The Lonely Tree Trail

 

About 15 years ago, on a hike with my kids, we noticed a single tree on the vast grassland of the inner dunes. We named that tree "The Lonely Tree" because it looked so lonely in the middle of all the rolling hills. Over the next few weeks, we would visit the same trail and call attention to the lonely tree. Finally, we decided to try to get as close to the tree as possible, and looked for trails that headed in the general direction. After a bit, we made our way to a narrow, sandy trail about 100 feet behind the tree. This was about a mile walk from our original trail.

As soon as we arrived, my youngest son ran to the tree and gave it a long hug - he finally was able to greet the tree properly and make it feel a bit less lonely.

 

On the hike back to the main trail, the boys noticed another tree in middle of nowhere, this time it was an oak tree. This rather large oak had low branches, making it easy for them to climb up to get a great view of the surrounding dunes and woods. They could even see Lake Michigan from their high perch. This tree became known to us as the ladder tree, because the branches acted like a ladder. 

As seen in the photo above, at 20 years old, and 6'-4", Dan still loves to climb the ladder tree.

Hiking through this area today, some 15 years later, I'm still reminded of these natural landmarks on the trail, and I can still hear the kids shouting out in excitement as they came into view. It's great to remember these details, even if only to see how they've changed in the last decade.

The Edge of the Dunes

 

Getting to the top of the dune, we discovered and expansive area of mostly flat, grassy areas, but as we headed toward the lake, we found the sand dropped off rather abruptly. This abrupt drop lead to the ruins of a home, barely recognizable, and scattered down the eroding dune. Pipes, bricks, wood, and all sorts of electrical parts lead down to the beach below. I wonder who lived here, and even more importantly, why would they ever leave?! 

The erosion of this dune began well after the house was razed, I recall walking the trails between the lake and this house. They're now all gone, washed away by Lake Michigan.

   

I suppose it would take quite a bit of work to remove all of the remnants of the houses from the dunes, although it wouldn't be impossible. The old roads and driveways still exist, they've recently been turned into a trail system leading to privative campsites near Central Beach. 

 It's fantastic that the park opened this space up once again; I can recall walking here when a few houses still existed, and some had people living in them. Again, I question why anyone would leave this area unless they were forced to do so.

Building a New Foredune

 

A spring walk on the beach revealed the building of a new foredune on the shore of Lake Michigan. Only time will tell if this dune will grow or be spread out inland by the winds that built it. 

The Marram grass that grows just inland from the open beach has taken hold, and it keeps the sand that blows across it in place where it piles up. Over time, the sand will pile up and form a small dune. If the grass can grow through the sand, it will continue to keep the sand in place until it reaches 20, 50, or 100 feet in height. This all depends on how much sand is brought to the beach by the waves. 

The Indiana Dunes National Park has many areas of beach that are starving - meaning more sand blows inland than is replenished by the waves. This is one of the reasons the dunes are eroding at such an alarming rate (it's not from people walking on the sand).

   

 While waling through the paths of the dunes, there are so many patterns that can be found in the sand; footprints of humans, animals, birds, insects, are all common to see. Other items create patterns as well, in this case, a single blade of grass has bent over and touched the sand. As the wind blows, the tip drags and makes a mark in the sand. Because the grass is rooted in the sand, it does not change length and becomes the radius of the circle in the sand.

High Above the Lake

 

 

Taking advantage of March temperatures near 70 degrees, we decided to hike to a few places we haven't seen in a while, and one that was difficult to locate the last time we made the effort. Taking a little known trail, we were transported back in time to a place we used to visit frequently. 

This area was much easier to access years ago when the roads were still in use, and trails at the foredune were still in place. Years of no maintenance on the roads (intentionally left alone by the park), and years of erosion by the waves of Lake Michigan, have all but eliminated the access to this area from the beach. It is, however, still accessible from the roads, but you can hardly tell where the roads once were with all of the overgrowth. 

 It is good to see the National Park is marking these trails for once - maybe the entry fee is really going toward expansion and upgrades. I mean, what was once an asphalt road with houses along it, really can't be ruined by visitors walking across it, they may as well mark it and allow hiking again.

  When we would visit this area almost every weekend, the kids would love to climb on a particular tree to get a better view of the area. Careful not to walk on any of the Marram Grass or other plants, we'd make our way to the tree for a photo. Below are two of those photos, the first is from 2012, taken from a slightly different angle. The second is from 2010, taken from approximately the same angle as yesterday's photo. Things have really changed in the area. The park service has removed quite a bit of the invasive plants that were growing there. While it's best for the environment, I'm a bit disappointed at how bare things look today.

  

  

 

 

Morning Swans

Just as the sun came up this morning, two swans made their way past my position. Their white feathers reflected every bit of the early morning rays, while the relatively still water absorbed the light, making the water look like an oil painting, smeared, smudged, and dark. 

The master painters of the past highlighted the subject of their paintings with wonderful light, and kept the backgrounds dark and mysterious. Nature did this for me today, making this photograph look a lot like a Renaissance painting.

Climbing Shadows

 

 

The living dune of Mt. Baldy is slowly taking over the parking lot, and swallowing up anything in its path. The trees seen here are actually buried, their trunks begin at the level of the flat ground at the right of the image. A good portion of the parking area is now buried, and there's no end in sight. This is a natural process, as the "bald" dune (a dune with no grass or plants to keep it from eroding) seems to move inland because the wind blows the sand from the lakeside over the top and it falls on the opposite side. This makes the dune "walk" inland, burying everything in the way. 

The image below shows the leeward side of the dune today. Some of the trees that once stood here are completely buried, others died and broke off in the wind. The pine tree seen toward the left was once a small shrub in front of tall deciduous trees. This pine has grown significantly, but the trees are missing. 

Look below at the last photograph, it's a composite image I created over the years of the exact same area of this dune. You can see how the sand has moved to cover the trees. When Mt. Baldy was closed a few years back, I was unable to get photos, and when I returned, the trees were gone.

   

 Composite of Mt. Baldy over the years. Compare it to the image above to see the changes.