Collocations: Outdoors in Indiana 1: Chain O'Lakes

There is no shortage of fun things to do in northern Indiana. No, that’s not a typo, and I’m not being sarcastic. Even if you’re not yet twenty-one, and the mystery and thrill of The Inn’s free fry nights remains absent from your social calendar, you can still pack some fun into your Manchester College experience… although you may also have to pack a tent, a sleeping bag, and plenty of bug-spray along next to the fun.

In order to prove the truth of my opening statement, every week I will be featuring a different park, campground, or wilderness area that provides public access to outdoor recreation within a two-hour drive from North Manchester.

For my first weekend outing, I decided to go to Chain O’Lakes State Park in Albion. Chain O’Lakes is just off of S. R. 9, about 4 miles north of Highway 33. The park as a whole is over 2,700 acres and includes an interconnecting chain of eight lakes. Also on the property are trails for hiking (and cross-country skiing in the winter), picnic areas, a beach (only open for swimming from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend), and a campground offering cabins as well as electric, non-electric, and primitive sites.

It was rather gray and drizzly on Saturday, September 8th when I loaded my car with my camping gear and headed towards Chain O’Lakes. I refused to be swayed from my course, however, and remained quite confident about my campground survival skills as I drove to the park and reserved a primitive site. All was going well; I got my tent set up and furnished it beautifully with my pillows, sleeping bag, an electric lantern to use at night, and a few textbooks from my more interesting courses.

It got a bit more complicated when it grew closer to dinner time and I had to get a fire going. It had been raining lightly through the day, and although this seemed to have little effect on dissuading the local mosquitoes, it did an efficient job of getting the firepit and all available kindling rather damp. However, I was inspired by the persistence of the mosquitoes, and I refused to be outdone by a swarm of bloodsucking insects. I got a nice fire going, and had some potatoes and barbeque cooking while I kicked back, relaxed, and got to know the people who had rented a nearby site.

One of the things I like about camping is the interesting mix of people that I meet out in the woods. People usually don’t end up in the primitive campsite area by accident; it takes at least some planning and motivation to get there in the first place. No matter what differences that there may be in their day-to-day lives, they all have a few important things in common—they are all where they want to be because they want to be there, and they do not require high-tech technology or expensive, elaborate outings in order to be entertained. These people tend to be quite entertaining when left to their own devices. Even if you don’t like rain and bugs and sleeping on the ground, camping can still have a lot to offer if you’re willing to talk to the folks you meet.

After an invigorating conversation and a (thankfully) dry night of sleep, I decided to do some hiking and canoeing before heading back to campus. I’ve been canoeing on these lakes dozens of times, and have never grow tired of the moment in which, after having traversed through a narrow, shadowy waterway, the trees separate and reveal the next lake, open and shining before me. At five dollars an hour for the canoe rental, the experience can’t be beat.

The trails were a bit too filled with mosquitoes for me to do the length of hike that I had planned on, and so I stuck to a short one-mile walk around Sand Lake. However, there are trails that go by (and, in some cases, around) each of the eight lakes, with distances between 0.5 and 2.5 miles.

Whether or not camping is something you find enjoyable, Chain O’Lakes definitely has something to offer to you if you are looking for a fun weekend activity. Canoeing, paddle boating, picnicking, hiking, and cross-country skiing sure beat staring at the wall of your dorm room and wishing you had something to do… The world’s right outside your door. Let’s go!