Pickle Springs and lots of wine...

Posted by Kara |0 comments

     This weekend I was supposed to help celebrate my friend Molly's birthday with an overnight float trip/camping trip, but storms due to leftover hurricane Issac hitting us in the Midwest killed those plans pretty quickly (not to mention a previous fireban because of the drought made a campfire a no-no).  But we still managed to have a pretty good time. We went down to Pickle Springs for a quick 2-mile hike despite the rain that went between drizzle, a light downpour, and non-existant, and the very sticky humidity. This all made the trail feel a bit longer than it actually was, but didn't hinder the beauty of Pickle Springs, always one of my favorites despite not being very close or long. It was especially alive in the rain, with all the springs rushing and full of water and the leaves dripping and turtles crawling over logs at every turn. Absolutely gorgeous, as usual.

    The rest of the day was spent at the Cave Winery in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Which is, as it sounds, a place to drink lots of wine in a cave. You buy the wine at the top of a hill, along with biscotti from their biscotti bar (oh yes, this is a fact. The goat cheese and herb one is delicious), fresh baked bread, cheese, and grapes. You are also allowed to bring your own picnic basket of food, so we had quite an amazing spread to share amongst the group! I got the   Then you walk or get a ride down the hill to Saltpeter Cave, where there are picnic benches galore, live music, and cool air.  I got a pitcher of Sangria instead of wine, and it was fruity and delicious. Definitely worthwhile way to spend a long summer afternoon... even if we didn't get to camp or hike as much as we wanted.


Also, been reading The Cactus Eaters by Dan White.

Pickle Springs & Hickory Canyons

Posted by Kara |0 comments

*NOTE* This blog entry somehow got re-dated  and I can't remember when it was originally posted.*

Today was an absolutely amazing day for a hike. The temperatures reached the 60s after months of me suffering from cabin fever. My father and I drove down to Pickle Springs and Hickory Canyons down near Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. It turned out to be a perfect time to try out my new hiking poles too, because the trail was muddy and often still covered in slush, snow, and plenty of ice! But we didn't let it stop us from exploring, though we did have to be extremely careful and take our time on the trails. The sun was warm, but down in the rocks and valleys the temperature would drop noticeably.  The ice formations were absolutely beautiful, and there was the constant sound of water dripping from the ice and running through the streams from the melting snow. I had been to Pickle Springs before, but never to Hickory Canyons. Hickory Canyons was wonderful, and reminded me a bit of the Little Grand Canyon I visited a couple months ago.

Pickle Springs (Revisited) and Hickory Canyon

Posted by Kara |0 comments

For February, we are having some wonderful weather in St. Louis! As I was expecting a high in the high 50s, my father and I headed out for a hike at Pickle Springs Natural Area and Hickory Canyons near Ste. Genevieve County and Farmington, Missouri. I had hiked Pickle Springs last January and ever since my father had been asking to see the ice there. It was as beautiful as I remembered.

My father and I accidentally went the wrong way on the trail, which caused some confusion around the Keyhole where we backtracked on ourselves without realizing it for a few minutes. Some of the trail was clear, most of it was very muddy, and some of the trail still had snow and ice on it which made traversing some of the steeper sections very tricky. My father and I shared the hiking poles I received for Christmas, each taking one to help us keep our balance and stop from falling on the ice and snow-- this made what I remember being a fairly easy hike a bit more challenging. The ice from the overhangs were impressive, and all around us I could hear the dripping of the melting icicles. The streams and creeks were also running so we often had to pick our way across stones, which was enjoyable and tested my hiking boots for waterproofness. As we climbed between the rocks around us, you could feel the temperature change noticeably. We only saw a couple people on the trail, which was really nice, and we took our time admiring the views. A red fox darting across our path about halfway through the trail was a highlight for me!

I had never visited Hickory Canyons before, but because it was all of 5 miles away from Pickle Springs, it seemed silly to pass it up. There are two trails, a short out and back trail and a longer loop trail. We did the loop trail and immediately the trail begins to descend down into the canyon with the rocks raising up on either side of you. The trail had become a stream of water running downhill, mostly runoff from the melting snow. It was extremely muddy and a bit slippery, but beautiful nonetheless. It actually reminded me a bit of the Little Grand Cayon hike I did back in November, with a steep descent and then a trek through the flat land below. It was beautiful and mildly challenging because of the mud and snow, and my father and I really enjoyed ourselves! We only did about half of the short out and back trail because it was crowded by a family looking for lost dogs and it was only another .25 miles anyhow.

 

Pickle Springs Natural Area- Trail Through Time

Posted by Kara |0 comments

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