Nice, informative video of a fairly challenging hike, also a good training hike for more difficult pursuits. The dam for the third lake, Beanblossom Lake, was washed out in November 1993. The lake used to reach the creek bottom before the long uphill along the power line right of way. The rock/earth feature you crossed below Bryants Creek Lake is a sort of cofferdam built to contain Bryants Creek while the lake dam was being constructed in the early 1930s. The groves of pines were planted by the CCC workers in the 1930s to help restore the eroded soil caused by farming. Hard to imagine by today’s appearance, but 100 years ago the state forest was all small farms. There are several old home sites and small graveyards scattered around the woods if you know where to look.
Yes, I always carry leashes. I haven't had to use them very often but they get put to use if I ever run into people with other dogs. They also get put to use often in places like Red River Gorge, Big South Fork, and Savage Gulf where there are scary cliffs everywhere. And horses... oh boy, definitely need them whenever there are horse around. My biggest fear with the dogs on hikes in Indiana (Morgan-Monroe State Forest, Deam Wilderness, etc.) are snakes - I never worried about it too much until one day a guy on the Low Gap Trail was pointing to me about a Copperhead he had just seen next to the trail. Yikes! And not long ago Christian, the dogs, and I ran into four timber Rattlesnakes just off the trail on a Peninsula Trail hike.
They can laugh all they want Morgan Monroe hills are STEEP. As for the third lake, the damn just gave out in a rainstorm water went over an washed it out
