Thorn Creek/GSU Hike
March 26, 2022

Six hikers turned out on a very cold, windy day to hike the Thorn Creek Trail and then head over to Governor State University for a sculpture walk.   The Thorn Creek portion of the hike can best be described as muddy, but fun or as very muddy, but fun.   Due to the rain earlier in the week, these trails were difficult to navigate due to mud, mud, and more mud.  There were portions slightly flooded and hard to cross.  Needless to say, that did not deter adventurous hikers.

The same cannot be said for GSU.  Although we knew it would not be muddy, we also knew we would be putting up with cold winds.  Well, we lasted only a few minutes before deciding to proceed indoors for a warm, cozy indoor walk through the art galleries to view the student artwork on display.  Although this was not the original plan, it worked out and we all enjoyed ourselves.

We then had a great lunch at Evil Horse/The Loft.

This was our final scheduled hike posted last fall.  That does not mean we are done hiking, however.  Look for more to come through announcements.  As the weather warms up many of us will combine our biking activities with walks through the woods.

Lemont Quarries Hike
Feb. 14, 2022
While some were celebrating Valentine's Day and others were preparing for the Super Bowl, eleven hikers came out to enjoy a cold, winter day.  And it sure was cold!!   There was a warm up period days before the hike followed by a freeze, so trails were snow covered and icy - very icy.  For those of us who had some sort of cleats to put on their shoes, it wasn't too bad; without them it was very slippery.    It was also very, very cold.

It was tricky to decide which trail to take.  We wanted to avoid the ice but this really was almost impossible.  The first trail we tried dead ended with the gates being closed.   We retraced our steps and then tried walking the road. That was ok, but we really wanted to get into the woods.  We ended up going around a frozen lake which was a little more protected.  That turned out to be a good path.  Luckily, no one fell during our hike and we stayed warm enough while moving. All said, it was another good day for hiking. There are no pictures of this hike - it was too cold to take the gloves off!

For lunch our group divided with some heading to Orland and others going to a local place in Lemont.
Our next two hikes will be at Starved Rock and Miller Beach to finish off February.