Saturday, November 9, 2024 Hike Announcement

The River to River Trail Society announces its 6th public hike of the 2024 fall hiking season on Nov. 9th. Hiking: Cove Hollow Cedar Lake (Jackson County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a moderate through hike approximately 5 miles in length, 3 hours hiking time. The leader of this hike can be reached at 618-759-1924 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at Cedar Lake Trail Head. This hike is intended for people in good health who have done some hiking. Hiking sticks and boots or sturdy shoes are recommended. Hikers should bring their own water and snacks. No dogs please. Hikers will need to shuttle for this hike and some vehicles will need to be shuttled to Cove Hollow Trailhead. For those who want to track this hike, the Pomona & Cobden topo maps can be downloaded from the Avenza store. For a map to the meeting location at Cedar Lake Trailhead click this blue link Cedar Lake Trailhead and a map will open up, and then click the Directions button and a driving map will be created which will allow you to plan your driving directions to the meeting area. Prior to participating in any hikes, the River to River Trail Society requests that all hikers read the 2023 Trail Society Waiver which can be found on the River to River website at the following link River to River Trail Society Information and then sign off on this waiver prior to the beginning of the hike. A copy of the waiver will be at the Cedar Lake Trailhead meeting area for your signature.

Saturday October 26, 2024 Hike Summary

It was a Beautiful day for a hike on Saturday, October 26th. 19 hikers gathered at the Little Grand Canyon trail head parking lot to be led by Cody Evans. This was Codys’ 2nd time for leading a hike and he did a Great job. Thanks Sir!!  We had 5-6 new hikers to the Trail Society, including a couple from just across the river in Cape Girardeau. The parking lot filled up with many other hikers. Fall leaf colors were on Full display with greens, yellows, reds & orange prominent. We went down the trail “counter-clockwise, heading down and into the  canyon.  We got to the bottom, crossed the dry streams, saw a cotton-mouth snake on a log, (3rd hike out of 4 this fall we have seen a snake of some sort).  Then, we started working our way up. There were so many hikers out, that we met several who had been at the parking lot and went out “clockwise”. We took the group picture at the scenic overlook, and didn’t need any tripod setup…we just asked another hiker to take the pictures. We then, “added” 2 hikers. They had taken a wrong turn, got to the parking lot about 10 minutes late, and joined up with us, so, net, we had 21 hikers in our group for the day.  We got back to the parking lot just after noon, where some left, some ate their lunch, and some went on an “afterhike”, led by Bob Mulcahy.  The regular hike covered about 3.5 miles for the day. 

One hiker did a very nice deed. David Cooper had a wire coat hanger, and helped a woman & her 2 sons, who had locked all their keys in their vehicle. He stayed, and “worked” the wire to get the job done. 

Next weeks’ hike, is in the Panther Den, led by Chris Drone. Until then, “See Ya’ll on the Trail. 

Dutchman Lake Reroute Construction Starts

On October 29, 2024, the Forest Service trail crew started construction of the River to River (R2R) Trail reroute in the Dutchman Lake area. This reroute is a continuation of the reroute that was started in February 2023 when a 1/2 mile section of the trail west of the lake was rerouted around the pine forest section. The Trail Society and Forest Service have been working on this reroute for several years now. The following image is a map of the area showing the work plan.

Work started at Dutchman Lake Road heading west. The future trail will cross Fishing Hole Lane and meander it way around the bluffs and waterfalls to slowly descend down the hill toward the dam. Most of the route follows many of the existing user made trails the area. This reroute will affect existing maps 15 & 16 in the R2R Trail bundle if your are using Avenza and chapter 10 of the Trail Guide. When complete, the reroute will add about 1.2 miles to the length of the R2R trail through the area.

The concerns that prompted this complete reroute include the following:

  • For the first 1/2 mile east of Twinz Lane on the west side of the area was reroute the pine forest because the pines started falling because they were getting too old. The problem started back in 2018/2019 when upwards of 70+ trees fell requiring a significant work days in November 2019 to clear the trail. More trees continued to fall in the following years and due to the lack of a tree canopy the trail became impassable due to overgrown weeds. In late 2022 the Forest Service agreed a reroute was necessary and that work was completed on a Society work day in February 2023. See black oval in map above.
  • For the first 3/4 mile east of fishing hole lane, the existing trail traveled through a 100′ wide clearing between pine forests on each side. In this clearing area the trail would get extremely overgrown with weeds in the summer and early fall to the point that the trail could not be followed. Also, in recent years there have been several pines that have started falling over that section of trail requiring numerous work days to clear them. See the red oval in the map above.
  • The last to problem areas are where the trail is too steep to meet FS standards. These steep sections of trail are subject to constant erosion problems which has been occurring for years. One of these areas is shown in the brown oval in the above map. The second area is where the trail goes back uphill after crossing the dam.

Trail maps 15 & 16 will be officially reissued once construction is complete and the blue “i” trail assurance markers are installed along the new route and markers removed from the existing route. Similarly, an update to the Trail Guide will be issued to include this reroute and the Cedar Lake Reroute completed during the summer of 2024.

Trail work started with the dozer working along the trail to clear the route and install drainages.

Following behind the dozer is a mini excavator that fine tunes the trail and drainages.

Saturday, November 2, 2024 Hike Announcement

The River to River Trail Society announces its 5th public hike of the 2024 fall hiking season on Nov. 2nd. Hiking: Panther Den (Johnson County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a medium loop hike approximately 3.5 miles in length, 3 hours hiking time. The leader of this hike can be reached at 618-926-3250 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at the S. Rocky Comfort Road Trailhead area. A Crab Orchard Pass is required for parking. We will shuttle for this hike. This hike is intended for people in good health who have done some hiking. Hiking sticks and boots or sturdy shoes are recommended. Hikers should bring their own water and snacks. No dogs please. There are 6 stream crossings and hikers may have to walk rocks to cross streams if it has rained. Some rock will be slick if it has rained. Hikers may also have the opportunity to hike up the bluff to view the panther’s head. Map #19 of the River to River Map Bundle can be used for tracking if using Avenza. For a map to the meeting location at the S. Rocky Comfort Road Trailhead click this blue link S. Rocky Comfort Road Trailhead and a map will open up, and then click the Directions button and a driving map will be created which will allow you to plan your driving directions to the meeting area. Prior to participating in any hikes, the River to River Trail Society requests that all hikers read the 2023 Trail Society Waiver which can be found on the River to River website at the following link River to River Trail Society Information and then sign off on this waiver prior to the beginning of the hike. A copy of the waiver will be at the S. Rocky Comfort Road Trailhead meeting area for your signature.

Saturday October 19, 2024 Hike Summary

Hikers met at the parking lot of the Michael Wolfe memorial wetlands. Melanie Kasson was our leader of 13 hikers for the day. It was sunny, bright, clear blue skies, a perfect day for a nice hike. Several went over to the pond before the hike began, as there was an eagle perched in the top of a dead tree on the west side of the pond.  We took off a few minutes after 10 am, after introductions had been made and headed North on the trail. We branched ‘left’ at the Y and headed into Tupelo swamp. Conditions are very dry. It was very easy to observe the “knees” on the cypress trees. This was the 1st hike this fall that we have not seen a snake, even though we were near a swamp, and it was the time of the year for them to be moving to their winter dwelling areas.  Bill Gilmour took the group pic near the swamp. We hiked about 3.4 miles, and ended back at the main parking area/pond observation spot, where most took the opportunity to sit, chat, look at the pond and eat lunch. 

Next weeks’ hike will be at Little Grand Canyon. 

Until then, “See ya’ll on the trail”. 

Saturday, October 26, 2024 Hike Announcement

The River to River Trail Society announces its 4th public hike of the 2024 fall hiking season on Oct. 26th. Hiking: Little Grand Canyon (Jackson County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a loop hike approximately 3 miles in length, 3 hours hiking time. This hike is rated difficult. The leader of this hike can be reached at 618-559-0686 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at the Little Grand Canyon Trailhead. This hike is intended for people in good health who have done some hiking. Hiking sticks and boots or sturdy shoes are recommended. Hikers should bring their own water and snacks. No dogs please. If it rains prior to the hike the trail may become muddy and the rock will be slick. The Gorham Topo map can be used for tracking if using Avenza. For a map to the meeting location at Little Grand Canyon Trailhead click this blue link Little Grand Canyon Trailhead and a map will open up, and then click the Directions button and a driving map will be created which will allow you to plan your driving directions to the meeting area. Prior to participating in any hikes, the River to River Trail Society requests that all hikers read the 2023 Trail Society Waiver which can be found on the River to River website at the following link River to River Trail Society Information and then sign off on this waiver prior to the beginning of the hike. A copy of the waiver will be at the Little Grand Canyon Trailhead meeting area for your signature.

Saturday October 12, 2024 Hike Summary

On Saturday October 12th, 14 hikers met at the New Simpson Hill school on a beautiful morning, full of sun and very favorable hiking temperatures. Bill Gilmour was the leader again today, and after group introductions, we loaded into vehicles and headed South on U.S. Rt. 45 for a couple of miles, before turning East to go down Taylor Ridge lane. We headed down the trail to Max Creek. Todays’ hike was kind of a ‘reverse” hike, in some ways, of hikes we have done in years past. We did have 1 new hiker from the Logan/Thompsonville, IL. area. We, early on, saw another snake today, a black rat snake, that several stopped to watch it climb a small tree. A stop was made at an overhang bluff called Cougar cave, then we continued on down to Max creek. We crossed it multiple times during the hike. It had water, but, little to no flow. We made a quick stop at a waterfall spot that we have often ate lunch at on previous hikes, but, kept moving on down the trails. We got to the vortex, and also found the picnic table that was set out last year by some hard-working Trail Society members. It was still safe & sound. We made it to Gay cave for our lunch stop and group picture. Several got up into the rock “fort” that had been constructed. We moved out, and did some bushwacking along the lower part of a bluff, then climbed up onto the bluff, and worked our way out. We hiked about 4.5 miles for the day. We also saw 2 equestrian groups during the hike. 

Next weeks’ hike will be on the Tupelo Trail North of Belknap. 

Until then, “See ya’ll On the Trail”

Saturday, October 19, 2024 Hike Announcement

The River to River Trail Society announces its 3rd public hike of the 2024 fall hiking season on Oct. 19th. Hiking: Tupelo Trail (Johnson County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a in and out hike approximately 3.5 miles in length, 2 hours hiking time. The leader of this hike can be reached at 618-791-3086 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at the Michael W. Wolff Memorial Wetlands Trailhead. This hike is intended for people in good health who have done some hiking. Hiking sticks and boots or sturdy shoes are recommended. Hikers should bring their own water and snacks. No dogs please. The snack break will take place after the completion of the hike next to the Michael Wolff Memorial. There is a vault restroom at the trailhead. If using Avenza for tracking download the Karnak Topo Map from the app store. For a map to the meeting location at Michael Wolff Memorial Wetlands Trailhead click this blue link Michael W. Wolff Memorial  and a map will open up, and then click the Directions button and a driving map will be created which will allow you to plan your driving directions to the meeting area. Prior to participating in any hikes, the River to River Trail Society requests that all hikers read the 2023 Trail Society Waiver which can be found on the River to River website at the following link River to River Trail Society Information and then sign off on this waiver prior to the beginning of the hike. A copy of the waiver will be at the Michael W. Wolff Memorial Wetlands Trailhead meeting area for your signature.

Saturday October 5, 2024 Hike Summary

For the 1st hike of the Fall 2024 hiking season, we met at the East Trigg trailhead, on Sat. Oct. 5th, 2024. Our leader for the day was Bill Gilmour. It was sunny And quite warm. We had 21 hikers, including 4-5 newbies. We “vehicle-pooled” North about a mile. and moved into the woods on the East side of the gravel road, into Jackson Hollow. We worked our way downward, into the valley, and for about 2 hours, essentially followed a bluff line on our “left”.  Several hikers crawled/climbed through passages. Some found some small windows and a group at the tail end observed a Copperhead snake about 18-20 inches long. Hikers also found several small turtles. 

  We took a lunch break at an overhang area that had a ring of stones for a campfire, then went across the valley, to the opposite side, for the afternoon portion of the hike, with the rock face again on our left. We did cross 1 small stream that was barely trickling. We hiked about 4 miles. 

Next weeks’ hike, Sat, Oct. 12th, will be led again by Bill Gimour, meeting at the parking lot at New Simpson HIll School, along Rt. 45, 10am. We will again ‘vehicle-pool’ to where we hit the trail. 

Until then, “See ya’ll on the trail. 

Saturday, October 12, 2024 Hike Announcement

The River to River Trail Society announces its 2nd public hike of the 2024 fall hiking season on Oct. 12th. Hiking: Max Creek (Johnson County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a loop hike approximately 5.5 miles in length. The leader of this hike can be reached at 270-331-1553 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at New Simpson Hill School. This hike is intended for people in good health who have done some hiking. Hiking sticks and boots or sturdy shoes are recommended. Hikers should bring their own water and snacks. No dogs please. For a map to the meeting location at New Simpson Hill School click this blue link New Simpson Hill School  and a map will open up, and then click the Directions button and a driving map will be created which will allow you to plan your driving directions to the meeting area. Prior to participating in any hikes, the River to River Trail Society requests that all hikers read the 2023 Trail Society Waiver which can be found on the River to River website at the following link River to River Trail Society Information and then sign off on this waiver prior to the beginning of the hike. A copy of the waiver will be at the New Simpson Hill School meeting area for your signature.