Southern Illinois Backpacking

Jackson Falls

2010-04-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

Again from my friend, Mel, this trail report about some time he spent at Jackson Falls in mid March. We won't hold it against him that he wasn't carrying a pack and had the horse to do the walking..... :-)

Mel is a great friend to hikers in the Shawnee. He showed up unexpectedly early one morning at Trigg Tower in a steady rain to be sure our group had his phone number in case we needed help during our hike. Nice....

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While the river to river trail in the Shawnee national forest is a 200 mile challenging visually diverse experience, many spectacular sights await you slightly off the designated r to r trail. One example is Jackson falls. Whether you climb, hike, or ride it on a horse like I usually do, Jackson falls never ceases to be impressive, interesting and constantly changing. We rode the falls area and beyond on March 13 with a threatening cloudy sky. We prepared for rain but were not disappointed by the lack thereof. We visited with climbers at spleef reef and then enjoyed lunch at the waterfall itself. We stopped at a rock that is photogenic place for horses on our way to railroad rock. The trail through Jackson falls always fills me with awe and gives me a good feeling on the inside. The ride allows me to enjoy my friends and appreciate my horse. Mel

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Indian Kitchen in the Spring

2010-04-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

My friend Mel sent this photo back in early March of Indian Kitchen, which is in the Lusk Creek Wilderness a couple of miles south of the River To River Trail. Thanks, Mel.

Post Offices Along the River To River Trail

2010-04-28T17:01:00.000-07:00

I've had several inquiries lately about whether there are post offices close enough to the trail to use for resupply. Yes, there are three that are virtually on the trail and one that is about a half mile from the trail. So I hope this helps those of you planning longer hikes and want to use the postal system for resupply.

I spoke with a couple of the postmasters of these post offices and they tell me that all you have to do is mark your package for "General Delivery" and they will hold it for you. Be sure to have an ID with you when you pick it up. Also be sure to check the hours of operation ahead of time. Some are not open for an hour during the middle of the day on weekdays and Saturday hours are very limited.

From East to west:

Herod
100 Highway 34 S, Herod, IL‎
(618) 264-5172
R2R trail goes right by this post office

Eddyville
110 Main Street, Eddyville, IL
(618) 672-4711
R2R trail goes right in front of this post office

Goreville
117 South Broadway, Goreville, IL‎
(618) 995-2642‎
at the trailhead at the north border of Ferne Clyffe State Park one can see the outskirts of Goreville to the east - the post office is about a half mile from this spot

Makanda
709 Makanda Road, Makanda, IL‎
(618) 457-5348
this post office is just across the railroad tracks from the Makanda boardwalk, adjacent to the entrance to Giant City State Park - you can see it from the trail

The Carey's River To River Hike Video is In

2010-01-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

James Carey of Ohio along with his wife, brother and his brother's son hiked the western- most 40 miles of the River To River Trail in June of 2009. Here is the video of their experience. What a fortunate young man to be taken along on such an adventure. I hope you enjoy the video.

James, thanks for sharing this. I hope it inspires more people to hike the trail and share their experiences on this blog or elsewhere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeQR0u6DdRk

REI St. Louis Presentation on the River To River Trail Scheduled for February

2009-11-21T05:40:00.000-08:00

REI St. Louis has invited me again this year to give a presentation on the Southern Illinois River To River Trail. Last year about 50 people attended, showed alot of interest and had alot of great questions. I hope you can make it.

Thursday February 25th 6:30 PM at REI St.Louis

For more details click here...

Return to Clear Springs / Bald Knob Wilderness

2009-11-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

I had been wanting to get back into the Clear Springs / Bald Knob Wilderness areas again since Todd and I had so much trouble navigating there in September. I had four purposes:

1. I wanted to understand where I went wrong with my navigating

2. I wanted to get to know that part of the R2R trail better

3. I wanted to get more pictures of the awesome destruction caused by the 100 mph sideways winds that hit there early in the year - we were so focused on trying to get unlost that I took very few pictures in September

4. I wanted to make a contribution to the effort to clear the trail

Riley and I arrived near the Clear Springs Wilderness trailhead early Friday morning November 6 to find that about a mile from the trailhead the road was flooded.

I started preparing some hot breakfast and while my water was heating explored the land between the cliff face and the flood and found that there was a trail that would get me through. So after breakfast I got my pack ready to hike. I packed along an axe and two hand saws. I also took about a gallon and a half of water. I didn't know whether I would get to Hutchins Creek on this hike which is the only source of water in this area that I would count on.

Much to my surprise a little way into the woods I discovered that the trail had been cleared since Todd and I were there. The first few hundred yards took us about an hour in September. Here is how this looks today.

A little further down the trail I was able to identify the turn where I had led us astray in September. What exactly happened is a long story and much too embarrassing to share here in front of the whole world. Let's say I need to take more time when transferring GPS data into my machine and check it carefully against the trail guide before I head into the woods in the future.

About an hour into the hike we came upon this blow down and I went to work on clearing it. Riley supervised.

Before

After

This took me about two and a half hours to clear using the axe and saws. Strangely this would be the only place I would find still needing to be cleared. I guess they left it for me. My blistered hands were grateful.

We stayed overnight about a half mile west of Hutchins Creek. It's tough to find level ground for a campsite anywhere in this area and this spot wasn't especially level but it worked out. I discovered I had forgotten my headlamp so it was a very early dinner about 5:00 PM and into the bag at 6:00 PM as it was getting dark. I was tired and slept long and well.

Saturday morning, about 45 minutes down the trail we got to Hutchins Creek. This is easily the most water I have seen here in my probably five or more crossings. Hutchins Creek is the border separating the Clear Springs Wilderness to the west from the Bald Knob Wilderness to the east and is situated just about in the middle of the combined area.

The weather was awesome. The tree colors were spectacular. I was thoroughly enjoying being in the woods. I had plenty of time and wanted a good workout, so I decided to cross and just keep going East with the goal of hiking to Bald Knob Road, where there is a trailhead for those entering the Bald Knob Wilderness going westbound.

Then I would simply turn around and hike back through both Wilderness areas. This may be the very first out and back hike I have taken on the R2R. Every other time I can think of we've shuttled vehicles and hiked only one direction. Had I known I would find such a clear trail, I might have planned a different hike.

Nevertheless, this was alot of fun. And Riley was having a great time. He was full of energy this morning and would race past me periodically speeding along the trail and then go off to the side into the woods and explore until I caught up.

Here are some more shots of the destruction Riley and I passed.

It's a little hard to make out in the photo below, but the three blobs in the background are three large uprooted trees in a row on their sides.

Just as I arrived back at the place I had cleared the day before, a group of backpackers hiking east into the Clear Springs Wilderness met me. A young girl proudly informed me that there were 16 altogether in the group comprised of three families. Their ages appeared to range from seven or eight years to early teens. One young tadpole was carrying a pack almost as big as him. There were three dads, but strangely no mothers. Hmmm. What could that be about? If you are reading this and it sounds like the hike you were on this weekend, please send me your story and photos and I will post it to the blog.

I asked the lead teenager to take a picture of me proudly sporting my axe next to the work it had done. I would eventually pack the axe about seventeen miles altogether. Mission accomplished.
For more photos of this hike, click here.

Fall 2009 Trigg Tower to High Knob Hike

2009-10-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday October 8

Seven hikers from St. Louis arrived at Trigg Tower about 9 PM where I was waiting for them in a steady rain. We shuttled two vehicles to High Knob to be there when we would arrive on Sunday getting back to Trigg Tower about midnight.

Friday October 9

We departed Trigg Tower about 9 AM in a steady rain. Rain was to continue all day as we hiked east. Here we are stopping in the Tin Whistle Tunnel for a short break.

We couldn't find anyplace out of the rain for lunch so here we stood and ate while it continued to rain on us.

About 5 PM we made Circle B Ranch where we decided to stay for the night. Denny and Connie Maxon, the proprietors, were great to us, letting us stay inside their community building and run the wood stove where we dried out.

Saturday October 10

We got away from Circle B about 8 AM after enlisting one of the campers to take a group shot of us.

From Circle B Ranch we headed into the Lusk Creek Wilderness. Crossing Lusk Creek at Old Guest Farm crossing required us to remove our boots and carry them.

After visiting Salt Peter Cave briefly we took a lunch break at Secret Canyon.

We continued on to Herod and then stopped for the night on a high bluff with a nice view toward Garden of the Gods.

Sunday October 11

The sign said Garden of the Gods one way. The River to River Trail went another direction. We had little choice other than to use a round of bear, ninja, cowboy to determine which way to go. (ie. a variation on rock paper scissors - bear kills ninja, ninja kills cowboy and cowboy kills bear). Here Jeff slays Todd's bear choice with his six- shooters.

Sunday morning we spent quite a while at Garden of the Gods.

Check back for more details about this hike.

For more of my photos of this hike click here.

For some of Josh Heater's photos of this hike click here

2009-10-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

I received this message via email Tuesday, July 28, 2009. It represented the first, and to date, still the only feedback I have received from someone who has actually taken the Southern Illinois River To River Trail Pocket Guide onto the trail and used it as it was intended.

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Our group of four hiked the western 40 miles of the RTRT last week and found your guide indispensable. The trail is in very poor condition from Godwin trail head (Pine Hill) to Hutchins Creek due to storm damage. We met a trail crew in the wilderness area and their efforts to clear the area are greatly limited as they can only use hand tools. I would guess this section will not be cleared for months.

The trail entrance into the woods east of Alto Pass would have been very difficult to find without the GPS coordinates.

The short stretch from Highway 51 to Makanda would be impossible to follow without your guide as this section is almost unused and very poorly marked.

Again many thanks for the excellent guide...

James Carey

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So I wrote Mr. Carey and quizzed him some more about exactly how they used the guide and asked for any ideas on improving it.

Here was his response:

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Dear John,

I am happy to try to be of help. Of course you may feel free to quote me is you desire. Your guide was indispensable in accurately and safely following the River to River Trail.

Our party consisted of my wife and I and my brother and his son. I am 56 and a retired surgeon. My brother (43) is a Major in the infantry. We have been backpacking together since our teens. My wife and I have hiked extensively for our twenty years together. Photos included so you can know us better.

We are big believers in John Wooden’s maxim: “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”

We knew nothing of the trail except an article we had saved from a 1994 issue of Backpacking magazine.

I am not a techie but do have a Garmin e-trex Legend GPS. I had no experience with UTM coordinates but found it simple to change the settings on the unit solely using the instructions in your guide. My wife and I then entered the Waypoints on a National geographic topo map set on the PC and downloaded them to the GPS unit before leaving home. In addition, we made topo mapsets with the waypoints printed on them and carried them with the relevant pages of your guide on opposite sides of a British style plastic map case. Of course we also carried compasses as well. An interesting aside is that my brother’s primary compass had become reverse magnetized and pointed south. He kept disputing the readings of the GPS on the first day until he pulled out his backup compass and figured out the problem.

Here are some suggestions towards improving the guide:

Number the waypoints. This way they can be entered and plotted on mapsets and easily compared to your guide. We often had to count through the guide to match a point on the maps. We could have done this at home but it would be easier to have them in the guide. The East vs West format is good but the actual columns design could be clearer. You might consider splitting the second column into two placing the waypoint in between. The GPS column could be compressed by listing the two coordinates vertically instead of side by side. Then keep the mileage columns on the outer sides of the associated eastbound and westbound column. You could add the total mileage in parentheses to the point to point numbers already listed which would help quickly figuring distances between any two points. Your distances are far more accurate than those posted on the trail signs.

Add way points for all significant water crossings as this would aid campsite planning and resupply. The ones you did list were excellent.

Show waypoints on the map in your guide. Of course the map in the guide is not a substitute for a good topo but I think this would be helpful.

The ideal guide would also have sectional topo maps organized in order showing the trial, trail waypoints, towns, water, etc but this may be beyond the scope of what you intend.

The section on using the GPS could be referenced to a helpful site such as this one: http://www.maptools.com/tutorials.html

As a selling point, I would point out in your website that trails are always changing, signs disappear, weeds grow etc and that with GPS coordinates you can always find the given location.

Lastly, many thanks for your hard work which I am sure is motivated more by love than money. You saved our butts several times and I hope these few comments are helpful improving an already very useful guide.

Happy trails,

James Carey

Many thanks to Mr. Carey for this very helpful advice.

Clear Springs / Bald Knob Wilderness Hike

2009-10-20T04:16:00.000-07:00

Friday September 4

Todd and I arrived at the West trail head to the Clear Springs / Bald Knob Wilderness area thanks to shuttle driver Janette and her husband Bill. We left a vehicle just east of Panther's Den and planned to hike those roughly 45 miles by Sunday afternoon. Standing at the trailhead and looking into the woods it was already clear that the going was to be tough. The woods were thick with fallen trees from the 100 mph sideways winds of the previous Spring that I had been told had been termed an inland hurricane.

We decided to forge ahead with our plan and in we went. After only a few hundred yards we could no longer discern the trail. For the first time in my hiking career I had forgotten to bring topo maps and soon we were bushwacking very difficult and steep ravines and thick brush. I started having difficulty keeping up the pace under these conditions. Todd swapped his 17 lb. pack for my 36 lb. one for quite a while. Kudos to Todd. Up and down we went with the hope that we would at least get to Hutchins Creek before night to stock up on water. Well that was not to be. Night was coming and we had not found the creek. Todd had been more conservative with his water, so he was in pretty good shape. I was down to 10 or 20 ounces. I think we both opted for a dry dinner.

Saturday September 5

Todd and I both slept well and were soon back on the bushwack. We found Hutchins Creek after about an hour and followed it to where there were some nice pools of clear water, no doubt spring fed. This was my first hike since publishing my Southern Illinois River To River Trail Pocket Guide. I was still in the process of renaming my GPS waypoints in such a way that they could be more easily identified in relation to the page they were located on in the guide. Long story short, I was confused about how to find some of the waypoints and continued to be unsure about which way to go. It was pretty lame on my part and embarrassing to admit, but there it was.

So on we bushwacked. About noon we topped a ridge and I looked down and saw the very unfamiliar sight of a nice clear trail. An hour or so later Todd and I were being delivered to Rocky Comfort Road (again by very prompt and efficient Janette). Janette shared with us that the trail had been cleared from the east trailhead to Hutchins Creek so had we found the R2R trail where it crossed Hutchins Creek, we would have had smooth sailing from that point on.

From Rocky Comfort Road we hiked about 2 hours to Panther's Den, where we set up camp and did some exploring. Panther's Den is just a beautiful place. If you haven't been there I suggest you check it out. That evening we had a superb campfire, hot meal and great conversation.

Sunday September 6

Sometime around midnight the rain came and continued until we got up about 7 AM. There was a rock overhang with a little patch of dry ground where ever efficient and resourceful Todd had figured out a way attach the ends of his tent pieces and sleeping bag directly to the rock where it was hanging and drying. Todd is my personal hero among backpackers. :-)

This was all going on long before I even had started to take my soaking wet shelter down and had wrung out my sleeping bag. I have a 10 oz sil-nylon water-proof bivy that I had forgotten along with my topo maps. This trip was not my best showing.

Soon we were back on the trail. 40 minutes later we were at the van, made some lunch and headed for home. All things considered, I felt it was a very rewarding hike. I had gotten a great workout trudging up and down the ridges. The massive forest destruction we witnessed was truly awe- inspiring. Our difficulties had upped the ante on our need to be resourceful compared to most other hikes I've been on. We undoubtedly learned some useful lessons from that. And Panther's Den is a great place to spend time under almost any circumstances.

You are invited to contribute your knowledge to this blog

2009-10-20T03:55:00.000-07:00

I welcome trip reports, any news item about backpacking in Southern Illinois, reports on trail conditions, photos, etc.

What you know may help someone else to have a safer, more enjoyable time on the trail in southern Illinois. Thanks.

Please send to

voigtsbooks@hotmail.com

I reserve the right to edit the material.

John

Fall 2007 Thru- hike Log

2007-10-24T06:12:00.000-07:00

2007 Thru-hike Log:

Day 1 – Sunday September 23, 2007

Denny Maxon, owner of Circle B Ranch, where we stayed Saturday night, shuttled Joel and me to Elizabethtown. Here we are at the Ohio River getting ready to start hiking.

Iron Furnace

About mid-morning we arrived at the road crossing near Illinois Iron Furnace. Joel had never seen the Iron Furnace so we hiked the extra quarter mile off the main trail to see it. This is a very interesting part of local history. Informational displays describe and depict how charcoal was produced at the site for the purpose of firing the 50 foot tall furnace to produce pig iron which was then shipped to mills which turned the pig iron into steel plate. An entire village had grown up around the furnace in the mid 1800s at the peak of it’s productive years.

High Knob

We stayed our first night on the trail at the High Knob Ranch campground. We enjoyed a hot shower and some snacks from the little store. There were few campers. The one we spoke with had just broken his arm when his horse spooked going through One Horse Gap. This is a very narrow passage and his horse is large and wide. He said the horse could have gotten through, but when it got tight, he had lost his nerve and caused the broken arm.

Day 2 – Monday September 24, 2007

Garden of the Gods

We made it to Garden of the Gods by mid morning. We walked through the scenic area. I had seen it before. In fact, my very first hike on the River To River had started at the campground there. Some visitors gave me two bottles of Gatorade which I gratefully took for Joel and me as there is no longer water available at this site. Then I discovered that I had left my two towels at High Knob Ranch in the shower. I called and the Rick, the owner agreed to drive them to me, which was very generous of him. And he wouldn’t take any money for his trouble, just wished us well with our hike.

Herod

We got to Herod in the early afternoon and enjoyed the spring water that hikers are invited to take there. We sat for a while and got well hydrated and fed before leaving Herod.

Copperhead

Approaching One Horse Gap from the east the trail is mostly rocky and narrow with steep cliffs and caves on the right hand side, the uphill slope. A tree had fallen immediately next to the trail on the downhill slope exposing a tangle of roots and dark empty spaces. I happened to look down into this just as I passed by and, startled, found myself looking into the eyes of a copperhead. His head was no more than six inches from where my leg was passing by him. I kept moving steadily until I was clear and then stopped, told Riley to stop and was grateful when he decided to obey me. I let Joel know what was going on and threw him Riley’s leash so he could bring him around through the brush alongside the trail and avoid the snake. We’re a couple of guys, so naturally we had to have a good look at this danger before we could go on. Just out of harm’s way and being very still and slow in our movements, we took a goods look at him. It took Joel a few moments to separate him from the background. His camouflage was very effective against the background of tangled roots and dark cavities. He had chosen a good place from which to conduct an ambush. He was kinked and coiled, ready to strike but we were out of range and we gave him no reason to think that we meant him any harm.

John’s dash for the finish

I have a tendency to pour on the speed toward the end of many hikes when I am ready to be at the destination and know it is close. Joel was having some difficulty at this point keeping up. He shared with me later that he was hurting badly and wondering if he had gotten in over his head. Of course, within a few days, at his age, he was stronger than me and had no more trouble of this kind.

One Horse Gap

In fairness to Joel, once I got to One Horse Gap, I was pretty hammered too. It took me a long time to work up the motivation to pitch my tent and cook dinner. I remember it taking me an unusually long time to accomplish these relatively simple tasks after I started them.
I had camped a couple of times just below the gap. We decided to camp on top. I think some people call this Rocky Top unless I’ve got it confused with another rock outcropping. This is a cool place. There is a large area of relatively flat rock outcropping. There are little hollows that make a very comfortable place to lie back. And there are shelves that make a comfortable place to sit. We sat out for a long time that evening on the rock, looking at the stars and talking.

Day 3 – Tuesday September 25, 2007

Concord Cemetery

We got to Concord Cemetery late morning. We sat by the road in front of a house for a while in the shade of a tree eating some early lunch. No one answered my knock at the door and I decided to take the liberty of helping myself to some water from their outside faucet.

New trail markers had been put up indicating that the River To River Trail now followed the gravel road north rather than west into the Lusk Creek Wilderness. I had hiked the west route and we decided to stick to that rather than explore the new route. I learned later that the new route was put up by the forest service and not agreed to or recommended by the River To River Trail Society. I have since explored the new route and there is a very confusing part of it, but now I have that worked out as well. And the new route does include a very pretty section along Little Lusk Creek which I think is a great addition to the trail there.

Lusk Creek Wilderness

The River To River Trail bypasses some of the most beautiful scenery in the Shawnee National Forest as it travels through Lusk Creek Wilderness. Our goal was to hike the entire trail and time was limited so we did not take time for any side trips. I have since taken some of these and highly recommend visiting Salt Peter Cave and Secret Canyon when you can. As of this writing I still have not visited Indian Kitchen, but it is high on my list of places to explore next.

Owl’s Bluff

Joel and I stopped at Owl’s Bluff for a rest and some refueling. This is a dramatic lookout and we enjoyed it a lot. Standing near the edge of the sheer drop off looking straight out, the tops of very tall trees are about 30 feet away. The bluff is located just a few feet from the trail itself. The day was warming up quite a bit by this time and it felt good to sit in the sun.

Bowed Tree Crossing

Just past Owl’s Bluff is Bowed Tree Crossing. I am told that for many years there had been a large tree at this crossing which, in fact, was bowed over, explaining the name for the crossing. This tree finally rotted away and was not in evidence to us. The forest service has rebuilt the crossing using large cut stones to form steps where the bank before I am told had been steep, muddy, and generally difficult. We encountered more stone work between there and the Lusk Creek Wilderness trailhead all done for erosion control. I am told that the laws protecting wilderness areas do not allow for any wheeled or motorized vehicle to enter and so these very large stones had been hand-carried or carried on pack animals several miles into the wilderness.

We arrived at Circle B Ranch about 3 PM where we stayed the night and resupplied from our waiting vehicle.

Day 4 – Wednesday September 26, 2007

Flat tire on van

Just as we were getting ready to hike from Circle B I noticed the van had a flat tire. We had arranged with someone to get the van while we were gone and park it at Giant City State Park. I needed to deal with the flat tire now. Thanks to the kindness of a complete stranger whose office was next to the only garage in Eddyville (but which was unmanned that morning) I was able to plug the flat myself and use an air hose and we were able to get back on the trail.

Millstone Lake

We discussed staying at Millstone Lake for the night, but I suggested pushing on in order to stay at Dutchman Lake.on Thursday. So we pressed on and put in an 18 mile day. Our campsite was simply alongside a logging road.

Day 5 – Thursday September 27, 2007

Tunnel Hill Trail

The R2R trail crosses Tunnel Hill State Trail between the Highway 45 crossing and the I24 overpass, which is just a few miles east of Dutchman Lake. Just 100 feet or so from the crossing is a trestle bridge with a nice view of Little Cache Lake. This is well worth taking a break for. Tunnel Hill Trail is a former railroad right of way that has been converted into a trail used primarily by bicyclists.

Dutchman Lake

We camped by Dutchman Lake for the night. Joel went swimming in the evening.

Day 6 – Friday September 28, 2007

Ferne Clyffe State Park

We got a late start from Dutchman Lake, made the 7.25 mile hike to Ferne Clyffe arriving about 1PM. We made the hike up the steep road in considerable heat to the RV campground rather than stay in the primitive camping area in order to be close to the showers. I was not feeling well and went to sleep in my shelter as soon as I got it put up. Joel scored a couple of cold cans of Coke for each of us.
In the evening we started walking to Goreville, which is about 2 miles away and before we got out of the park we were offered a ride in the back of a pickup truck, which was pretty much our plan from the start. We went to Dad’s Pizza ready to put away a lot of pizza. I had been to Dad’s a couple of times previously and every time the wait was extremely long to get a pizza, but well worth it. This evening proved no exception. We had been there about a half hour and still had not gotten our order in. We kept being told that someone would be with us as soon as possible. After a little while longer an employee came out of the kitchen with a huge pizza, went to the side room and found that the family who had ordered it had given up and left. He asked if anyone wanted a free pizza. We quickly decided that that was the pizza for us. It was wonderful. We also got a ride back to the park from some fellow diners.

Day 7 – Saturday September 29, 2007

Damsels in distress

The RR trail leaving Ferne Clyffe State Park is a beautiful section. It crosses then follows along a creek (unfortunately very dry on this day) through what is known as Happy Hollow. After passing next to a large pasture one faces maybe the steepest climb of the RR trail and not a short climb either. As we began the ascent, we noticed some people on the trail ahead of us about halfway up. In a few minutes we caught up with them and discovered two women with two young girls very ill prepared for hiking this particular trail. The smaller girl was no more than three years old and was being carried. The other we learned was nine. Nine year old Madeleine was quite taken with Joel, blushing slightly at the friendly conversation he struck up with her. The women hadn’t realized how long this trail was and had no water, map or compass and all were in sneakers on a very rocky trail.

I knew from earlier scouting that ahead of us a couple of miles would be Buck Creek Parking lot and that the RR would go very close to it. When the women were able to get a cell phone call out I instructed them to have their husbands find this parking lot and we would stay with them until they were reconnected. After about an hour of rather difficult hiking they were back together with their families safe and sound. Madeline blushed some more as she said goodbye to Joel regretting the nearly twenty years difference in their ages. Joel assured me that he has that effect on most women.

Riley gets rescued

There is little doubt in my mind that if the temperatures would have stayed in the low to mid 80s and there had been more water in the creeks that Riley would have made the whole hike with us. But instead, temperatures were increasingly hot each day, creeping up into the 90s. Our canine companion was clearly in trouble. We had begun to notice his distress the previous afternoon during our hike from Dutchman Lake to Ferne Clyffe. It was on that leg of the hike he first started darting from shady spot to shady spot wherever possible and lingering as long as possible once he got to one. Eventually he started lying down in the shade to catch his breath whenever we would pause, no matter how briefly. Since there was little water for him in the creeks, we would stop periodically and give him water from our supply.
Today these same symptoms were all there and it was still morning. We had to make a decision. The worst stretch of paved road hiking with little shade was ahead of us today, about five miles of it. At Bork’s waterfall, where sadly, no water was falling due to the drought conditions, I decided that something had to be done for Riley. A couple from Paducah Kentucky who had come to see the waterfall were kind enough to drive Riley and me to our day’s destination, the property of some friends near Wayside, IL. Then we returned to Joel and completed the hike to catch up with Riley. I assured Riley that I was very proud of him and that he had nothing to be ashamed of. He had hiked over one hundred miles in six days on his short nine inch legs. But he was going to go home now. It was very sad the next morning to start hiking without him and he was very distressed as we walked away without him. Our friends got him to Troy, IL and met my wife there to retrieve him.
The overnight with our friends was a lot of fun. They grilled Italian sausage and hamburgers for us. There was a lot of talk about the River To River Trail. They have ridden the entire trail on horseback. Joel and I enjoyed sitting at their picnic table rather than on the ground. Small conveniences take on new significance on the trail.

Day 8 – Sunday September 30, 2007

Panther’s Den

Panther’s Den is a wild and beautiful place. I had hiked through it in June of 2005 and had again hiked through and camped nearby the previous April. It was Joel’s first visit and he was fascinated by it. Panther’s Den evoked for Joel a feeling of generations of native Americans considering it a sacred place and using it for their religious ceremonies. He had a strong sense of the holy in this place and a feeling of being at home. We climbed around for most of an hour and took pictures, which unfortunately did not turn out well due to the low light levels.

Giant City State Park

We arrived at Giant City State Park Lodge in the mid afternoon. After getting the key to our van from the front desk, we went to the campground, got cleaned up a bit and chose a campsite. Then we drove to Carbondale, enjoyed some real food at Lone Star Steakhouse, visited the Laundromat and bought a few supplies.

In the morning we found a shuttle just by chance after striking up a conversation with a man in the campground parking lot. I’m not sure what we would have done if we had not found Tom. I suppose we would have continued hiking and worked the phone on the way to Devil’s Backbone Campground to try to get a ride from there back to Giant City.

Day 9 – Monday October 1, 2007

Makanda

We made a stop in Makanda and had an excellent sandwich at the Makanda Country Store.

Cedar Lake Spillway

The Cedar Lake Spillway is a cool place. Like One Horse Gap, there is a large area of rock surface making for dry, clean sitting and relaxing. We both swam and it felt so good I wondered why I had not had better sense and joined Joel in swimming at Dutchman Lake. Ever the inventor, Joel spent a good hour constructing a fishing pole and tackle arrangement from items he found on the ground or that he had with him. We had brought no real fishing gear. I think the bobber was a plastic lid from some sort of can and the bait some peanut butter paste from peanut butter crackers. No fish extracted from the lake resulted from all this effort. But, I thought to myself, it keeps him occupied and out of trouble.

A slight storm blew up and we rushed to get our tents up. About the time we achieved this, it was done raining. Joel then made a fire for us, which we enjoyed a lot through the evening.

Day 10 – Tuesday October 2, 2007

Alto Pass

We arrived in Alto Pass about lunchtime and helped ourselves to the picnic pavilion in the downtown square and water from the spigot there. I treated Joel and myself to a Sprecher Root Beer from the root beer place, which tasted wonderful, though not $4 per glass wonderful, I thought to myself.

Bald Knob / Clear Springs Wilderness

When we arrived at the Bald Knob / Clear Springs Wilderness trailhead there were three backpackers resting, the first we had encountered on the entire hike. Someone in Alto Pass had mentioned that a group of backpackers had come through town that morning ahead of us. One of them had some wicked looking blisters and the fourth member of their group had hiked out to get their vehicle. Their hike was over.
Joel told them about the trail data I had been collecting in the hope of perhaps publishing a trail guide one day. They gave us their email addresses in order to get a copy when I got it done. To my surprise I recognized one of their names. It turned out to be a guy who had done some work as a consultant for our company and who I had had some direct involvement with several years before. He had since become the pastor of a church in Peoria.

We arrived at the western trailhead for the Bald Knob / Clear Springs Wilderness about 4 PM.

The last several miles had been on a high ridge with very steep sides. We would have been hard pressed to find a flat spot to camp. Mosquitoes were starting to become a problem and we had run out of insect repellent. Rain was threatening. All that remained between us and the end of the trail was 11 miles of gravel road. We debated the merits of finding a place to camp there and going on to the end and decided to finish even though we had already hiked 14 miles that day.

Devil’s Backbone Campground

Finishing those 11 miles was a grind. We were swarmed by mosquitoes with no head nets or repellent. We walked into Devil’s Backbone Campground after dark at about 8 PM.

My feet and I were badly beat up, but the pull to get home that night was strong. After a quick shower at the campground and putting on some clean clothes from our van, we started the three and a half hour drive home. I learned later after finishing the trail measuring and documenting for the trail guide I was to publish a year later that we had hiked 25.5 miles that day.

It was a great trip and I look forward to doing it again some time.

To view more photos of this hike click here