Hello All!!

The 2022 River To River Trail Society Annual meeting will be here soon. It is scheduled for Saturday, June 4th, 10 am, at the Vienna, IL. City Park, which coincides with National Trails Day The park is adjacent to the Tunnel Hill Trailhead along IL Route 146 midway between I24 (exit 16) and the US Route 45 intersection downtown. We have reserved the Rams Landing shelter which is located in the back of the park. (See photo below)  Considering the current Covid19 environment and the outdoor location, the Trail Society Board voted to go back to our historical practice. As a result, the Society will be providing grilled brats and hotdogs, buns, table service and bottled water. The rest of the picnic will be a potluck and everyone is asked to bring their favorite dish to pass such as a fruit, vegetable, side dish and/or dessert.  If you want something to drink besides water you will have to bring your own. Only picnic tables are included with the shelter so if you want something more comfortable it is suggested you bring your own lawn chair.

  

For the meeting, there will be reports from various board members about the accomplishments from the past year and possible future projects. During the business meeting, the Society will also be electing Society officers and board members for the next year.

    Following the business meeting, the Society has arranged for Don Monty to speak on the early happenings of the River to River Trail and the Society. Don worked with our founder, John O’Dell, to get the Trail started and actually wrote most of the western portions of the first four trail guides. Hopefully Don can share when and why the western portion of the trail was so significantly changed to eliminate a large loop that went north toward Pomona instead of toward Alto Pass as it does now.

Depending on her progress on the American Discovery Trail, we are also planning on inviting Brianna DeSanctis who is expected to be somewhere in Illinois at the time of the event. To find out more about her, you can search for “Rocky Mountain High on the American Discovery” in Facebook or check out this link. https://www.capegazette.com/article/hiker-trying-be-first-female-do-discovery-trail-solo/233093

Please, come join us, learn what being a officer or board member might entail. No hikes are planned for the event. You are welcome to bring a friend interested in hiking, or a significant other.

As we did last year, several members brought bikes and enjoyed a ride on the Tunnel Hill state trail to work off the meal.