Saturday December 16, 2023 Hike Summary

On Saturday, Dec. 16th, we had our last hike of the Fall 2023 hiking season. 20 hikers met the hike leader, Steve Melville, at Rim Rock parking lot and left out, with the possibility of sprinkles. Steve and 3 others had “spotted’ pickups at the end of the hike, to bring us back. We had about 4 new hikers, along with some peeps who had not been with us all fall. We headed right toward the main Rim Rock trail, then veered left, and followed a well worn path along the West base of Rim rock, exploring along, until we got to Ox Lot cave.  It is Always neat, to “view from a different direction. We then crossed the ‘dry” creek, headed to the bluff to the north side, and again turned “left” or west, and followed that bluff line around. We walked over to a “lonely” rock outcrop, and many walked on top, then around the base. We then went back to the bluffline, followed it, found a very nice, open-to-the-north shelter bluff, then made it to the “Initial Tree” area, where we ate lunch. Some saw the rock ‘fort’ and then we headed out on a trail toward the vehicles. We were on trail 184 quite a while We stopped at 2 rock shelters, which were close together, along the side of a ridge, just above trail 184. We came out to the  vehicles parked along a gravel road. The mileage for the hike was about 4.3 miles.  We did get a very few, light, misty sprinkles, enough to get some to put on their raingear, but, within 15 minutes, they were too warm, and taking it off, and stowing it in their backpacks. 

We want to say “Thank You” to all the hikers who came out to enjoy the sights of the Shawnee National Forest and surrounding areas this fall. We Do Enjoy putting on these hikes for you. and Hope you will come back next spring of 2024. Several of us will be hiking often this winter, for exercise and friendship, and, to scout for hikes for 2024.  Look for our Spring hiking schedule in about 6 weeks, And…bring a friend.

Tell ’em who you hiked with, and how much fun you had. Until then, “See ya’ll On the Trail”, 

Sunday November 12, 2023 Hike Summary

Sunday afternoon, Nov. 12th, 2023, Vicki & Gillum Ferguson led 8 other hikers on a trek into Secret Canyon. 5 of the hikers were new to hiking with the Trail Society. We met at Cedar Grove church on Rt. 145, then proceeded to move to Blanchard/New Liberty Church. From there we went down the roadway, found the creek bed and generally headed west. We worked our way down a dry waterfall, into 1 small secluded area, then back out and down to Secret Canyon. There are some nice, medium-sized bluffs, with a small shelter or two, and a large horse tie-up area. We then went pretty well back out the way we had hiked in. The sun was out and made for a great, short, Sunday afternoon exercise hike. 

Since we do Not hike on the shotgun deer weekends, our  next hike is not until Sat. November 25th, 10 am in the Jackson Hole/Double branch hole area, meeting at the old Shawnee Mart location on Rt. 145, Eddyville.  For more information (there is No limit to the number of hikers, or need to sign-up), call 618-759-1924. It might be a good way to work off a few ounces of the Thanksgiving feast. 

Until then, “See ya’ll On the Trail” and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Respectfully submitted, 

Chris Drone

Saturday, November 25, 2023 Hike Announcement

The River-to-River Trail Society announces its 9th public hike of the 2023 fall hiking season on Nov. 25th. Hiking: Jackson Hole/Double Branch Hole (Pope County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a hike of moderate difficulty, 6 miles in length, 5 hours hiking time. This will be a loop hike. The leader of this hike can be reached at 618-759-1924 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at the old Shawnee Mart Eddyville. This hike is intended for people in good health who have done some hiking. Hiking sticks and boots or sturdy shoes are recommended. Hikers should bring their own water and snacks. No dogs please. Hikers will need to shuttle to the hiking area due to limited parking. There are 6 streams to be crossed and hikers may need to walk rocks when crossing streams. Hikers’ shoes and or boots may become wet when crossing streams if it has rained. 60%-70% of the hike is off-trail. Some steep grades. There is some shimmying down rock in Jackson Hole and hikers will need to sit down on rock ledge and ease down to next level, just a few inches. There may be some slick rock if it has rained. For a map to the meeting location at the old Shawnee Mart at Rt 145 and Eddyville/Golconda Rd. click on this blue link Old Shawnee Mart and a map will open up, and then click the Directions button and a driving map will be created which will allow you to plan your driving directions to the meeting area. Prior to participating in any hikes, the River-to-River Trail Society requests that all hikers read the 2023 Trail Society Waiver which can be found on the River-to-River website at the following link River-to-River Trail Society Information and then sign off on this waiver prior to the beginning of the hike. A copy of the waiver will be at the Old Shawnee Mart Eddyville meeting area for your signature. 

Saturday November 11, 2023 Hike Summary

Our Society hike of Nov 11th, started out with recognizing our veterans. Next Shawn Gossman, Hiking with Shawn, started our day with introductions. We had 14 hikers with several old friends, that have hiked with us in the past, joining us.
Shawn’s hike was a figure 8 or two loops starting out along the North side of Lake Glendale using established trails. We continued heading towards a line of bluffs, BLUFFAGE, where we had our lunch break. We headed on to finish the second loop then hiked the South side of Glendale.
The camp site at the lake looked like it was full. There were hunters camping as bow season was in during this time.
Shawn’s hike was just under 5 miles, just right to take advantage of some great Southern Illinois weather.
The Map below is a Avenza Map. Avenza can be found and downloaded from a link in our website. RivertoRiverTrail.net The Map of Dixon Springs bike routes, Created in part by Shawn, can be found on the Avenza website. Out 11th hike is in blue on this Map.

Sunday, November 12, 2023 Hike Announcement

The River-to-River Trail Society announces its 8th public hike of the Fall, 2023 hiking season, on Sunday, November 12, at 1:30 p.m.  The hike will be an out-and-back hike of about three miles into Secret Canyon, in the Lusk Creek Wilderness, in Pope County.  This will be a hike of moderate difficulty, which will require walking on wet stones and climbing down rocks in two locations. Some of the hike will be off trail. Accordingly, hikers should be in good health and have some experience in hiking over broken ground. Boots and hiking sticks are strongly recommended. Hikers should bring their own water and a snack. No dogs, please. Because rules of the Forest Service limit the size of the group to no more than ten people, the hike will be by reservation only. To register for the hike, call (630) 470-7692. Prior to participating in any hikes, the River-to-River Trail Society requests that all hikers read the 2023 Trail Society Waiver which can be found on the River-to-River website at the following link River-to-River Trail Society Information and then sign off on this waiver prior to the beginning of the hike. A copy of the waiver will be at the meeting area for your signature.

Saturday, November 11, 2023 Hike Announcement

The River-to-River Trail Society announces its 7th public hike of the 2023 fall hiking season on Nov. 11th. Hiking: Lake Glendale (Pope County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a hike of moderate difficulty, 6 miles in length, 5 hours hiking time. This will be a loop hike. The leader of this hike can be reached at 618-694-7034 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at Lake Glendale Cardinal Bay Trailhead (boat ramp). This hike is intended for people in good health who have done some hiking. Hiking sticks and boots or sturdy shoes are recommended. Hikers should bring their own water and snacks. No dogs please. Check the post on the River-to-River Trail Society website www.rivertorivertrail.net for more information including driving directions to the meeting area for this hike. There are 4 stream crossings. Hikers may need to walk rocks when crossing the streams if it has rained. There are some steep grades. There may be some slick rocks. For a map to the meeting location at Lake Glendale Cardinal Bay Trailhead (boat ramp) click on this blue link Cardinal Bay Trailhead and a map will open up, and then click the Directions button and a driving map will be created which will allow you to plan your driving directions to the meeting area. Prior to participating in any hikes, the River-to-River Trail Society requests that all hikers read the 2023 Trail Society Waiver which can be found on the River-to-River website at the following link River-to-River Trail Society Information and then sign off on this waiver prior to the beginning of the hike. A copy of the waiver will be at the Lake Glendale Cardinal Bay Trailhead meeting area for your signature.

Saturday October 28, 2023 Hike Summary

On Saturday, October 28th, we gathered at the Godwin East Trailhead. Bob & Sam had already spotted vehicles at the West end. 9 hikers gathered and Bob promptly got us started at 10:01 am. We were all keeping an eye and ear out for the possibilities of changing, inclement weather. There were 2 new hikers, 1 from Columbia, IL, and 1 from Rock Island, IL. 1 hiker almost did not come with us, as he had not brought anything to wear in case of rain. A fellow hiker was glad to help with an extra poncho found in his backpack.  We started out with and kept a brisk pace. There was quite a bit of color to be seen, which would have been nicer with sunshine, but, it was still good. Our 1st thing we found was a big, huge clay well casing, that was several feet wide, but, the well was filled in with debris, so no water to be found. All creeks had no running water, just pockets, which are probably wildlife watering spots during a dry period such as we are experiencing. When we got to Hutchins creek, we took the group picture, including the hornet/wasp nest that Bob and Sam had found earlier in the week. With the cooler temperatures, we did not observe any activity. Once past there, it was a slow, steady upward climb. We took a few minutes for lunch and of course Bobs’ delicious muffins….mmmmm, soo good. (I should have taken a picture). We got to the trucks in about 3 hrs. and 17 minutes after we left the original trailhead.  My tracker showed over 7.5 miles. We then went to Inspiration Point.  I had never been there. We all went out to the Point, several climbed the rock, and all exited safely. There were a few other people there. We took our time getting out to the point and back, adding about another half mile to the days’ hiking. 

Next weeks’ hike will be at Kinkaid Lake. It will be about 75 miles for those coming from the east side. For more information, call 618-791-3086. 

Saturday, October 28, 2023 Hike Announcement

The River-to-River Trail Society announces its 5th public hike of the 2023 fall hiking season on Oct. 28th. Hiking: Godwin Trail (Union County). The Godwin Trail is a segment of the R2R trail. This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a hike of extreme difficulty, 7 miles in length, 4 hours hiking time. This will be a through hike. The leader of this hike can be reached at 708-471-7500 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at Godwin Trailhead East. This hike is intended for people in good health who have done some hiking. Hiking sticks and boots or sturdy shoes are recommended. Hikers should bring their own water and snacks. No dogs please. Hikers will need to shuttle back to Godwin Trailhead East once this hike is completed. Some vehicles will need to be shuttled to Godwin Trailhead West. There is one wide stream to be crossed. Hikers may need to walk rocks while crossing the stream if it has rained. Hiker’s shoes/boots may become wet when crossing this stream. There are some steep grades on this hike. For a map to the meeting location of Godwin Trailhead East click this blue link Godwin Trailhead East and a map will open up, and then click the Directions button and a driving map will be created which will allow you to plan your driving directions to the meeting area. Prior to participating in any hikes, the River-to-River Trail Society requests that all hikers read the 2023 Trail Society Waiver which can be found on the River-to-River website at the following link River-to-River Trail Society Information and then sign off on this waiver prior to the beginning of the hike. A copy of the waiver will be at the Godwin Trailhead East meeting area for your signature.

Saturday October 14, 2023 Hike Summary

On Saturday, October 14th, 12 hikers met at Ferne Clyffe State Park, to be led on a hike by Chris Drone. We had 4 New hikers: a couple from Colombia. Illinois, a son from North Carolina joining his dad, and a woman from right in Johnson County.  The skies were cloudy so we were not going to see any real part of the eclipse. The plan was to do the Happy Hollow trail. A small amount of rain had fallen in the previous 30 hours, but not enough to make any stream flow. We saw 2 small arches in the first couple of miles, such as “Happy Arch” and then “Double Arch”, which several people either clambered on top of, or through it. Then we found a High, but alas, dry waterfall. On the trail we also observed a spot where many decades ago, there was probably a bridge, with many flat rocks stacked on top of each other as supports for either end of the bridge. The trail changed, no longer flat and we started climbing and saw several small “cave/shelters”.  We thought, that, maybe around noon, it seemed to get a bit darker, but were not quite sure.  We ate lunch at the Main arch in the park, and took the group picture at the arch. Then, after lunch, we followed the trail and got up on top of the arch, several walked it. We then made our way to “Crocodile Rock” , (or alligator rock whichever you prefer) and took in the view through the valley to the Southeast. Then, began the long hike on the River to River trail. We got back to a junction, and 3 split off to get home and do some work. Several continued on to go to the “back entrance” to Hawks’ Cave. Once we got close, Bob Mulcahy took 2 to go “on top’ of the cave and the rest continued to the cave. Coming away from the cave, and going to the main parking area, the general area was pointed out as to the possible location of Mrs. Rebmans’ cabin, the woman who originally donated the land to the State of Illinois for a park. We hiked about 6.5 miles today. Next weeks’ hike is in the Lusk Creek area.. You Will need to call (618-384-1321) and Register for the hike, Please.. 

Until then, “See ya’ll On the Trail”. 

Saturday, October 21, 2023 Hike Announcement

The River-to-River Trail Society announces its 4th public hike of the 2023 fall hiking season on Oct. 21st. Hiking: Salt Peter Cave, 20-person maximum capacity, Reservations Required (Pope County). This hike is free and open to the public. This will be a hike of moderate difficulty, 5.5 miles in length, 4 hours hiking time. This will be a loop hike. The leaders of this hike can be reached at 618-384-1321 for more information. Hikers should meet at 10:00 am at Lusk Creek Trailhead on Straight Street. This hike is intended for people in good health who have done some hiking. Hiking sticks and boots or sturdy shoes are recommended. Hikers should bring their own water and snacks, No dogs please. Hikers will need to shuttle to the hiking area due to limited parking. The two groups of hikers will hike in separate directions. There are 9 streams to be crossed, 2 wide 7 narrow. Hikers may need to walk rocks while crossing streams if it has rained. Hiker’s shoes/boots may become wet when crossing streams. For a map to the meeting location of Lusk Creek Trailhead Straight Street click this blue link Lusk Creek Trailhead Straight Street and a map will open up, and then click the Directions button and a driving map will be created which will allow you to plan your driving directions to the meeting area.  Prior to participating in any hikes, the River-to-River Trail Society requests that all hikers read the 2023 Trail Society Waiver which can be found on the River-to-River website at the following link River-to-River Trail Society Information and then sign off on this waiver prior to the beginning of the hike. A copy of the waiver will be at the Lusk Creek Trailhead meeting area for your signature.