Editor's Note Winter 2026

Bear traps are formed by putting three or four longish sticks together in the middle of a wooded path. Because bears are sure to be found and trapped that way.

That was the story I played with my little boy as we hiked the paths of Saint Patrick’s County Park. In the early years of raising our son, our first mortgage and jobs that just covered the bills, we often looked for entertainment that was free or inexpensive. Saint Patrick's Park filled many an afternoon with adventure.

We said our vows beside the babbling creek under the old gazebo as family and guests witnessed from blankets on the grassy hill.

Soon enough, there were two boys walking in the woods building bear traps. I often asked my boys to go on an adventure with me, which meant venturing into nature.

Photographers talk about light in the golden hour. Time in the woods with my sons was a golden hour. Long conversations or quiet walks were each special in their own way.

Our world is imbued with the memories of love. Those memories are held in objects and places that fill our lives.

Saint Patrick’s Park continued to enrich our lives. For many years, my extended family would gather at the Manion cabin in October for weekends of apple picking. Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, and the pack of little cousins would gather beneath the golden leaves of fall. We warmed around a blazing fire, sang, laughed, and made fancy brie sandwiches in pie irons. Leaves of yellow and red framed the joy of pumpkin carving contests and scarecrow designs.

Grandpa led the little cousins on long adventures in the woods. We cooked together, we played, and on Saturday nights we held dance parties.

One year, I discovered the bald eagles at Saint Patrick's. I spent long afternoons waiting at the pavilion with lunch and a bottle of cider, waiting for the opportunity to photograph the eagles. Sometimes I got lucky; most times, it was an afternoon spent quietly thinking.

We never caught any bears in our traps. When I need a good walk, a short drive from home, I adventure out to Saint Patrick’s Park, where much of the love that formed my life is held in the roots, river, and sky.

What are your stories of Michiana? We invite you to share how Michiana has shaped your memories and your life by sending us your story.

To submit your story, email us at panoplymichiana.com.

Photo of Hannah Hammond-Hagen and Dan Breen at the Chesterton Art Center.