three backpacking trips under my belt when I saw a classified ad in the Indianapolis Star advertising a used Therm-a-Rest air mattress for $20. I was just getting my own backpacking gear collection together at that time. Up to that point I would borrow what I needed from my hiking buddy Harry. We had discovered the Knobstone Trail the year before and aside from Morgan Monroe State forest I didn’t know there were any other places in Indiana that allowed back country camping for the gonzo minimalists we were turning into. I made the call, and seeing as how the fellow didn’t sound like an ax murderer on the phone (I can tell these things), made arrangements to meet at a restaurant in Indy so I could see what he had for sale. At the restaurant he was just as interested in swapping hiking stories as in selling the Therm-a-Rest. He said his favorite place to go was called Charles C. Deam Wilderness. What a strange name I thought, and wondered if he was pulling my leg. He said he liked to try to find the small ponds that he saw on the USGS quad map that were located well off the trails. He said there were many of them. What a nice change of pace I thought, the Knobstone was usually pretty dry. The next week I went to the DNR office at the Statehouse in Indy and picked up a few quad maps to add to my collection including two in the Lake Monroe area; Elkinsville and Allens Creek. Clearly marked on the south side of the lake at the north east end I saw “Charles C. Deam Wilderness” with lots of blue dots indicating the small ponds that the man with the Therm-a-Rest had mentioned. I have mixed feelings about posting this write up on the internet for thousands to see and subsequently hike the Deam. I prefer not to see anyone on the trails when I’m there. One trip, day hike or overnight, and you’ll know what I mean.

The area which is now the Charles C. Deam Wilderness was first settled in 1826 by the Todd family. It was one of the last areas in Indiana to be settled because the steep hills and narrow ridge tops were hard to clear and the poorer soil made farming a marginal proposition. Though these were some of the finest family in front of cabin hardwoods in the world, the government generally sold the land for only one dollar per acre. Those who settled were usually young couples, just starting out, and the cemeteries are filled with their children who failed to survive the difficult life of those early pioneers. The settlers cleared the land, built fences, and piled up long rows of rocks from their fields. Today you can see the remnants of their work. Though now closed, most of the 57 miles of roads mapped at the turn of the century in the Wilderness area are still visible on ridge tops. The ability of the land to heal is brought home when you realize less then 50 years ago this same area had 81 small farms and every ridge top was planted in corn or hayfields. The people who settled and lived in the Wilderness area may have been a more hardy breed than those in the general population. The land was rugged, and survival was more of a challenge in those steep almost inaccessible hills.

Unlike western wilderness, the Charles C. Deam Wilderness is one that is being returned to nature. It is a testimony to our foresight as a nation that we saw the importance of setting aside such areas to evolve naturally. Within the area are six cemeteries. Some day, as the scars left on the land are healed, the gravestones of the pioneers will be the only evidence of their lives here. It's a stark reminder of how tenuous our place on the land can be. But for now, the scars add a certain novelty to the area. Old roadbeds wind down ridges to home sites visible only by the crocuses that bloom around nonexistent cabins and in rows to gates that have been gone 20 years.

Ruthie, the forest Service mule, and Rod Fahl maintain trails in the Wilderness with a sled, since Wilderness regulations forbid the use of wheeled vehicles. Mules and horses are used to pack gravel and other materials in to maintain trails in the Wilderness area. For information on how wilderness trails are maintained on the Hoosier NF, click here.

The Forest Service acquired the first land now within the wilderness boundary in 1935 as abandoned tax-delinquent farmland. The first priorities were to stabilize erosion, rehabilitate the damaged land, and control wildfires. With the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) program of the 1930's the Forest Service began reforesting the hillsides.
The Hickory Ridge Fire Tower, a lone sentinel on the edge of the Wilderness, was constructed by the CCC and used until recently in times of high fire danger. The Charles C. Deam Wilderness was designated by Congress in December 1982. It was named for the first State Forester in Indiana, who was a pioneer in the forest conservation and an author of books on the trees and flora of Indiana.

Looking northeast from Hickory Ridge Fire Tower. On a clear day you can see Lake Monroe and the City of Bloomington from the fire tower.

"I’ll leave my obituary in the books I create." Prophetic to his word, the books of Charles Clemon Deam or simply "Charlie" as he was known to his friends do indeed reveal much about the man. A druggist, forester, and botanist from Bluffton, Indiana, Charlie Deam was meticulous, opinionated, studious, disciplined, driven, and even, shall we say, eccentric. Simply put, he was a character. But that character produced a collection of some of the most thorough botanical works ever published. His most famous book is titled "Flora of Indiana" originally published in 1940, with reprintings in 1970 and 1984. Flora has served as the standard by which other state floras must be compared. Now over 60 years old it has clearly withstood the test of time and continues to be a primary source of information for any serious student of field botany. He lived from 1865 to 1953.

Hiking the trails

The wilderness covers an area of nearly 13,000 acres. All of the ridges look the same and it is easy even for an experienced backpacker to get lost. Don't go in without a good map and a compass. Most hikers enter from Tower Ridge road, a gravel road that extends through the middle of the wilderness running east to west.

	Map of Wilderness Trails - line drawing with mileage by segment (117 KB)		Information on ordering a Wilderness map (full color glossy on waterproof paper)
	on-line topographic map of wilderness trails, horse and hiking trails (166 KB)		on-line topographic map of Sycamore Loop, hiking only trail (141 KB)

This road is well marked on state road 446 about 2 miles or so south of the Lake Monroe causeway bridge. Their are three main trailheads on this road but parking is limited. Driving in from 446 the first you will see is the Blackwell horse camp. Hiking in from here the best options are the Grub Ridge loop trail or the trails that lead up to the lake; Hayes and Peninsula trails. The Blackwell horse camp offers the largest parking area of all the other trail heads along with restrooms and a nice covered shelter to prepare your gear (really nice if raining). In the valleys near the lake you will find many geodes and crinoids fossils. When the water is low especially in the fall they will be more visible. If you camp overnight near the lake (preferably in one of the designated camp sites), keep an eye on the weather. A recent CIWC trip to this area received a heavy rain during the night. The next day on the hike out the group was unable to cross some of the deep ravines which were small creeks the previous day, now 20 foot wide rivers too swift to cross. The group hiked several miles east to stay near the ridge tops and walked out to Tower Ridge Road several miles down from the Blackwell trail head. Their are many trails in this area of the wilderness that are not marked on the maps.

CIWC trip January 2004 - it was a wet one!

If you loose your way, keep following any trails that lead due south. You will eventually walk out on Tower Ridge Road. Horses keep the trails in rough shape especially after a good rain. Be careful if you run across horses out on the trails as they spook easily at brightly colored large backpacks.

Driving east from the Blackwell horse camp about 3 miles you will find the Hickory Ridge look out tower, one of the few open to anyone brave enough to climb. If you are hiking in from this parking lot I recommend climbing the tower first. The walk in onto Terrill Ridge is an easy one but you will be too tired to climb the tower stairs when you get back. You can walk the Axom Branch or Sycamore loop trails from here. Off either of these you will find unmarked trails that lead to the lake. In this area I have found evidence of several pioneer home sites. They are easiest to spot in the spring, look for the blooming flower bulb plants. Most home sites are reduced to merely foundation stones arranged in rectangle patterns in the middle of the woods. With a closer look you may find other artifacts. Several cemeteries are in this area as well, the largest being Terril. Here you will find grave stones dating back more than 100 years. An excellent camp spot is located north east of here next to a large pond (see photo).

This is also the area that a rumored UFO crash occurred several years ago. As the story goes, Jake Watson (pseudonym) stepped out of his isolated cabin to survey the night sky. He immediately noticed what he though was a small plane with its landing lights on at low altitude and descending several miles south of his location. From his vantage point the plane was beginning to dip below the tree line. He called his wife to take a look and they trained their eyes skyward. Within sixty seconds of the plane's disappearance they were startled to see a "fireball" and five seconds later heard an explosion. Jake phoned local authorities to report a possible plane crash. His report was taken quite seriously because it was well known that Jake was a retired aircraft pilot. By 9:30 PM fire fighting equipment from several local companies as well as patrol cars from the Monroe and Brown County Sheriff's offices had converged on the Hickory Ridge observation tower to study the terrain for signs of trouble. In addition to Jake's account, other people in the Forest quickly corroborated the crash scenario. Several fishermen around Lake Monroe and some campers south of the Lake also reported a fireball and explosive report. Observations at the fire tower yielded no clues. Following fire tower observations, ground search operations commenced. As the evening progressed, several college students hiking in and around the area were asking questions about the crash. These adventure seekers were apparently made curious by late-breaking radio and television broadcasts which announced the suspected crash. No evidence of a downed plane or fires could be found.

Because the wilderness extends up to Lake Monroe, boating in is an option. I usually rent a boat at the Paynetown Recreation area located just north of the causeway bridge on 446.
"The Fishin' Shed" bait store & market is an interesting place to visit here also. Several lake side designated camp sites are located on the Deam shore line. Look for the carsinite posts.

The Deam Wilderness is a great place to winter camp. If you do go during late fall or winter you should wear hunter orange colored outer gear to prevent being mistaken for a white tail deer. Most hunters are not willing to hike in all the way to the lake so be alert when you are within a half mile or so from the road.

Winter Camping in the Deam