This week’s trip was to the White Pines Forrest State Park in Oregon, Illinois — I swear, Illinois has a city named after every state. According to my mother, I went there 48 years ago for a camping trip. Considering I was only two, I don’t remember much. On this trip, I spent 3.5 hours hiking the four major trails. The humidity inside the forrest was daunting, but rewarding. When you finish a long hike covered in a thick sheen of sweat with wobbly legs, you feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment. It’s a little like sex, except there’s no orgasm and you have a much higher chance of encountering poison ivy.
I didn’t get many photos from White Pines because I was so concentrated on the hiking. I’ll try to do better next time. But I did enounter this…thing.
I also successfully crossed several creeks. While my balance isn’t great, I managed not to fall even once. It’s good to know that the squat exercises have not been in vain.
After the trip I was exhausted. I had several other possible places on my itinerary, but I knew I wouldn’t last much longer. After a quick drive through the lovely and quaint downtown Oregon, I stopped off at Lowden State Park. I had put this after White Pines on my list because the mileage was lower. I should have gone here first.
Lowden isn’t short. It’s compact. There’s a decent sized forest with a few trails, but the main hike involves a gigantic staircase that goes down to the river. At each platform (say after every 20 stairs), you can exit the staircase and hike around the park on a steep incline — imagine a mountain with circle trails covering it. I started one trail and then I remembered what happened during my first trip to Matthiessen. “A man’s got to know his limitations.” I will return to Lowden later this year (or perhaps next) and visit a few other places near Oregon. It’s a great little town.
Of course, most people don’t go to Lowden for the hiking. Most people go for Black Hawk.
Another fine trip. This week was great for exercise and diet. I’ll post a writing update soon. I was planning to review The Big Bad Wolf Murder, but it apparently takes 100 years to be delivered from the UK. Amazon sent me a message saying it was probably delivered. I have no idea what that means, but it isn’t encouraging. I have a few other books I might review. I am in no rush this summer to do anything but get in shape and see some cool shit.
Take care
James Scott Byrnside 