Illinois - explorations

“I've now started to explore my new surroundings. Thought I'd start a thread about the area and what I'm finding. If you have favorite spots in the midwest I'd love to hear about them. Iowa and MN folks, please pipe in!

I rode my mountain bike on Saturday at Moraine Hills State Park. Nice but too paved and too much LIMESTONE! It will be a good location for training but my bike is now coated with a greyish white substance and will have to be washed every time I ride these trails. The park is east of McHenry and the Fox River (north of Crystal Lake). Nice close location and a fairly remote feeling for this area.http://www.chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/winter1998/IWmorainehills.html A pretty good article.

Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve - Sunday checked out the permanent O course set up at this park. prosecutor and I had snowshoed here earlier in the winter. Laminated maps are available in a lock box at the trail head. Nice course, pretty easy though (Shanedog found all the west side checkpoints, no prob). Call ahead for access to the box. Saw a coyote and a deer this trip.”

“Way to go, dhutch1!”

“Oh and after hiking Sunday I stopped at the Oakbrook, IL REI. First time in a real gear store since moving.

Scored a good clearance deal on a REI Mistrel jacket. Nice selection at that store but most shoppers were suburban outdoor wanna-look likes.”

“We just moved to Mundelein. For the first time had a chance to check out some of the Forest Preserves in Lake County. Also the Volo Bog. Great places for day hikes.

Looking next to check out the Des Plaines trail. It runs from Wisconsin/Illinois State line to Cook County. There are a few breaks in the trail that have not been completed. It's multi-use, so you could peddle or hoof it.”

“chicagomark - do you do any canoeing or kayaking?

I just picked up a couple of books reviewing paddle routes. It looks like there are lots of opportunities for the summer when it's cooler to be on the water.”

“For a whole lotta good ideas on various outdoors things -- and a chance to participate, if you like -- check the Illinois chapter of the Sierra Club outings website. I've backpacked with some of these people a couple times. Good fun! And they have all kinds of things going on all the time!

http://gkollar.org/outings/Browse_DetailView.asp

(Oh yeah, and you won't have to worry about that stick-in-the-mud Prosecutor tagging along to these events, if you catch my political drift. LMAO!!!)








j/k Pros. I know you don't like the Sierra Club, but I like ya anyway. :-) ;-P
last edited: 1/16/06 12:59:03 PM”

“Haven't done any in the area. Canoed in Quetico, Boundary Waters, Northern Wisconsin. Been eye-ing the Des Plaines River. But still looking for other places.”

“Fox River Canoeing is tops:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/prosecutor104/album?.dir=c50f&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/prosecutor104/my_photos”

“Any particular part of Indiana you interested in?

I've been exploring a lot of Morgan/Monroe and Yellow Wood state forests lately along with Hoosier National forest and the Deam Wilderness. Over the past few days I've done about 20 miles of the Tecumseh trail in Morgan/Monroe and Yellow Wood...there are some pretty nice pine stands in these areas as well as some nice creeks and lakes”

“Good thread idea, Dhutch1. I've been of similar mind (don't let that scare ya) since returning from the AT and have been hiking on the local ATV/Snowmobile trails. There's millions of them and they're under used. My operating theory is that people who use those things are a bunch of lazy,redneck drunks who travel from bar to bar. This means the trails are solely mine until somewhere around mid to late afternoon on weekends and completely mine on weekdays. So far this is proven true.

The closest trail to my house is one mile. If I head west I can do 20 miles with only crossing five country roads. The east directed trail gives me about the same distance before I come to the small village of Minong, where Jack Link is busily processing road kill for your beef jerky. There are many, many, many trails like this in NW Wisconsin and largely empty because, as I earlier stated, most of the snowmobilers/ATV'ers are in the bars talking about how "woodsy" they are. This will be my interim fix, exploring local areas, as I wait for longer adventures like another thru of the SHT, Isle Royale, the Boundary Waters, etc.

I sure hope I don't screw this up by taking a damn job.”

“This coming weekend I'm anticipating a hike at Glacier Park near McHenry. I'll probably ride the rail trail from Ringwood and see how far it goes in to Wisconsin. I'm thinkin Sat for the bike and Sun for the hike.

Let's pick some water routes for warmer weather guys. I'd love to do a paddle trip round about June :-)”

“Two days of vacation and adventure in a new land.

Yesterday it was 55 degrees here in Woodstock, IL. I took to the town on my bike. Not a biking town. Too much traffic. Not enough stop lights. Almost got hit and then had to ride on sidewalks. Not acceptable. I'll stick to the paved rail trails and drive to get to them.

Today a "trail run" with shanedog. Glacial Park north of McHenry. There are about 3 miles of trails if you go round both loops. I recognized the area from a bike earlier in the fall. Beautiful scenery. Great hills. I'll be back for a couple of loops soon. Only thing though, not really trails. They were paved with wood chips. :-( Looks like I'll be back to S. Kettle Moraine for singletrack. This is a morning walk, not to be confused with a day hike.”

“toughest thing about a new town is finding your way around to bike paths/trails and running routes.”

“Betcha you're not cycling tonight. Although it seems like north of here didn't get as much snow. Ruler in the driveway read 10"

Guess I should change my name to MundeleinMark.”

“dhutch1: I am in the mood to run the top 5 mile loop of the JM trail again. Interested? Could be sloppy tho, but I enjoy messy trails. Lemme know. Email me if you and others wanna go. I don't check TT that often now.”

“Jimmy san,
Sorry I missed your post! I am interested in that run. I'll send you an e-mail.

No MundeleinMark, I didn't cycle on Friday night! I didn't even leave my house after getting back from the barn at 4:30. We got 10" out in Woodstock!

Snowshoed 2hours in 1 foot of snow at Moraine Hills Saturday morning with an adventure racer guy from the area. I'm starting to get hooked up with that group a little. Hiked from McHenry dam around a couple of loops breaking trail the entire way. Best part is that I remembered the intersections from my bike ride. The snow was heavy and it was hard work for only about 5 miles worth of distance. Good stuff. We both agreed, great workout, better than a run.

Next weekend? Bike from McHenry to Wisconsin on the Prairie Trail. Run/hike out near Rockford unless I get in touch with Jimmysan re: JM trail.

It's going to be in the 40's!!! Yeeeehaaaw!”

“Yeeeehaaaw!

Hehe :)

The JM trail is pretty close to you, dhutch1, and I have a flexible work schedule. We could meet there some time this week (rather than the weekend). The trail is only 5 miles long so it's a quick run. Perhaps we could snag a quick run some time this week, schedule permitting?”

“After work it's over an hour away since I'm in Hoffman Estates. So it will be dark. I'm going to wait to go on Sunday for my "long run". Remember I'm just getting back into shape here :-)

How about Wednesday after work? do you know a forest preserve or trail between you and H.E.? I need about a 55 minute run to fit in my workout schedule. I may have to let you go out in front with those long legs but at least I'll have someone to chase.”

“Hehe, that sounds good.

I know a few places that are good for running but they won't be "trails" like the JM trails. They could be a tad slippery and irregular, however with the recent snowfall.

Let me do a little planning and post back on this. Hoffman Estates isn't that far from where I live/work, perhaps 20 minutes away so this obviously works for me. I didn't know you worked in Hoffman Estates.

There is a place down Barrington Road that has nice trails. I'll rollerblade or cycle on it with friends in the warmer weather. These trails are paved and good for running but with the snowfall may be a tad irregular. I forget the name of the system. I would think we could get your long run here easily. There are a few street crossings but just a few. One is a major crossing, however, and it's not unlikley one would have to stop for a traffic light.

Does this sound cool? If so I'll work out some details to post back.

I really want to run the JM trail again (the northern loop specifically) because I had such a good run there the last time I went out. We'll have to plan this for another day when your training schedule permits. I know you have to stick to that plan like glue to make it work.”

“As a follow up, the trail system I am thinking of is Poplar Creek. I didn't remember the name, I had to call a friend.

http://www.fpdcc.com/tier3.php?content_id=68&file=map_68m <-- details, location, trail map.

It's very close to where you work. I don't know if you have been here before but if not then this might be an ideal place for you to do some of your training.”

“UP and I headed out early Saturday morning after a brief stop at Starbucks for coffee to go. He navigated flawlessly winding out way across IL from Woodstock mostly along 2 lane highways. To the Mississippi is about 2 1/2 hours.

The park is specacular with cliffs on the west side a view of the Mississippi at times and some lovely terrain chock full of tall ridges and deep gullies.

We obtained our maps and kept warm while reviewing the new Micro O requirements. For us this was not to be an all out race but a practice session. Our goals: make good decisions, familiarize UP with orienteering and the protocol of the symbols and to enjoy our outdoor experience. We plotted our route and headed for the Northern section of controls. The southern plan would wait until we did the north and a did time check. Cutoff 5 pm. Each control is assigned a point value and your score is based on time and points.

We headed out at the 11am start first up a paved trail toward control 10. It was a very steep climb that got our hearts pumping and raised body temps to a comfortable level. Control 4 took us a bit too long due to making a common orienteering error. Seeing a trail that looked like what we wanted, we moved on. But soon determined our actual position and headed off on the correct trail. Off trail heading to the control we had a minor medical emergency when a branch jumped out and bit UP in the eyebrow! He immediately put the branch out of it's misery and wiped the stream of blood off of his face so I could put my emergency skills to work. I've found my calling as an artist with the butterfly bandage.

Controls 2 and 3 were up a creek bed. Bearing East we hit a trail found our signal and hit our attack point for control 5. The first Micro O! In fairly plain site were 4 flags. Utilizing our knowledge of the clues and reading the terrain features UP picked the correct flag. The other 3 are worth less points, proving only that you found the spot. The route to every control seemed to include a ridge or gully so again we climbed to grab 6 and head off down a trail to capture 1, a five pointer. Off trail we crossed two spurs, up down, up down and flawlessly navigated the control in the middle of no distinctive terraine features which is what makes them worth more points. I lost my sunglasses in the process, bummer, but the sense of accomplishment in finding the 5 pointer with ease boosted our confidence and we moved on in good spirits.

I'll spare you the control by control description of the remaining 41 points we gathered. Suffice it to say that we had a wonderful time in the beautiful surroundings. This park does not seem to have a good backpacking loop but it would be a beautiful spot to camp with the intention of dayhiking and checking out the river. Also, the town just south of the park is lined with bike shops, pubs, shopping and restaurants.

After bushwacking for 6 hours we appreciate trails much more and roads are always a welcome sight and fast travel. We made the cutoff with 15 minutes to spare. Just enough time to grab a plate of the steaming spaghetti and mingle with the other orienteers. An easy drive home had us dreaming of Wendy's and dry clean clothes.

Great company, fantastic terrain, good weather and a great map, what more is required to make one perfect day! Thanks UPlover for traveling out to do this with me!”

“A bad day in the woods is better than a good day indoors and you had a good day outdoors. Two thumbs up.”

“dhutch1Sounds like you were doing Orienteering. Correct? I've never heard of it previously, but it does sound interesting, especially "the competitor's ability to think under pressure and make wise decisions is more important than speed or endurance."

Do they keep changing the courses? Otherwise repetitive running of a course should make the navigation easier.

thanks for the report. Glad to hear that you had a good trip and lots of fun.

Hope UPlover heals quickly. Do they award points for first aid applications?
last edited: 2/12/06 10:34:31 AM”

“I did just locate this link for yesterday's event:
6-Hour Snowgaine!
February 11, 2006
Mississippi Palisades State Park

Very interesting!”

“Nowslimmer, the courses are set up differently every time. There are varied locations but if you wander the woods in an area, you are still going to be more familiar with them the next meet. Locals have a definite advantage.

Nonetheless it's a beter challenge when you don't know the area.

Pathman...NO DOUBT!”

“Since D has already posted an awesome TR let me just say first of all a HUGE thank you to dhutch....I had a great time and am definitely looking forward to doing more meets in the future!!! Even with the whole stick in the eyebrow incident....which is fine btw, a little sore but otherwise good.

Secondly Pathman I coudn't agree more... and this was definitely a good day outdoors :) I got to work on my orienteering skills and hutchie got to work on her first aid skills what more could we ask for, right....lol!”

“Wow! Sounds like a lot of fun.”

“dhutch and Up luver, sounds like a super time! I wish i coulda been there. Thanks for the TR.”

“Oh we know you just wanted to use your field suture technique :-)

Honestly birch you would have loved the terrain!”

“Ok now what makes you think I'm gonna let birch get ANYWHERE near my eye with a needle??? lol”

“Upluver, my hand is much steadier than it used to be. Plus you do have TWO eyes and my goodness you would do fine with just one. Gettin all soft on me eh?”

“Lmao I can see it now....So just how DID that needle get into your eyeball???”

“You moved?
Holy moley, I should check-in more often.

Happy house!”

“Thanks gojo - btw it was built in 1902 and needs lots of work! :-)”

“Wow! Was I still in Illinois?

I was drafted by Team Orange Triangle to do the Mid-America Xtreme 12 hour adventure race this past weekend. Location: Starved Rock State Park near Lasalle-Peru. The history (very abbreviated) is that two battling tribes of indians warred here. One took position at the top of a rock and what had been chosen as an advantage point turned out to mark their doom. Under seige they starved to death.


As I drove in Friday night a truck full of gear (and lots o water) the prospects looked pretty flat. Looking over the plains to Missouri (pretty sure, lol). And then at the last mile I dropped down into a beautiful river valley! Yahoo, the promise of whitewater rafting was for real and I was feeling that the race would be a great way to get a feel for this part of Illinois. There are several parks in the area and it's now on my to-do's to research them all.

HOT, HOT HOT!
Started out at 5am with orienteering through trails that led down midget canyons and into rocky depressions. At several turns there were breathtaking views of the Illinois River at dawn. But vision is blurred when sweat is dripping into your eyes!

The biking was a little disappointing. Once we climbed out of the park we were on the corn field lined flat roads surrounding the area. But it was already hot so the flow of air over my sweat soaked body felt pretty darned good and I was greatful for the fast easy ride. We were all feeling good as Team Orange Triangle zipped past several other groups.

Another 1/2 mile (full of stinging nettles) of orienteering brought us to a 60 foot rappel down crumbly cliffs into the Vermillion river. By all accounts the rappel was short and left us wanting more. But to be in the water was a blessing. By that time it was only 8:30 am and blazing hot.

We waded a short way and hopped into 2 person rafts to begin our 7 hour paddle down the river. Brutal is my only description. The water was low and we spent as much time out of the boats pulling them over rocks as we spent paddling. There was almost no shade and we labored in the beating sun for most of the trip. These are not efficient boats for slow water and boy was the water slow. I thought fondly of my recent trip down the Root River with Lizs and the rest of the gang but this would be no pleasure cruise. At a checkpoint about 1/2 way down, race personnel pointed us up a bluff to a residence giving out water. We needed it and I laid down in the river while one teammate ran up to fill bladders (yeah, I know but we decided as a team to send the member who was the strongest runner at the moment). We were told that there were reports of easier water ahead. So much for reports. Once back in those boats we had more of the same gruelling work until the pay-off. Two class 2 (small but fun) rapids just prior to the take out! WooHoo! I can only imagine what this river is like during higher water, my guess is...breathtaking.

After trudging the boats up a steep hill at take out we were given a refill of bladders by race personnel (ever diligent in making sure everyone was safe and hydrated, good job!) and left by foot into Matthison (sp?) state park through about a quarter mile of stinging nettles. Once the pain left my thighs and calves I noticed the specacular little rock canyons surrounding us. We dropped in and out of the cool, damp gorges collecting punches on the passport and getting oh so close to the finish line. Down was good, up was a sufferfest. This was the portion that made me determined to see these parks as a tourist kayaker or hiker.

I'm not sure exactly how hot it got on Saturday but there were several teams dropping due to dehydration and heat stroke. After our hiking we hopped on bikes for a super quick 2-3 miles to the Illinois river. There we picked up paddles again (no heavy river boat paddles here!, I almost kissed the Lendl carbon fiber)and canoed around an island in the middle. As we paddled upstream there were prayers all around that no big commercial boats would come down and cause the locks to open. We'd have been pushed 1/2 way to the Mississippi and were too tired to paddle back.

Successfully out of the boats we had one more checkpoint to grab by foot. It was at the bottom of one more stunningly deep rock canyon. Then, shuffling to the finish line at 6pm (race cutoff had been extended due to the river stage times)Team Orange Triangle found the energy to run the last 1/4 mile to finish arm in arm. Seventh overall, overheated and exausted. In the next hour some would eat post race fare but I was too hot to eat and opted to pour the remainder of my water over my head. But while packing up to head home we all decided to race again soon (maybe in cooler weather though). Such a good time was had by all. You'd have never known it by the bching and complaining that took place while we were having it :-)

Overall the area is spectacular and the race directors were great. They apologized for the condition of the paddle, but who controls mother nature? It's part of the challenge right?

I highly recommend this area as one of the great spots in Illinois. There's a lodge and campground but I don't think backcountry sites are available.”

“dhutch,

I've heard several people talk about how nice the area is. Gonna have to get over there. Thanks, for the report! :-)”

“it is indeed nice but it's a zoo... very popular. that's what you get when you pave over 1/2 the state and plant corn and soy beans in the other 1/2...”

“Not very busy this weekend! Hmmmm, maybe the heat? Only a fool.....wait a minute!”

“Starved Rock is a great spot, especially in winter when the crowds are thinner. You're right that there are no backcountry sites and all campsites charge for the electrical outlets even if you don't use them. My favorite way to hike the park was to go with friends and park at each end and make a 9 mile hike out of it.”

“I bet at some point in the race, dhutch looked like this:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/552322803/2496551260068158854iZeGln

LOL!

Good job, hutchie!!(may I call ya "hutchie??") I've wanted to see Starved Rock... maybe some day!”

“I went to Starved Rock when I was a kid, I remember the legend to this day! It is a very cool place. I was impressed to discover, as an adult, that someplace that interesting was actually in Illinois! You know... when you're a kid, you don't know where the heck your parents are dragging you!”

“Lizs -
Of course you may call me hutchie if you want.

I did probably look like that but a lot more sun burned, hot and sweaty!”

“dhutch1: "fun"... you keep using that word... I do not think it means what you think it does...

;)”

“lol jimmy san!

The fun part is the challenge, the reaching deep within yourself to find inner strength, the adventure, overcoming your fears, the comoradorie and teamwork and....looking back on the whole thing once you've finished.”

“Hello Again!!
I been there and thought it was a cool place and the fishing is not bad. I wish the would let us hike overnight but then again that's Illinois for ya!! I might try and stealth hike it some weekend just for the heck of it!!!
Well See ya later.
Randall”

“Fun is sittin' in a mud puddle and just bein'”

“Randall! How ya doin?

Let's get a trip going for the fall, K?

And yeah, what is it with IL and backcountry camping? THERE IS NONE!”

“like i said, there is no backcountry...

...well... almost...

There is the "river to river" trail.

http://www.rivertorivertrail.com/
Been wanting to do this for ages but I have heard many, MANY bad things but I don't care. Some day this will make my list. It's only 80 miles.”

“I'm on a Yahoo group for Shawnee hikers or something like that. It sounds like they're planning a group of hikes that will cover the trail. Not sure of the time frame (I kinda just glance at that e-mail digest when it arrives.)

It's a ways away for me. I do love the area though! Very pretty! What bad things have you heard, Jimmy San?”

“so you wanna do the r2r huh?”