Queeney Park (with photos this time)

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I have the WHOLE week off from work!!! I'm hoping I can do a lot of hiking during that time. Yesterday my roommate and I took a 4.5 mile walk around the neighborhood, which felt really good.  My original plan for today had been to get up really early and try to catch the sunrise at Lewis & Clark trail overlooking the river, but I slept very badly last night-- I figured the time to do a 5-9 mile hike is NOT when you've only managed to grab four or five hours of sleep. So instead I reset my alarm and had a lovely breakfast with my father at the Bread Company, where I had a breakfast power sandwich, two cups of tea, and really nice long conversations with my Dad. Afterwards, I decided I better get some exercise anyhow and went back to Queeny Park for a walk.

Started out again on the Hawk Ridge Trail for most of the hike, but took a few detours on the .2 mile lake spur so I could get a look at the really pretty lakes where some people were fishing, which joined to the very end of the dogwood trail, which then met up halfway through the White Oak trail, which I took back to the Hawk Ridge Trail for the last bit of the trail. I even walked about halfway down the Fox Run Trail before turning back because I decided I was ready to head home and eat lunch. It was kind of nice to get a feel for the other trails at Queeny Park,  which were much clearer of horse dropping this time around, so they must be really good about cleaning it.

FLASHBACK 2006: Salzburg, Austria--Gaisberg

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In the winter/spring of 2006, I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Salzburg, Austria. This was, as many had said it would be, a life-changing experience. My living there was partially responsible for my now obsession with hiking, though as a child I continually told my father I wanted to climb mountains and, at one point, even became upset because I wanted to live in the Alps like Heidi (my father claims I cried, but I will deny this). I didn't really take enough advantage of Austria while I was there, which always seems to be the case. I was 20-25 pounds heavier then than I am now, so I wasn't really up for a lot of hiking either. However, despite the fact that I was eating a lot more in Austria than I was at home, I was losing weight. In Salzburg, I walked everywhere. Even when I took the bus to and from school/town, walking to and from the bus stop was a start. When I would go out at night with friends to the beer gardens, the buses would stop running and a bus taxi would cost too much money, so we would simply walk the few miles back to the house I was staying at with my hose family. The scenery was gorgeous. Walking along the Salzach River or up along the fortress overlooking the city, chances to walk were everywhere.

Sometime in the early spring, I went with a group of my school mates to hike up Gaisberg. To us, it was a mountain, but to the Austrians it was surely little more than a glorified hill compared to the mountains that stand out so sharply in the skyline. It stands about 4,226 ft and seemed a popular spot for paragliding. I was probably far too out of shape to do this hike. As I was overweight, my asthma was worse then than it is now. This was the first thing I had climbed where the landscape actually changed into SNOW halfway up. I managed to stick with my friends for a little bit, but quickly fell behind. I told them to keep going without me, but didn't turn back. I was determined to do this, on my own if I had to, no matter what. It was a hard trek, I won't lie. While a lot of the details are fuzzy from nearly 5 years ago, I remember a lot about how breathtaking the scenery was. I remember being passed up by old Austrians with white hair and walking sticks, and thinking of what a great quality of life these people must live. I remember the ground slowly turning into snow and ice, and how hard it was to see the trail and get traction-- I was wearing terrible shoes that looked like hiking boots, but were clearly either not well fitting or more for fashion than climbing.

I reached the top and felt more accomplished than I had in awhile. The  view of Salzburg and Austria stretching out before me was gorgeous, the mountains in the distance, the paragliders jumping off the edge one by one.  I really do think that what had always been a fascination from afar with hiking had become something else entirely.

Here is my original blog entry for this hike when I wrote it on April 8th, 2006: Livejournal Entry for Gaisberg 2006

Queeney Park: Hawk Ridge Trail

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Fall is finally here! The leaves on the trees are slowly turning colors, the morning air is just a tad bit crisper (though today it was getting warm fast in the direct sun, with an expected high this afternoon of 88 degrees). It's the time of year where I try my best to go hiking at least once per week. Today I went to Queeny Park based on a recommendation from a coworker. I wasn't sure what to expect and couldn't decide whether it would be a hiking trail or more like a park trail. I wore my usual hiking pants and boots, but next time I go I think I will definitely wear gym shoes and work-out shorts if it's warm enough-- the park reminded me a lot of Creve Coeur Lake trail. It was crowded with runners and dog walkers, but because of wide pathways it actually didn't bother me too much most of the time. Because it is in an urban area, there is quite a bit of traffic noise from time to time, but my ipod fixed that easily enough. Queeny park also offers a lot of equestrian trails-- one big drawback about this is that there was horse droppings from time to time on the trail. I have to admit, though, I really, really enjoyed this place!

The park may have been updated since the edition of 60 Hikes I have was put out. Many of the landmarks Steve Henry uses weren't there, but it hardly mattered. While there are a LOT of trails throughout the park, there were multiple signs posted along the trail with maps showing the trail network as well as your position in time, and the trails themselves are very easy to follow and well marked. I chose to do the main loop that follows the park perimeter, the Hawk Ridge Trail, which runs about 4.4 miles. About 1/3 of the trail is pavement, and the other 2/3 of the pathway are gravel and rock with the entire route being very wide and spacious. I found the trail to be a little more various than the Creve Coeur Lake trail, both in scenery and in offering a little bit of incline here and there (though nothing strenuous).  I passed through a lot of medows, native grass growth areas, and deeper wooded areas. Large open green areas that the trail goes through seem to be meant for horses, with obsticles for jumping and running. The trail never really strayed off of the well worn path, so not a lot of challenge, but it is a good way to get in a longer walk without being gone for two or three hours. In fact, I almost thought about doing another round before heading home!

I did not explore the other trails except to look at the maps to see the general directions of where they went. Since the Hawk Ridge Trail goes all along the outside of the park, I was left with some curiosity about what the center of the park holds. You could probably wander for hours throughout the trails, crisscrossing back and forth.  Despite the drawbacks of crowds and horse droppings, all the cons of this trail are definitely won over by the absolute beauty of this park. It is strange to find such a nice piece of land nestled in between housing projects and roads and still get a feeling just a little bit of wilderness. Between the numerous lakes, grassy fields, native prairies, and shady woods filled with giant white oaks (some of which are thought to be over 250 years old), Queeny Park definitely kept my interest. I could see myself returning there easily as an alternative to Creve Coeur Lake when I need a morning exercise walk, either to do the Hawk Ridge Trail again or explore the inner workings of the park.

Brought my camera, but forgot the memory card so I was only able to take 6 or 7 pictures and I'm not sure if I'm able to get them off. I will try though.

Return to Valley View Glades

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A very good friend of mine who had moved to New York is back in town for a couple weeks, so I knew Allison and I had to go hiking as soon as she came! As we sat looking through my hiking book watching movies, we came across the Valley View Glades hike in Hillsboro, Missouri that I had done almost exactly one year ago. I remember being completely taken in by the landscape, so that was the trip we made.

Hillsboro is about an hour away from where I stay, but the drive is fairly painless-- I don't enjoy driving 270 much, but MO-21 is an easy, mostly empty route. There was quite a bit more vegetation this time despite the fact that it is September and last year I went on this hike in November. Most of the trees still had their green leaves, though a good deal of them were just starting to be touched by color. The grass over the glades was the same golden brown color that I remember from last time. We took the path counter-clockwise this time around. The hike is a wonderful mix of open areas of glade and deep forests. I'd say more of the hike is forest than the open glades, but it is nice to walk in and out of both throughout the 3 miles. The streams were dry for the most part this time, with the exception of a few pools here and there, but there were a ton of really fascinating mushrooms that we both had a great time taking pictures of to look up later. We saw a great deal of birds as well, and the trail was nearly completely empty the entire way. It was wonderful to revisit this trail, and I will surely to so again-- maybe in spring, when the wild flowers are blooming!

Rockwoods Reservation: Prairie, Lime Kiln and Turkey Ridge trails

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Some beautiful weather this weekend and a day off of work for Labor Day made for a perfect hiking day, despite the fact that I haven't been in two months... I can't believe it's really been that long! On Saturday I did a bit of a city hike-- I was babysitting and the child fell asleep in the stroller about two minutes after we were on our way to the park. I ended up taking her on a two-hour walk all over University City that probably ended up somewhere around 4 miles long, if not longer. But it was nice to actually get out in the woods again today.


Rockwoods Reservation is in Wildwood, Missouri and was established in 1938. I've been doing a lot of hikes out by the Defience, Missouri area for awhile (like my favorite Lewis & Clark), so I thought it would be nice to change it up a little. It was pretty easy to find, and the hills really start popping up along highway 44, which makes for a bit of nice driving as well. I saw a personal record of one snake, six deer (do they always travel in pairs like that?), and a lot of butterflies. Because of the number or rocks on the trail, I'd recommend a pair of shoes you can rely on-- I'm not saying they have to be fancy hiking boots, but make sure they have some traction. I doubt anyone is quite as clumsy and graceless as I am, but I trip all over the place on these kinds of trails, and the parts of the trail that are covered in small loose rocks were a bit slippery! One of the only complaints about the trail is that for a great deal of the time I was on both trails, there was a lot of traffic noise (and a few train whistles) that I found distracting, but that isn't to say there weren't some really nice quiet spots as well. I definitely want to return as well and do the trails I didn't make it to today.

I stopped first at the Prairie Trail, which is hardly a trail but beautiful nonetheless. Only about 500 yards in a circle, it goes through a patch of native grasses and prairie land that was absolutely beautiful in the morning sunlight. It was certainly worth the small walk and was a nice way to kind of start out the morning before my longer hike. Next was the 3.2 miles Lime Kiln Trail, which gets the name from the 400 ft. tall lime kiln that is at the trailhead, built in the 1850s. It's a really neat landmark, and there is some interesting information posted at the trail for you to read to if you like your history with your hikes (as I do). I hiked the trail counter-clockwise as Steve Henry's book suggests, and man is there a lot of climbing on this trail! The first ascents were really quite steep, and I'm out of shape! They were tough too because it was a mix of roots and packed dirt, and lots of loose rocks. You seem to climb up pretty high on this trail, for quite a bit (though there are some lulls with some more level pathways) before leveling out a bit onto a mostly dirt-packed trail. These trails are less scenic view trails and more tranquil forest scenes. While there is nothing spectacular about the views, it is a beautiful landscape nonetheless. The switchbacks back down are rocky and keep you on your toes, and you can tell when you're getting close to the end because it levels out and follows the main road for awhile next to a stream before coming back full circle to the kiln. Even though it isn't a long trail, it is definitely a great balance of calm wood walking and rocky ascents that require quite a bit more effort.

I finished up my visit by doing the 2 mile Turkey Ridge Trail, which I didn't enjoy nearly as much as the other trail, but a part of this was that there was a small group of people pretty close behind me which always distracts me and makes me feel like I want to keep some distance-- so I kind of rushed the trail too much. Turkey Ridge has about the same scenery as the Lime Kiln Trail with perhaps a little less variety (though there is a really nice pine grove towards the end you walk next to), but still a good balance of steeper inclines, calm dirt-packed paths through the woods, and lots of rocks so there is still a bit of challenge to the hike.

At least I'm getting some exercise...

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No real hiking again. Lots of thunderstorms and rain have probably made the trails a little hazardous, and along with heat up near 100 degrees and humidity enough to melt you, I admit to being too cowardly to brave it. Thanks to a roommate who is much more health conscious than I am, I did do the 3.7 mile Creve Coeur Lake trail again both Saturday AND Sunday morning this weekend, which I am very proud of.

Matson Hill Park success & Daniel Boone Judgement Tree

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I finally made it to Matson Hill Park trail and found the trail open! This was my third try (wow). Now this path was supposedly built for trail biking, according to 60 Hikes, and sure enough I only saw one other person on foot the entire time, but it wasn't too hard to share the trail with the bikers. This trail is past Lewis & Clark on 94, after driving through Defiance, Missouri and turning right at the Matson Hill Katy Trail stop, up a long gravel road. There's a picnic bench and a johnny-on-the-spot at the trailhead, which is kind of nice as well.

Started out about 7:45am, the weather already climbing close to 80 degrees. But this trail seems perfect for a hot day, almost all deep forests and very shaded, lending itself to light breezes. Even though I did get really hot by the end of the hike, for the most part I was comfortable. It's very different than some of the hikes in the area, with no real wow factors of cliffs or the Missouri River, but it's very relaxing and beautiful nonetheless. For the most part the trail is forest and hollows, lots of greenery. Another plus is that it is a very quiet trail since the main roadways are far off. I heard more birds on this trail than I have in a long time, and caught glimpses of quite a few of those birds, as well as a raccoon. It was incredibly peaceful to stop in the trail and just listen... even the light breeze seemed to make the whole forest come alive with sound. There were more than a few times I stopped to just relax in the shade and stare off into space, even though this was not a long trail and I didn't have lunch with me or anything.

There are two rusting car doors along the trail that I found interesting, as well as one area where you can see a creek that opens up into what might be a very small lake, but is too far down below you to really reach or see beyond the trees. The path is mostly dirt, with some rocky areas thrown in.  The trail is marked, but still very confusing. You can't really get lost on the trail, which is nice, but there are quite a few juntions where you have to make a choice on which way to go, and the map isn't always very helpful, and the signs don't usually tell you where each trail cut-off leads. I had to make a few educated guesses based on my map in hopes that I was taking the full loop and not a shortcut. The trail markings are posts, arrows on trees, and also orange and pink ribbons tied around trees (which may have been left over from a recent bike race), but I still spent a lot of time concerned with which path had I taken-- not all the trail break offs are marked on the maps either.

Overall, though, I thought this was a beautiful, peaceful trail,  if a little confusing. Lots of bugs, but that can be said of any trail this time of year! Afterwards I stopped at the Daniel Boone Judgement Tree Memorial Site which is right off 94 by the Katy Trail. This had nice information about Daniel Boone, nice scenery (even though I'm fairly sure this wasn't the actual site of the tree), as well as some really interesting information about the Katy Trail, and the towns of Defiance and Augusta.