Hiking and the Outdoors

You are currently browsing the archive for the Hiking and the Outdoors category.

Jeepin’

January 14, 2010 in Having Fun, Hiking and the Outdoors, Washington County, MO | 6 comments

A small town man who drives a great big Jeep has recently made repeat appearances in the life of this small town girl, and there’s little that’s more authentically Small Town Missouri than off-roading in jacked-up trucks.

If small town life were like the Girl Scouts, this small town girl would be boasting a Jeepin’ badge after her adventures last weekend with said small town man in his big yellow Jeep.

4WD, photo by smalltowngirl

What started out as a scenic drive down county roads turned into a drive straight down this steep, snowy hill and onto an embankment in the middle of the lake, below.

The white that you see in the picture below is ice on the lake, not snow on the ground.

On the Lake, photo by smalltowngirl

The lake was only the beginning of the adventure. My pictures may not do justice to the jaunts we took into the woods, where small town man called “roads” things that looked to me like narrow walking paths.

Tree limbs scraped down the sides of the Jeep’s body and across its soft top as we eased our way through the trees.

"My iPhone says there's a road here", photo by smalltowngirl

As we tried to find our way out of the woods, the small town man used the GPS on his iPhone to lead the way while this small town girl used her small town country girl instinct.

“My iPhone says that Highway C is straight ahead,” said the small town man.

Moments later, the small town couple came to a locked gate and a “No Trespassing” sign, and this girl teased the small town man relentlessly as she munched the deer sausage and cheese her small town, deer-huntin’ dad had shared with them.

A Small Town Snack, photo by smalltowngirl

The grit and the bright lights of New York City are still in this small town girl’s heart, but days like this one are like an anthropological expedition into this small town girl’s roots in Small Town Missouri.

There’s a time for high heels and sushi, and there’s a time for deer sausage and Jeepin’. Thank goodness there have been enough days in this small town girl’s life to experience some of both.

Tags: 4WD, Four-Wheeling, Jeepin, Jeeps, Missouri, Off-Roading, small town missouri, Small Town Missouri Girl, smalltowngirl, Washington County Missouri

St. Francois State Park: Mooner’s Hollow Trail

December 14, 2009 in Hiking and the Outdoors, Missouri, Missouri Natural Areas, Missouri State Parks, St. Francois County, MO | 4 comments

Starburst - (Not Photoshopped), photo by smalltowngirl

St. Francois State Park was a pleasant surprise. This park sits directly on US Highway 67 north of Bonne Terre, Missouri, and I’ve driven past it countless times through the years without ever visiting it. The park boasts four trails ranging in length from .5-mile (Missouri Trail) to 11-miles (Pike Run Trail).

Frozen, photo by smalltowngirl

The first hike we took was along the Mooner’s Hollow Trail, a 2.7-mile loop that though judged moderate in difficulty on the MO State Parks website, seemed to me to be easy-to-moderate. There weren’t many steep inclines, and there weren’t many roots or larger rocks along the trail.

Rushing Water, photo by smalltowngirl

Much of the trail followed a dry creek bed, so I anticipate that this trail may be best hiked during dryer months. Mooner’s Hollow Trail follows Coonville Creek in the Coonville Creek Natural Area.

Missouri Hills, photo by smalltowngirl

St. Francois State Park is one of 83 State Parks in the state of Missouri. The park boasts more than 2,700 acres of land, and welcomes hikers, horseback riding, fishing, camping, picnicking and swimming. There are shower houses and out buildings in the park. The park currently opens at 8 am and closes at 6 pm.

The

Tags: Coonville Creek, Coonville Creek Natural Area, Hiking, Missouri, Missouri State Parks, Mooner's Hollow Trail, small town missouri, Small Town Missouri Girl, smalltowngirl, St. Francois County Missouri, St. Francois State Park

Fish Fries and Tall Tales

November 22, 2009 in Appreciating Friends and Family, Having Fun, Hiking and the Outdoors, Missouri, Simple Pleasures | No comments

I was invited to join my parents at a fish fry in Coffman, Missouri in another family’s large shed/garage/barn. Inside the barn, we listened to the men recount the day’s deer hunting adventures while we ate fried blue gill, potatoes and macaroni & cheese.

I sipped a Bud Light Wheat; a fire burned in the woodstove; and antelope, bear, deer, and a coyote hung mounted on the walls around us. This fish fry was everything that’s perfect and amazing about rural Missouri life.

My dad’s hunting stories were the center of the evening’s attention. With the help of two other men, he brought home a 10-point buck, but not before he found himself with several gashes across his nose and forehead, and blood smeared across his shirt. The stories of how dad’s nose became cut and bloody grew more boisterous as the night progressed.

As I understand it, my dad was convinced he could use his 1985 three-wheeler to retrieve the deer’s body from a steep, boulder-filled ravine. As he tried to get the three-wheeler up the ravine with the deer tied to the back, the front wheel repeatedly came off the ground. Distracted by trying to keep the front wheel on the ground, my dad was slapped across the face by a bramble bush.

So now my dad looks darned tough with his bloody slashes, and his deer is gonna look awesome on the wall. I have to admit though that the vision of my dad riding his Honda up the hill in a pop-wheelie has left me smiling all weekend long.

Dad's 10-Pointer, photo by smalltowngirl

Tags: deer hunting, family, fish fries, friends, hunting, Missouri, small town missouri, smalltowngirl, tall tales

Bee Tree Park

November 10, 2009 in Hiking and the Outdoors, Simple Pleasures, St. Louis | 2 comments

Bee Tree Park 1, photo by smalltowngirl

I spent my Sunday tooling around South County St. Louis in a convertible, taking in the sunshine and enjoying good company. After a great omelet and coffee and First Watch, we headed to Bee Tree Park to get some exercise.

The park sits along the Mississippi River and has concrete and gravel trails for walking, jogging or biking.

Bee Tree Park, photo by smalltowngirl

We stood on the Chubb Memorial Overlook, gazing out at the slow but powerful river, and my mind wandered to my good friend Matt, who’s older brother Mike kayaked the Mississippi River from beginning to end. Mike was killed very recently in Afghanistan. His memorial service was Friday, and his family had been on my mind all weekend. Standing over the Mississippi put me in awe that Mike had kayaked the entire thing alone.

Mississippi River, photo by smalltowngirl

Mississippi, photo by smalltowngirl

We continued walking down trails through the woods before venturing onto the “fish trail”, which circled a seven-acre lake. The park was filled with families walking dogs, fishing, riding bikes and picnicking.

Bee Tree is the first St. Louis County Park I’ve spent any time in, and I was impressed both by the park itself and by the number of people using the park on this gorgeous Sunday afternoon.

Lake, photo by smalltowngirl

***

For more about Bee Tree Park, visit the St. Louis County Website.

Tags: Bee Tree Park, Hiking, Missouri, Oakville, Parks, smalltowngirl, South County St. Louis, St. Louis, St. Louis County Parks

Ozark Trail Part I: Spiders

August 27, 2009 in Hiking and the Outdoors | 6 comments

Yesterday, I took a long hike on the Ozark Trail’s longest section, the Courtois (pronounced “Code-a-way”).

Although I’d like to write an entire blog on the section of trail that I hiked, for now I’d like to show you some of the arachinids who were hanging out on their webs across my trail.

Itsy Bitsy Spider, photo by smalltowngirl

I don’t know what I was thinking hiking in August, but my hike was hot, humid, and spider-infested.

A few hundred feet into the trail, the spiderwebs started to become problematic. Over and over again, I felt their sticky threads wrap around my arms, legs, or face, and found myself swatting at the air like a maniac, trying to get the webs off of my skin.

I picked up a long, thin stick, which I carried like a sword in front of my body, trying to knock spiderwebs down. Along I plodded, slicing my stick-sword through the air, a full-blown war waged between myself and these eight-legged creepy crawlers.

This gigantic spider, with a body well larger than my thumb, was intimidating. I didn’t want to make him mad at me, so I left his web intact and asked him to please not bother me as I deftly snuck beneath his web.

Big spider, photo by smalltowngirl

Spiders were everywhere. To say I saw hundreds of them is not an exaggeration. I saw red ones, black ones and gray ones; big ones little ones and itsy bitsy ones.

For good measure, I took a few shots of some daddy long legs, hanging upside down in a cave. Daddy long legs are arachnids, although they aren’t techinically spiders. I thought this last shot rounded out my spider photo collection nicely.

long legs, photo by smalltowngirl

Tags: Courtois Section, Hiking, Itty Bitty, Ozark Trail, small town missouri, smalltowngirl, spiders

Lost Valley Trail

July 4, 2009 in Hiking and the Outdoors, Missouri, Simple Pleasures | 2 comments

Yesterday, I went for a hike in St. Charles County, Missouri. I usually hike in Washington, St. Francois and Ste. Genevieve Counties, so hiking futher north was a fun change of pace.

The landscape in the St. Louis area is generally flatter than it is even sixty or seventy miles further south, making this Southeast Missouri girl qualify this “hike” as a scenic walk in the woods.

There were a few hills and rocky places, but for the most part, the trail was flat and even. Much of the nine miles of trail is lined with gravel and clear of overgrowth. Other segments of the trail are covered in thick, low-lying weeds, though, so be sure and use tick repellant if you plan to walk this trail.

This would be a great trail for walking dogs, or for exercise if you live in the St. Charles area. Much of the trail would even be nice for trail running. Based on my experience researching the trail and hiking it yesterday, it seems that Lost Valley is geared (haha, I crack myself up) primarily for mountain biking.

Photo credit: Gateway Off-Road Cyclists

The Lost Valley Trail is a 9-mile hiking and mountain biking loop inside Weldon Springs Conservation Area on Route 94, south of US 40/I-64.

The parking lot and trail head are easy to miss. Use the St. Charles County Police Training Area as your point of reference; the Lost Valley Trail is the next turn-off on the right.

For more information on Lost Valley and other St. Louis area mountain biking trails, visit Gateway Off-Road Cyclists.

Tags: Hiking, Lost Valley Trail, Missouri, smalltowngirl, St. Charles, St. Charles Missouri, Weldon Springs Conservation Area

St. Joe State Park Bicycle Trail

June 17, 2009 in Farmington, Having Fun, Hiking and the Outdoors, Missouri, Simple Pleasures | 1 comment

St. Joe State Park is one of Missouri’s largest state parks, boasting more than 8,000 acres of property and a 14-mile concrete trail for walking, jogging, rollerblading or biking. The best part? This park is really close to my small town.

I jogged on the trail a few times in high school, and took my mountain bike there for my first ride on it when I was in my early twenties. Since moving back to Missouri, I’ve ridden the full trail twice.

St. Joe State Park Map, Credit: Missouri State Parks

If you’re not up for the full 14 miles, you can park at several points along the trail, and ride out half your intended distance before doubling back. If you’re in reasonably good shape, though, I’d do the full loop.

I’ve ridden this starting in Farmington, crossing US Hwy 67, and entering the park at the Farmington Trail head at the Southeast corner of the map. By starting in Farmington, you can add a couple more miles to the ride.

I’ve also parked at the Old Mines entrance at the Northern edge of the park and ridden the loop. If you intend to ride the full 14 miles, where you start the ride is secondary, in my opinion, to which direction you ride in once you’re on the trail.

St. Joe State Park Bicycle Trail, photo by smalltowngirl

Riding the trail counterclockwise, according to this map view, you’ll encounter several long, low-grade uphills. If you ride clockwise, on the other hand, you’ll hit two hills that are neither terribly long nor terribly steep.

The asphalt is smooth; fit for road bikes or hybrids, though I only have a mountain bike, and it works out fine as well. Because there’s a large area for riding ORVs in the center of the park, beware that on dry, windy winds, you’ll be riding through a lot of dust when you’re riding past Missouri Mines.

Missouri Mines from St. Joe State Park Bicycle Trail, photo by smalltowngirl

St. Joe State Park can be accessed from several towns in the area, including Farmington, Park Hills, and Leadington. Parking is available at the trail heads, and there is at least one point along the trail (I believe it’s at the Harris Branch Trail Head) where clean drinking water is available.

Tags: Bike Trails in Missouri, Missouri, Missouri State Parks, Riding Bikes in St. Joe Park, small town missouri, smalltowngirl, St. Joe Bike Trail, St. Joe State Park

Pickle Springs State Natural Area

May 4, 2009 in Farmington, Hiking and the Outdoors, Simple Pleasures | 6 comments

Last weekend, I hiked in Hawn State Park and took a 20ish-mile bike ride in St. Joe State Park. This weekend, I hit the trails at the 256-acre Pickle Springs State Natural Area in Ste. Genvieve, Missouri.

Waterfall at Pickle Springs, photo by smalltowngirl

Pickle Springs is a truly beautiful area. As a hiker, you lose the sounds and thoughts of the rest of the world once you’ve taken a few feet down the trail, which makes a two-mile loop. The forest is dense with plant life, and my walk on Saturday was a fungus-hunter’s delight. For more fungus photos, check out my flickr photostream. Here’s one example of the almost beautiful texture, color, and pattern of the fungi I saw.

Jelly-like Fungus on Tree, photo by smalltowngirl

The trails at Pickle Springs are rocky and have roots growing through them. This isn’t a trail to walk with weak ankles or knees, and be forewarned as we face this spring’s rains; the trails become conduits for rainwater. I was very thankful for my Goretex boots on this particular hike. Don’t be fooled by this photo. It looks like a creek, but it’s actually the flooded trail.

Flooded Trail, photo by smalltowngirl

Pickle Springs has a lot of sandstone formations, most of which I’m sure have proper geological names, none of which I know. What I do know is that there are huge sandstone boulders like the ones in the flooded trail picture that you hiked between; there are even bigger ones that have holes in them the size of small cars that you can climb through; and there are sandstone bluffs that drop down 100 or so feet to the earth below.

Sandstone Boulders, photo by smalltowngirl

The views from the highest bluffs are really nice. Near the end of the loop, there’s a high bluff looking out over the forest, and it’s truly a beautiful Missouri view.

View from high bluff, photo by smalltowngirl

A blog about Pickle Springs wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the waterfalls. We aren’t talking Niagra Falls here, but this two-mile trail boasts countless small waterfalls, ranging from short ones in full blown creeks to 30-foot tall onces with a steady but small stream of water falling down. This weekend was a great time to hike the trail (with waterproof boots) since the surplus of rainwater meant that our hike was constantly made more peaceful by the sounds of dripping or streaming water.

Smaller Waterfall at Pickle Springs, photo by smalltowngirl

Pickle Springs State Natural Area is owned and maintained by the Missouri Department of Conservation, and is located in St. Genevieve County, Missouri off of Ste. Genevieve County Highway AA. To reach the park from Farmington or Ste. Gen, take State Hwy 32 to AA and continue two miles or so down AA, where you’ll see a brown Conservation Department Sign for Pickle Springs. Turn onto the gravel road across from the sign and continue 1-2 minutes to the Pickle Springs parking area.

I’d recommend this nature trail for a short day hike, and not for hikers who have problems with uneven or rocky trails.

To see more pictures of fungi, waterfalls, and sandstone boulders at Pickle Springs, check out my flickr photostream.

Tags: Hiking, Missouri, small town missouri, smalltowngirl

Hawn State Park

April 26, 2009 in Hiking and the Outdoors, Missouri, Simple Pleasures | 4 comments

Missouri has an outstanding state park system, with 83 total parks and historic sites. The parks are generally safe and clean, and they hold miles and miles of trails for walking and hiking. Hawn State Park is one of the larger parks in the area. It’s 4,953 acres boast hiking, camping, and picnicking.

Pickle Creek, photo by smalltowngirl

Pickle Creek, which runs through the park, crosses the trails in several places, creating a sense of adventure for the novice hiker, as stepping (or leaping, when the water is higher) across large rocks is a requirement of continuing down the trail. This photo is of the first creek crossing we came to:

Creek Crossing, photo by smalltowngirl

I’ve been coming to Hawn State Park off and on since I started driving, at 16 years old. The trails have changed a bit, as errosion has affected some of the steeper trails. The dogwood tree is the state tree of Missouri. The view from this bluff today was made more beautiful thanks to the white flowers on the dogwood trees:

Flowering Dogwood Trees from Bluff, photo by smalltowngirl

While I can’t verify this, I believe that the first six miles or so of trail would be Class 1. I hiked today in trail running shoes, though boots, particulary water proof ones, would have proven helpful in a few spots. I can’t vouch for the other four miles of trail, though my friend claims that they do get more difficult as the trail goes deeper into the park.

Profile in the side of a rock, photo by smalltowngirl

According to the park map, there is a total 10 miles of hiking along a large figure eight trail. At least one shorter trail exists. My friend and I hiked half of one of the two looped trails that make up the larger figure eight. Trail signs recommend that you allow up to nine hours to hike the full 10 miles, though based on my experience this afternoon, I think that nine hours is a very conservative hike time.

Trail Head, photo by smalltowngirl

Hawn State Park is located 60 miles south of St. Louis between Farmington and Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, in Ste. Genevieve County. The drive from Farmington is roughly 20 minutes, while the drive from the intersection of Hwy 32 and Interstate 55 is slightly shorter. The park is located off of Route 144, which can be reached from Missouri State Highway 32 in Ste. Genevieve County. Find detailed directions here.

This small town girl recommends Hawn State Park for longer, overnight hikes, as well as for family picnics and day trips.

Tags: Hawn State Park, Hiking, Missouri, Missouri State Parks, smalltowngirl

A Bald Eagle, a Beautiful Sunrise, and a Shotgun

March 8, 2009 in Hiking and the Outdoors, Missouri, Overcoming Fear, Simple Pleasures | 2 comments

On Friday evening, I sat with several coworkers in the dining hall, waiting for the board retreat events to begin. On the menu were fried fish, hush puppies, a salad bar, and desert.

The dining hall looks out onto a 360-acre spring fed lake, and as we ate, a gigantic bird flew past the windows 40 feet or so above the water. My colleague, Andy, pointed it out to us, saying that what had just flown by was “our” bald eagle.

Bald Eagles:

MO=1; NY=0

***

Because board retreat activities were going fairly late Friday night, I stayed at the Lodge. I woke up the next morning to this view outside my room:

Beautiful sunrises over lakes:

Mo=1; NY=0

***

On Saturday afternoon, the board was invited to participate in a trap and skeet range orientation. Since I’ve been trying to do as many of the activities at work as I can, I decided to tag along.

I grew up around guns, but I had never taken gun safety, and had never shot a shotgun. During the hourlong gun safety course we took, I learned about the parts of the gun, the rules of responsible gun handling, and the meanings of some common firearm jargon.

Watching the instructor (who also happens to be one of my bosses) handle the three shotguns (none loaded) that were part of the safety course, I had butterflies in my stomach.

I haven’t been around guns in a long time, and my liberal-leaning New-Yorker-self was starting to question whether I really wanted to handle one.

I stayed back, watching the board members and their families try their hands with shooting trap. Finally, though, all of the other people had taken their turn, and a few people turned to me, expectantly. I looked around, realizing that I was the only person left to shoot, and stood up to try shooting the 20-gauge shotgun.

The kick on the 20-gauge wasn’t as bad as I’d expected it to be, but the gun itself was a lot heavier than I was prepared for. My left arm, on which most of the weight of the gun was resting, was almost shaking after five shots, and it’s still a little sore today.

I guess I was proud of myself for trying something that scared me. I would have been perfectly comfortable never having that shtogun in my hands, but I didn’t let myself stay scared.

I missed every one of the five clays I was shooting at, but I learned new things and overcame what I hadn’t even recognized before then was a fear of mine in handling firearms.

Firearms aren’t a subject for light-hearted conversation, so I’m not giving this experience points in my tongue-and-cheek MO vs. NY battle.

***

I will, however, chalk one up for the trails outside the office. After finishing up at the trap and skeet range, I took a jog on the trails, and left work to head home for the rest of the weekend.

Trails outside the office:

MO = 1; NY = 0

Tags: Missouri, New York City, smalltowngirl

Hiking and the Outdoors

Jeepin’

St. Francois State Park: Mooner’s Hollow Trail

Fish Fries and Tall Tales

Bee Tree Park

Ozark Trail Part I: Spiders

Lost Valley Trail

St. Joe State Park Bicycle Trail

Pickle Springs State Natural Area

Hawn State Park

A Bald Eagle, a Beautiful Sunrise, and a Shotgun

Flickr

Search

Recent Posts

Blogroll

Categories