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| Theme photo of the hike |
I was a little worried about the trail conditions today. We have had LOTS of rain! Some of the trails have been closed from time to time over the past 2 weeks. Some of the trails have even connected to the Illinois River in a couple of low spots. The Visitor Center's parking lot has been closed for about 2 weeks now. It has been raining off and on for days. The river goes down, and then it comes back up. I had no idea of the trail conditions until I went on the hike today. The group of 31 hikers and 2 dogs left the Lodge's lobby at 9:00a.m. and heading out on the Campanula Trail to Wildcat Canyon. From there we went down the major stairway into Wildcat Canyon (not to bad). We continues East on the river trail and into LaSalle Canyon. There was a few muddy spots, but nothing to bad.
All in all it was a great hike.
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| Heading out on the Campanula Trail |
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| A few "rays" |
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| Upper Wildcat Canyon, (just the teaser) |
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| Wildcat Canyon from the East overlook |
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| Wildcat Canyon |
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| Another angle of Wildcat Canyon |
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| View of the Dam (all gates open) from the River Trail |
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| Blue Cohash, berries in the center will turn a deep blue |
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| Crown Vetch along the river |
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| The couple to the right was staying at the Lodge and joined us for the hike. |
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| Lace capped Hydrangea |
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| Spiderwort is still blooming in the mornings |
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| LaSalle Canyon didn't disappoint today. I even took a video |
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| lower part of LaSalle Canyon |
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| Coming out of LaSalle Canyon, I couldn't help but notice the crack in this tree. When will it fall? |
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| There were 4 or 5 snakes here sunning themselves today. Taking advantage of the sun. |
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| There were quite a few snails on the move today. |
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| Brown eyed susans |
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| Wild roses |
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| Kind of a mean looking sky from Eagles Cliff |
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| These ladies were staying at the Lodge and came hiking with us. They have been friends since they were 4. What a great trip to the Starved Rock! |
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| View of the pelicans from Eagles Cliff |
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| View of the Dam from Eagles Cliff. Notice that all the dam's 10 doors are open. The water level is equal. There is generally about a 15-17 foot difference. |
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| Found a few Campanula flowers on top of Eagles Cliff |
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| View of Starved Rock from Lover's Leap |
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| Jacob's ladder is closed from the bluff trail. There is still a small section of the trail at the bottom that is flooded. If you see a closed trail or if the trail is flooded, you need to TURN AROUND for your safety! |
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| Best of all today!! The black raspberries are ready. Pick a few and eat em. Leave some for the next hiker. |
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Some of the walker's club pick up trash along the way. Some days we see more trash than others. Today was a messy day. We found cans, clothing, plastic water bottles (the worst) and an assortment of wrappers. My friend and fellow hiker Jack wrote this poem....
Leave No Trace
Parks are gifts to you and me,
a haven to go with sights to see.
I am glad there is a place,
where I can go and leave no trace.
John Muir said our soul restores
when we share the great outdoors.
Yet there seems to be some space
where green gives way to others trace.
A plastic bottle, a soda can,
a candy wrapper in the sand.
Why would one behold such beauty
and disregard a greater duty,
to stow the trash in its place,
and keep the park without ones' trace?
Perhaps we'll leave this legacy,
for generations yet to see.
I hope my children visit this place,
and say, "Dad came, but left no trace"
"He loved this place, but left no trace."
I will leave you with this: If you haven't seen anything incredible today..... Go Outside!
