By JESSICA EILER, guest columnist

BELMONT — Nestled in the hills of Brown County, Indiana, just off of State Road 46, sits a peculiar green barn, covered in hikers’ dirty socks.

If you were to pass the barn in a vehicle, you probably wouldn’t give it a second glance. Its dark green paint is slowly chipping away, and the tin roof has seen better days. Vines of honeysuckle climb the front, nearly covering the vintage signs from a long since closed Ski World down the road. But for hikers doing the Tecumseh Trail, it has become a well known stop.

A few years ago, my husband Ryan and I, who own the property, put a stop sign on the side of the barn, not an uncommon practice in small towns. Only this stop sign had small black stickers on it that read, “Take a Rock, Leave a Sock.” Perched beneath the stop sign sat a large pile of geodes we had collected from a nearby creek.

We originally put up the sign as a joke, merely wanting to give something to the hikers who trekked past our house all year round, something to take home with them.

Much to our surprise, as geodes began to disappear, dirty socks started appearing. The hikers had taken the sign quite literally and were willing to give up a sock in exchange for a geode.

We have since embraced the idea.

There is now a hand-painted sign that reads “Hikers! Please, Help Yourself to a Free Geode!!” A “guestbook” tucked inside of a large Ziploc bag hangs from the sign informing hikers that “leaving a sock is optional,” and that they can “feel free to leave anything, or nothing at all.” Beads and ribbons hang along side the socks as offerings in place of a sock.

And of course the original stop sign sporting its slogan of “Take a Rock, Leave a Sock,” that started the tradition, is still there.

So, if you’re planning a hiking trip on the Tecumseh Trail, or if you’re just heading to Lake Monroe for the weekend, make sure you check out this spectacularly peculiar spot. And, be sure to bring a sock!

Jessica Eiler is the owner of the green barn off State Road 46 where hikers can “take a rock and leave a sock.”