Summary of November 23rd Trash Blast

On Saturday November 23rd, 9 people from the Shawnee National Forest Friends and the River to River Trail Society, gathered at Garden of Gods to do a trash blast, that had been postponed from late September National Public Lands day, because of the rains of Hurricane Helene.  Crews were ‘made’ of 2 or more people, and sent out to various areas, such as the main observation trail, the big parking lot, below the observation bluffs and the camping area and backpackers parking lot. We all returned about an hour and a half later, with about 120 lbs (+/-) of various types of trash. It was a “successful hunt”.  It was a cool and cloudy morning, but we did see several people out getting some exercise and taking in the views. 

Saturday November 16, 2024 Hike Summary

Well, this hike…we were “blown away”.  We had soooo many hikers, newbies and everyone, that we had to “revise” things. Sam Morales led this hike, North of the Lusk Creek area, on a perfect Saturday for hiking, sunny and mild temperatures. All in all, we had 33 hikers. We met at an old abandoned church well south of Oak road, down a dead-end lane. We ended up moving vehicles so that a vehicle pulling a horse trailer could turn around. We had planned on using vehicles to move the half mile north to the start of the hike, going East into the woods, but, with so many hikers, we abandoned that idea, and just walked up the road. I had not been in some of this area prior to this hike. We took a ’round-about’ way to Secret Canyon. The rock formations today were not huge or anything such as that…they were somewhat ‘short’, but with a few interesting crevices and crawl spaces. We were ‘on trail” pretty much all the time, since we were in the wilderness area. We got to Secret canyon, where the horse tie-up cable was, and took our lunch break.  There was a big shelter, somewhat reminiscent of, but much smaller than Sand cave. We took the group picture using that as a backdrop. We then followed the trail out, and found the waterfall, which was very slightly flowing. Many took pictures. We then headed back north on the trail, wound our way around and headed west, until we reached the road and then walked back to the vehicles. It Was a Gorgeous day to be out hiking with friends. All in all, we hiked about 4.5 miles. Our next, and last official hike for the Fall 2024 hiking season, will be at Giant City State Park, led by Bob Mulcahy, on Saturday, November 30th. 

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

Saturday, November 30, 2024 Hike Announcement

The River to River Trail Society announces its 8th public hike of the 2024 fall hiking season on Nov. 30th. Hiking: Red Cedar Trail (Jackson County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a loop hike of moderate difficulty 12 miles in length 6 hours hiking time. A shorter hike can also be done of 6 miles in length and 4 hours hiking time. Hikers who perform the shorter version will need to shuttle back to the meeting location. The leader of this hike can be reached at 708-471-7500 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at the Giant City Campground. 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 two stream crossings which may be flowing water if it has rained and the hiker’s boots/shoes may become wet. Some steep grades. Hikers who perform the 6-mile version of this hike will need to shuttle back to the meeting area. If you are using the Avenza app for tracking your hikes, map #21 of the River to River bundle can be used for tracking this hike. For a map to the meeting location click this blue link Giant City Campground Red Cedar Trail 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 Giant City Campground meeting area for your signature.

Saturday November 9, 2024 Hike Summary

Hikers this Saturday met at a “pull-off” area on Boat Dock Rd, east of IL. Rt. 127, South of Murphysboro, Illinois. It was overcast and almost a drizzle when 16 hikers, led by Cathy Jennings,  including 3 new hikers, set off, working our way on the trail in a Northerly direction. Soon, most worked up enough body heat to stop and remove a layer of clothes, or a light jacket. Much of the time, we had a cove of Cedar lake in view to our right (east).  Early, we were on trail 378, Wolf Den hollow, then later on trail 385.  Right before breaking for lunch, hikers found a “tunnel” through some broken apart rock formations to explore through, from 1 end to another. At lunch, we were close to one of the many coves of Cedar lake, then we took the group picture, with a sandstone rock wall in the background. We did find 1 dripping waterfall, and a nice, but small shelter inset. We got in just over 4 miles of hiking.  Cathy & 3 other hikers had spotted 3 vehicles at the North end of the hike, to ferry us all back to the beginning.  We all were able to stay dry.  Another good hike and day out on the trail. 

Next weeks’ hike will be in Secret Canyon, Northeast of Eddyville, Illinois. 

We only have 2 hikes left…this one next week, and the hike just after Thanksgiving. We do have a trash blast at Garden of Gods scheduled for Saturday, November 23rd.  See our official website for details. 

Until then, See ya’ll On the Trail. 

New Book on Hiking the R2R with Kids

Back in 2019, Jim Schroeder started section hiking the R2R Trail with his kids who were between 9 & 13 at the time. They finished the trail 4 years later in 2023.

He has published a new book entitled On the Trail With My Kids:  From the Ohio River to the Mighty Mississippi.  It can be purchased on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle version.  Here is the synopsis:

It was the fall of 2019, and our oldest kids and twins, Zach and Emma, were in their 8th grade year. As they were approaching high school, I realized that the window to do things with them before they entered the world of adulthood was rapidly closing. Many years prior, I had done a few overnight backpacking trips with a couple of friends on the 157-mile River to River Trail (R2R) in the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois. While brief in nature, it had whetted my appetite for the scenery and history that was part of this trail. As the leaves turned colors, signifying another season passing by, I suddenly felt the call to go back to the trail, but this time with one goal in mind: to section hike the entire R2R, with my oldest four kids and other friends and family, before Zach and Emma graduated high school. Although I had enough experience with backpacking to understand the logistics required, I had no idea how this all would work out in the midst of a very busy schedule, with eight kids at home, and a long trek for all involved. But deep down, I knew the journey would be worth the effort, and that the memories and impact would last long after we stepped off the path for good.

On the Trail With My Kids is a story of this journey, from the perspective of a husband, father, and just one man trying to find adventure in a world of constant demands and responsibilities. It is also the story of a family hoping to find fun and meaning in quiet, scenic places where others had come to live and raise their kids, and escape the stressors of everyday life. Part comedic travelogue, part historical commentary, part personal reflection on life’s uncertainties, and part backpacking guide, On the Trail With My Kids is a book for those who would like to experience the richness and rewards that a long walk and a night in the woods can have for mind, body, and soul.

Here is the link to the book on Amazon “On the Trail With My Kids: From the Ohio River to the Mighty Mississippi”.

If you want more information about Jim and his kids, see the trail story he has on our website at this link or his previous post on our home page from November 2023

Saturday, November 16, 2024 Hike Announcement

The River to River Trail Society announces its 7th public hike of the 2024 fall hiking season on Nov. 16th. Hiking: Secret Canyon (Pope County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a moderate loop hike approximately 4 miles in length, 3 hours hiking time. The leader of this hike can be reached at 618-384-1321 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at the New Liberty Blanchard Cemetery. 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 is one wide stream which will need to be crossed and hikers may need to walk rocks to cross this stream and their shoes and or boots may become wet if it has rained. If you are using Avenza for tracking you can use map #8 of the River to River map bundle which can be downloaded from the Avenza map store. For a map to the meeting location at the New Liberty Blanchard Cemetery click this blue link New Liberty Blanchard Cemetery 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 Liberty Blanchard Cemetery meeting area for your signature.

Saturday November 2, 2024 Hike Summary

Ok, so, the leader of the hike on Saturday November 2nd was “almost late” getting to the meeting spot on Rocky Comfort road, and, to Top that off, the leader ( and writer of these summaries) is late getting the summary written. 

First off, I want to say a Huge Thank You to Crab Orchard National wildlife refuge for letting the River to River Trail Society use their parking spot on Rocky Comfort road for our meeting & parking spot. Secondly, I want to Thank all of the hikers, old, new, returnees, first-timers for coming to the hike. We had 25 hikers. Holy Cow!! (as Haray Caray used to say). It was a Wonderful day for hiking, with temps almost perfect. We made introductions, then loaded into vehicles to move to the Panther Den parking area, with several other vehicles already there. We hit the trail then branched off onto Trail 371. We got to the “sliced rocks” area, and Bob Mulcahy guided some hikers to the upper/top area to yell back down to us. We moved on, crossing several dry streambeds. We saw several pairs of other hikers out for a good walk. Getting to the big shelter bluff, we took the lunch break, took the group picture, then climbed up, out and wound our way back to the parking lot. We all loaded back into the vehicles, back to the parking lot on Rocky Comfort road, and many dispersed towards home. A few, led by Bob Mulcahy, did a short “after-hike” finding a Huge fireplace out in the woods. It was a beautiful day for a good hike. Thanks to all who came.  Until next time, “See ya’ll on the Trail. 

   The hike of Sat. November 9th, led by Cathy Jennings, will be in the Cove Hollow area, on the West side of Cedar lake, meeting at the end of Boat Dock road, west of Rt. 127. 

2024 National Public Lands Day, Repeat of Cancelled Annual Garden of the Gods Trash Blast

Hi all, due to significant rain showers back on September 28th, the 2024 Garden of the Gods National Public Lands Day trash blast was cancelled. As a result, we are going to attempt it again on November 23, 2024. National Public Lands Day is held annually on the on the fourth Saturday in September and is the largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. Join us and the Friends of the Shawnee National Forest at Garden of the Gods main parking lot at on Saturday November 23, 2024 at 9:30 AM to celebrate National Public Lands Day by helping to clean up the trash in area after the fall tourist season.

Depending on the number of volunteers that register, we plan on having several groups picking up in various areas. Because this is also the first Illinois deer firearm season, areas to be cleaned will be limited accordingly and it is highly recommended everyone bring a bright orange vest. These could include below the observation trail, picking up along the observation trail and around the parking lots and a third group picking up around the campground. If you are planning on volunteering please plan on bring your own gloves, orange vest, water, trash pickup tools and snacks needed for the event. This trash blast may involve bushwhacking around the base of the observation area and in the woods below parking the parking lots.

It is requested that volunteers call or email Chris Drone (618-926-3250 or chris.drone@gmail.com) to register your participation. Please leave a message if no answer.