Yellowwood State Forest Scarce 'O Fat rugged trail features steep hills and ravines

I ventured over to Brown County this past week to enjoy a wonderful break from the heat.

Yellowwood State Forest was created in 1940 when federal land was leased to the state of Indiana. The land was deeded to the state in 1956.

I have often wondered how some trails got their name. The Scarce ‘O Fat Trail, located in Yellowwood State Forest, is one of those. The very word “scarce” impliesthat something is lacking or insufficient.

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After reading through some of the local folklore of the area, I found the trail got its name from the pioneers who settled there.The early settlers in the area found the land so poor for farming due to the rocky and hilly terrain, that they named a ridge, Scarce O Fat.

The trail is a loop trail and is considered to be rugged in most of the descriptions I have read. It's at least 4.5 miles long, (though it seemed longer when I hiked it).The trailhead sign states it's 4 miles long. According to the map I acquired it’s 4.7 miles in length.In any case, plan for a good workout if you decide to try this one.

It was a beautiful sunny summer day when I hiked there this past week.I could hear birds singing and green leaves of trees in overhead made a wonderful canopy of shade.

Scarce 'O Fat Trail sign lets hikers know it's a 4-mile loop.

The trail started near the Yellowwood Lake dam.There are three trailheads in this area but each is marked clearly with signs.

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The trail was quite narrow at first and just a few minutes along the path, I found myself ascending a very steep hill. Some might say calling it a hill is an understatement.

Well, I have a spoiler alert for you. The elevation at the top of this particular hill is 1,000 feet.It is a Brown County hill after all.

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The best part was, once I got to the top, I followed a scenic ridge for awhile.The forest around me had come to life with wildflowers and various forms and colors of fungi scattered throughout the wooded hillsides and ravines.

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Occasionally I passed what looked like remnants of old homesites, mostly old field-stones that were toppled over in small piles in the woods.The trail was well marked with signs and blazes on the trees.

I came to an old dirt road that was part of the trail and followed it until I came to the next sign that pointed me to a dirt path that led back into the woods.

At last I found myself descending into a big ravine with a small winding creek full of rocks and a few geodes.The trail crossed this small creek several times as it meandered back and forth throughout the creek bottoms.

The last ascension up another not-as-steep hill began and I found myself on top of what is called High King hill. There, along a high ridge, was a fantastic view of Yellowwood Lake.This would be a good place for a rest stop if you’re so inclined.

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From there, the trail descended back into the small parking lot near the dam and I found myself back at the beginning of the trailhead.

It had been a good day on the trail.Scarce 'O Fat Trail is worth a visit.

To get to this place: From Bloomington, go east toward Nashville on Ind. 46 for 11.2 miles; turn left on Yellowwood Road. The road is marked with a sign for Yellowwood State Forest from either direction. Follow Yellowwood Road and bear left at the T. Continue to follow this road until it intersects with the park office road. Bear to the left. Follow until you come to the gravel lane on the right. There you can park in the area at the base of Yellowwood Lake dam.

A quote for your week:“The compact between writing and walking is almost as old as literature — a walk is only a step away from a story, and every path tells.” Robert Macfarlane,“The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot."Until the next trail, Susan.

This article originally appeared on Evening World: Yellowwood State Forest Scarce 'O Fat Trail Brown County hills ravines