Matson Hill Trail failure #2

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  Attempted to do a hike today at Matson Hill Park, a second try since the trail was closed last time I tried to go.  Must have bad luck with this trail, because it was rained out despite leaving very early in hopes of beating the heat and the thunderstorms. A little bit of rain doesn't bother me while hiking, but I don't to be a mile or two into the trail when a really bad thunderstorm hits. Took a couple of pictures as it started raining, since the tree coverage was nice. The colors looked wonderful in the rain. I managed to get back into my car right as a torrential rain and thunder and lightning started, and sat until it eased up a little bit. It was very peaceful, even if I was stuck inside my car. When the rain slowed down to a drizzle, a man from the Park's Service came and put a "Trail Closed" sign up, so that was that. The sky looked questionable still, so I decided to just explore and drive around.

After a rainstorm like that, the countryside almost starts looking tropical. Everything is really green and you can see steam rising up from the forests and hills. The air was a little cooler, so I got to drive with my windows down, but the mugginess of the humidity was  pretty stifiling. It also got very hot very fast, and the mosquitoes were everywhere. It's been quite a few months since I've been out, so getting to see the area in late sping/early summer was really pretty. I stopped by the Katy Trail to look around, the Daniel Boone homestead site (which wasn't open yet), and the Weldon Springs Interpretive Center, which is a covered mound 75 feet tall that was the answer to clean up of waste products-- the area had been used to make TNT during the 40s, and an uranium processing plant in the 50s. You can climb up to the top of the mound and look around the area. Check out the website here: http://www.greatriverroad.com/stcharles/weldonsite.htm

Not a total loss today. Though I didn't get the nice walk I really wanted, I still got a long peaceful drive in the country. Next weekend it is supposed to be even hotter, so I'm wondering if it will be awhile again until I'm able to really get back to doing what I love best.

More purchases, but still no hiking

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Next week it will have been two months since I've gone on a hike. Preparing to get back into hiking very soon, despite the long weeks of very hot and stormy weather. Met a few more people interested in hiking through a friend, so might have yet another hiking club I'll be able to join when I don't feel like going on my own. My allergies and asthma got better for awhile, then came back (but much less worse this time) for awhile, but I think I'm about ready to at least start slow by next week, if the weather isn't too killer hot.

Went to the big REI sale today. Bought another pair of merino wool hiking socks so that I won't have to wash the same pair every time I go. I also finally bought a pair of pants to hike in that aren't jeans, and they were almost $20 off the normal price! REI brand women's rendezvous convertible pants with UPF +50. It is a blend of 95% nylon and 5% spandex, and they seem very lightweight and roomy, which will be a great change after hiking in sticky, uncomfortable jeans for over a year. They're a petite size, so they actually will be just right with my boots on, and zip off just under the knee to convert into shorts if I get really overheated (though I'd like to avoid that and avoid ticks if I can, but it is nice to have the option). I also finally caved and got a membership at REI... this means 20% coupons, free rock climbing on their wall, and discount prices to some of their classes. Once I get into backpacking and needing more equipment, it will be nice to have those discounts too.

I can't wait to get back into the swing of things. Maybe next weekend...?

Health puts things on hold...

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I haven't been hiking now in over a month, and I can really feel the difference in my moods because of it. But taking care of myself has to come first. This has been the worst allergy season I've had in years-- my allergy shots haven't been working and my asthma got so bad at one point I was using my nebulizer three or four times a day and having asthma attacks from even the most simple day-to-day actions. I was in no shape to be hiking at all, especially out in nature where I have a whole lovely list of pollens, molds, and grasses I'm allergic to. In the last week my allergies and asthma have finally started settling down, but I've promised myself that I am going to wait until I'm absolutely positive I am capable before heading out on a hike again, despite some gorgeous weather we've been having.

I did go see a free class offered by REI on Leave No Trace Behind. While I've done no backpacking in my life, camping and backpacking is something I have a lot of interest in and would really love to work up to. The seminar was really interesting and I learned a lot about Leave No Trace Behind. The talk was given by Ambre Tiggs, who runs Ginko Adventures, a local hiking/backpacking/rockclimbing/everything nature club. I have often thought about applying to go on one of her trips, and hopefully will sometime in the future. I was also introduced to the coordinator of the St. Louis Adventure Group (or SLAG) when I asked a question about opportunities to learn about wildlife first aid. I was invited to look into their group as well as a free way to meet people interested in outdoor activities as I am, and will probably look into that as well. While at REI, I also started looking for a nice pair of hiking pants I can wear in the summer that aren't jeans! I'll have to shell out at least $50 for this, but it seems like a sound investment to me!

So despite a dry month of indoor living, it was not all a waste. I'm hoping that in the next two weeks or so, I will feel confident enough in my health to start going back outdoors and maybe start building up to some hiking again soon! Maybe before St. Louis summer gets too unbearable!

Lost Valley Trail

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Despite my lack of hiking for over a month, this weekend I thought I'd push myself to do a 9-mile hike at Lost Valley Trail, which is around the Weldon Springs/Defiance area on Route 94, same area as a ton of other trails including the Lewis and Clark. Very different than Lewis and Clark trail though, despite the trail head being only a couple miles down the road from it, albeit on the other side-- no rocky outcrops overlooking the river, but lots of crossings over the Little Femme Osage Creek and valleys and forests and fields and marshland.

Had to battle allergies. I've had chronic allergies since grade school, but only in the last two years or so really started aggressively fighting them with shots that started every week, and now I'm down to one shot a month. I feel like they came out of nowhere this year though, and haven't actually managed to go restock on some medicine. Sunday was also uncharacteristically hot, about 80 degrees, so I wasn't getting the beautifully cool day I'd been looking for, but at least for a good deal of the hike, there was a nice breeze.

I seemed to be one of the few hikers on this trail, but it was very busy with mountain bikers. The trail is marked as being for both, though, so I didn't really feel I was often in the way. I bet this trail is often busy though, because even though it was Easter Sunday, I had a lot of biking company. Despite this, there were looong stretches of the trail where I was completely and utterly alone, so I surprisingly didn't feel overcrowded. One of my main issues with the trail is farther along, you can constantly hear gunshots from a nearby firing range which kind of takes away from the peace and quiet I was seeking. Otherwise the trail was well marked most of the time, as well as marked with mileage which is always something I appreciate. There was also a lot of debris along the trail in the form of mostly rotting metal. Kind of interesting to see random things at various stages of rust and decay, but also kind of strange. Really cool parts though included an old chimney, an old metal shelter just off the road, as well as a small section of trail where the daffodils absolutely overwhelmed the surround trees. I also saw my first snake-- not sure what kind, mostly black with a whitish yellow underbelly (have a picture).

I loved the scenery. It was very peaceful, and while not having as many wow moments as something like hte Lewis & Clark trail, there was also a variety of landscapes to enjoy so it was harder to be bored. Sometimes you would be walking through the woods, sometimes crossing over creeks, sometimes wandering down old gravel roads that at times were overgrown with grass, as well as crossing large open fields, with a variety of flowers and trees (that were only just started to bud). I got really, really tired though between mile 5 and 6, really feeling the soreness in my legs. I found a spot where I could hop offtrail and sit on the bank of the creek, where I took off my shoes and soaked my feet for a bit in the water. The water was still freezing, but it was super refreshing. There also didn't seem to be a lot of good stops to stop and rest or eat, and often I just sat down on the side of the gravel road. I also didn't pack enough water for this hike, so I need to rethink that. Great hike, even though it tired me out, and I loved the location. 

My next goal: buy some hiking pants as soon as humanely possibly. Hiking in jeans in even slightly warm weather is overheating and very uncomfortable. I think I will make a stop by REI. I just don't want to spend a million dollars on them, but I think the change will be significant.

Katy Trail & Klondike Park

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With a day off of 60 degree weather and a forecast of rain all week afterward, I couldn't deny myself a trip outdoors even though I had taken the day off to rest and try to shake this cough and congestion I've had for over three weeks now. Roomie Ashley joined me. Originally we had been going to Matson Hill Trail, which is actually mostly for mountain biking, but is also listed as a good hiking trail by the 60 Hikes book. However, once we arrived there found that a "trail closed" sign. How disappointing! After a quick look through this book, I thought we'd check out Klondike Trail.

Too bad we turned too soon and parked at the boating ramp river access instead of the actual park! This was kind of confusing for us, and we ended up walking down quite a bit of the Katy trail instead, even though parallel to the Katy trail at the parking lot was a trail access to Klondike Park too... which I didn't notice until the walk back to the car. The Katy trail is always nice though, with beautiful huge cliffs to one side that are dizzying to look up-- we even saw a Beaver (we think that's what it was) climbing up the steep slope! It was shady and empty of most people, since it was the middle of the day on a Monday, but we ran into quite a few workers on the trail with large machinery that was slightly mood-killing.

After a bit on the Katy Trail, we found another access trail to Klondike Park, a hill leading upwards where we found a lake surrounded by lots of rocks and white sand, not at all what I was expecting to find. We walked around the lake, which was lovely, the sand was almost blinding. We finally found the trails that we had been expecting there, and took a bit of the Power-Line trail that, as the name suggests, follows along some tall telephone-pole-like structures, while down beneath is the Katy trail and in the distance a the power-station, which seems to make a noise that you can hear even at the distance. A noisy trail, I'd suggest music of your own. I'd like to return to Klondike Park and see it as it is supposed to be seen, because I have a feeling that the trail point that starts at the boat access point by the Katy Trail probably takes you up to the cliffs for nice views.

The Katy Trail

First sight of the lake at Klondike Park

 The white sand almost looks like snow, but with 60 degree weather, it isn't!

Power-line Trail at Klondike Park

Very industrial revolution view mixed with nature from the trail at Klondike-Park.

view from the nearby Sugar Creek Winery, with Katy Trail and highway 94 below.

Return to Lewis & Clark Trail

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I have a confession to make: I was an irresponsible hiker today. Only a few minutes into my hike I realized how muddy the trail was and that I really shouldn't be using it. I know that using a trail that is in bad muddy and wet conditions is bad for the trail, I honestly do. But after over a month again of being stuck indoors with snow and weather in the teens or below, I couldn't help myself. Neither could the rest of the world, it seemed. The trailhead parking lot was actually packed full!

I wanted to return to Lewis & Clark trail because I think that, with all the amazing hikes I've done, this trail still has some of the most beautiful scenic outlooks ever. I was going with my friend Allison, who is a big nature lover and I knew she would enjoy the trail. We decided to do the shorter trail, the Clark trail, which runs about 5.3 miles total. In the mud, however, this was a much more difficult feat than anticipated, but we stuck it through! Afterwards we were both so exhausted and covered in mud that our feet weighed about ten pounds-- but we felt accomplished!

The Lewis & Clark trail is very different in winter. I did this trail last in September, when everything was still green and growing. Going along the trail with all the trees bare was a new experience because it meant you could actually see the river for a lot more of the hike! The first scenic outlook point, about a mile into the trail with a bench and a few rocks was almost completely obscured by foliage in the late summer/early fall, but in the winter, you could see it clear as could be from awhile up the trail. The trail was spotted with sunny spots, some of the side ponds were still frozen over, and the surrounding forests when deep in the ravines felt more open and breathable. The mud, however, was very disheartening. At times it was so wet and thick that it threatened to suck our shoes right off our feet. At one point Allison and I found that it was actually easier to sprint over the muddiest spots (That sometimes seemed to last a whole mile without a dry break) than to trudge slowly.

The overlooks were no less beautiful, despite the trees being bare. I found a lovely sunny spot to sit and look out at the river and watch the turkey buzzards soar overhead. I lost the trail in the same place I did the last time, right at the creekbed at the very bottom of the valley, and some helpful hikers once again pointed me in the direction of the yellow sign where the two trails split. Taking the Clark trail was a nice change, shorter, but with some definite hills to climb that were very difficult (especially in the mud)! I really worked hard on this hike, and was definitely ready to climb in the car and get home when it was over, but it was SO nice to be back out of doors.

Not a lot of pictures, partially because I've been here before, but mostly because I was too busy watching my feet in the mud trying not to hurt myself!

   Frozen pond on the first mile of the trail

 

we found a dry spot to look at our muddy shoes, but it was only the beginning!

 

  

        My once pristine new hiking boots finally put to good use.

Pickle Springs Natural Area- Trail Through Time

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A holiday day off work paired with 50 degree weather was a good reason as any to spend the day hiking with my friend Tanya, as I'd been meaning to all winter. The day didn't look like it would turn out to be much, staying pretty cold well into the late morning with clouds and fog all over the place, but sure enough it warmed up and the sun even peeked out a few times! I wasn't sure how pretty a hike would be in mid January, but Pickle Springs was the absolutely perfect choice.Not only are there a lot of colors to be seen, from red ground to green-teal moss on the rocks, but also beautiful ice formations hanging from the rocks.

There is something to see almost every few minutes on the 2 mile trail at Pickle Springs, which took me much longer to hike than a normal 2-miler would because I had to keep stopping and exploring and admiring the sites. At the trailhead is a helpful booklet that outlines the trail, gives trail history, and gives information about the landmarks you will see on the loop, which was really helpful to have. Right away you find yourself at "The Slot," a passage way through the rocks-- this is where we got our first glimpse of the ice formations.The "Cauliflower Rocks" at first glance through the trees are impressive, not just for their size, but for the growth that gives them a bright green coloring. The "Double Arch" and the "Keyhole" are fun to sit in and explore, and you can do a bit of climbing and exploring around the rocks for views. As you continue through the trail, you cross over quite a few creeks (most of which were unfrozen due to the warmed weather, though all the ice formations were still intact-- a perfect combination) and miniature waterfalls. There is absolutely no sounds of traffic on this trail, so if there isn't a lot of pedestrian traffic, you can close your eyes and hear only the water. The ice-formations continue to be viewed along the whole trail, especially over the bluffs that surround you as you walk. "Spirit Canyon" had some particularly amazing formations, and you can just feel the chill radiating from the rocks as you get close.

The "Dome Rock Overlook" suddenly plunges you into what feels like a totally different environment. You are standing on what the guidebook calls "the largest hoodoo complex in the Natural Area." The trees are twisted and still green, and almost gave me the feeling that I was in another country. The views of the hills and trees and rocks are beautiful. You climb down from there to cross Pickle Springs, see the "Rockpile Canyon" of more giant, moss-covered rocks with hints of red, and Headwall Falls (which is off a very short spur with a platform to view-- the falls were frozen this time of year and there was some neat ice formations to look at instead).

I can't say how glad I am I went on this trail in the winter, where the ice-formations give it a unique feel. I would like to see it in the Spring as well. All in all, the trail was extremely easy to follow and well beaten down, though all rocks and earth, and there were signposts along the way to announce landmarks or features. This trail was a really nice length, and while for the most part very easy, had a few spots that had rocky inclines to push through that made me use my muscles. I really recommend this trial, and will hopefully take my father or sister to see it as well.

I took a ton of pictures, and some are posted in the link below, otherwise you can see the entire album at Pickle Springs on facebook