Tower Grove Park, Mid November

 Paul got me up early for a walk and breakfast at City Diner. Gorgeous morning. Felt like early Spring. At this point, I just enjoy the weather as it comes. No point in worrying anymore how it's not right. It was about 75 degrees by the time we stopped walking, a bit windy. Rained last night and then when we got home. . . .Not that many people out in the park. A few couples with strollers. Dog walkers and two or three joggers.

Devastating storms later on this day took out some trees and limbs and left 6 dead in Illinois.

Paul remarked that it's hard to believe all of these pictures were taken on the same day.

Bellefontaine Cemetery,October 27, 2013

 Sunday before Halloween found me at one of my favorite hiking haunts, Bellefontaine Cemetery. I wasn't sure if I'd feel sad, now having two close family members interred at other cemeteries during the past year, but I really wasn't. Maybe a little, remembering that I'd often call Mom on a Saturday morning while I was strolling these grounds. . but I still found the walk stimulating and enjoyable. In fact, I even found some headstones I hadn't noticed before. . .And as I write this, I recollect that when I got out of my car, I noticed a headstone to the left of the main drive that read Pattee, one that had never registered with me prior to this visit. There was a group taking a tour, young kids and all. I gave Phyllis a call near the end of the walk. Then Paul broke in, wanting to meet for dinner somewhere, which ended up being Gringo in the West End.

St. Louis Firefighters Memorial I'd never consciously noticed

Klled in action? I don't remember the headlines. In any case, he was born the same year I was. . .

Took this because of the tree colors, but noticed afterwards the tomb of Irma Rombauer in the background, author of The Joy of Cooking

Matson Hill Trail, October 25, 2013

 Called my brother Pat after school to go hiking. We left his house and headed to Matson Hill, a trail he likes to bike two or three times a week, weather and work schedule permitting. Discovered zoom on camera because the depress switch is beginning to malfunction on and off. . .took a pic of this deer that was very close to us, just off the trail. So many deer everywhere. . .

Profile of the man, Pat Coleman, age 41

 A pleasant hike. Pat said we took the Hayes Loop, but around 6 or so, I decided we'd never make it out before dark--and I was hoping to meet up with Paul at the Amsterdam Tavern for a few pints, then dinner somewhere in the city. Pat called Lynnie and made a dark joke involving family death that I won't mention--about why he'd be late to her sister's daughter's birthday party.

We ended up hiking out in the dark--Pat not missing a step even though he's normally blind. He picked up two rocks in case of mountain lions, although I believe the marks on the trees were deer or human made--but we each kept a rock as a memento.  Arrived back at the car on a cool, cloudless night around 7:40 p.m..

Cuivre River, Blackhawk Point Trail, Sunday, July 28, 2013

View from the Bluffs, Cuivre River State Park

The weather remained amazingly calm, cool and beautiful all through the night. It was actually 54 degrees on the morning of July 28! No stultefying humidity whatsoever. I thought perhaps I was in a different state, sitting out by a fire pit, wearing a sweater the night before this hike. Juneau and I headed off again around 8:15.  She stayed on her 20 ft. leash--only unraveling it once when I wasn't paying attention to chase a squirrel. I'm sure she wanted to chase the deer we saw when they bolted (after observing us for quite some time on two separate occasions), but she's very mindful if I'm paying attention and give her firm resistance.

This time we hiked a trail that's new as of 2011--the Blackhawk Point Trail. The trailhead is right next to the Frenchman's Bluff Trailhead behind the CCC stone shelter. It's 5.75 miles long--crosses Cheatham Road and runs along the bluffs for a substantial part, with excellent views of the river valley and farmland.  The last two miles or so follow Cheatham Road, which is gravel but open to cars. We saw deer and horses--but although the trail is specifically marked for bicyclists, we didn't see any.  I wonder if they avoid Cuivre River because horseback riders seem to claim every trail for their own. In any case, this was an excellent hike.  It was cool and breezy and I hardly ran into anyone. I'd like to come back in Fall when the leaves are changing.

I did get chggers, though. Chiggers like I haven't had since I was 33 years old! And for the first time in over eight years, I had to take a methylprednisolone packe! Ugh!

Cuivre River, Saturday, July 27, 2013

The weather was unbelievable. I don't ever recollect an end of July in St. Louis this cool and beautiful, Seventy-five degrees.  I was house sitting for my brother Pat and his wife Lynnie, so I took one of their dogs, Juneau, for a hike at Cuivre River State Park, which is only about thirty minutes via Highways 61 and 47 from their house in Wentzville. The first trail we hiked was the 2 mile Blazing Star Trail, which traverses a little forest and then this field of wildflowers. Then we hiked the 3.75 mile Big Sugar Creek Trail.  Very satisfying hike--although there was a lot of poison ivy (which I now have) and the trail markers, although much improved over three years ago when I was hiking in winter with Pat, can still be a little confusing.

Junea on her twenty foot leash!

Wildflowers in the field

Lewis Trail after Storm Damage, June 3, 2013

Heard this weekend that the weather on Monday was going to be unseasonably cool, so I postponed a lunch engagement to hike. Slept in a little, knowing that the weather would remain around 70 degrees all day.  Was a little rueful that I didn't get up sooner--and that I had made plans to go to Shakespeare in the Park at 6:30 because it would have been a perfect day for a hike at Hawn or one of the trails farther away from St. Louis that I haven't visited in awhile.  But. . .thankful for the day, I set out to stop by my Dad's to drop off some photos and then settled for the Lewis and Clark Trail, planning to try to get in 8 miles. . . .

Started to take the usual photos. O.k., here's some purple ivy, thinking that this would be a hike where everything was as usual. . . . .

Then I started to see storm damage.  Major storm damage from Friday's tornadoes, which were said to be EF3's.

 I admit that I was interested. Did the tornado actually hit the trail? Or did just very high winds do this?  At first, I thought, there will just be a small swath, but I kept passing more downed trees across the trail.

 Limbs cracked in half. . .

 This one, I had to crawl under.  The very first half mile of the trail, which usually takes ten minutes to traverse, had become an obstacle course. See all of the photos below:

Snapped in half. . . .

 After the first vista, I came across a large downed tree, on the part of the trail that descends before a long incline leading to the second vista.  The trail leads downhill, but is also on a down hill slope, so the tree was crossing the trail downhill.  I tested it for security and then climbed through the branches to get to the other side, thinking, "Oh well, I won't have to climb back over it. . . ."

 Second vista shows how high the river is. . . .

 Even more downed trees, but then I ran into another hiker. Young guy, bearded with a hiking stick, who tells me that the trail is impassable at the creek. I decide to hike down there, check it out anyway, thinking I might be able to take off my boots and cross. . . . .

Not so. Not so at all.  The river has risen so high that stagnant water has obliterated the creek. The trail ends abruptly (above) and and you can't even see where it picks up again. All is swamp. This meant I'd be turning around and hiking back out, for a total of about 5 miles. Around this time, Dad calls to ask if I've been in the house (who else would print off pics of Memorial Day at Pat's and leave them, framed, on his counter top?) I tell him about the storm damage and the flooding, send him a pic. If I'd had more time, I would have hiked in the opposite way to see where the flooding ended on the other side of the trail--and also to check out more damage.  Amazingly, although many homes were destroyed, there were no injuries during Friday's tonrados.

Webster Walk: Saturday, May 17, 2013

 Hawken House, now in a small park, this house is a Century Home that was relocated to another part of Webster in the '70's.

 Azaleas abounded everywhere in Webster today.

 Reminded me a little of Nelson in his cowboy hat.

 Kind of funky.  It looks like most of this house is one room, Southwest style. It's difficult to see, but there are small windows lining the ceiling of the house--filled with pottery.

Paul said the parents at this house would leave for weeks on end, leaving their son to have two week parties.

Paul and I walked all around Webster this morning/afternoon. We walked for at least an hour, down streets I'd never been on.  The weather was partially sunny. We chanced across a few Little League games, noticed that the pool was open.  He showed me where he went to grade school and junior high.  I bet it was really cool to grow up in Webster in the '70's--and now, too. I remember watching television--kids in fictional shows would walk to school down tree lined streets, and I always wondered why I didn't live in a place like that. . . well, Paul did. In Webster.

Lewis Trail, Friday, May 16th, 2013

Stopped to hike after school on Friday, May 16th.  The temperature was between 75 and 80, alternating between sunny and overcast, but the predicted storms never manifested.  There was light drizzle when I started hiking.  I've written this before--there is no better way to begin a weekend than a hike on the way home from school, in any kind of weather.  The combination of nature, solitude and anticipation of weekend relaxation and activities has actually made me euphoric at times.

 This hill, part of the third (or fourth?)mile of the Lewis Trail is a cardio killer.I took my heart rate after climbing it--and my heart was beating 147 beats per minute. A week or so ago when I hiked this hill, I got my heart rate up to 165 beats per minute.The picture is deceptive.  It's a slow but steady and long incline that really taxes you.  At the top, there was always a bench, but I don't remember seeing it this time.  I'll have to check the next time.One thing I'll say is that now, when I reach the top of this hill, I can feel my anxiety levels drop as my endorphins kick in. I feel so calm and peaceful then, hiking the last mile or so of the trail.

Wildflowers (and allergies) abounded.  I found these flowers particularly striking amidst green.

Lost Valley, Monday, May 13, 2013

 Hiked Lost Valley after school--8 miles. Started at 3:01 and ended around 6, so I guess I averaged about  22.5 minute mile.  Not awful, but this trail is very moderate, if you are hiking it.  I missed the major cardio hills of Lewis and Clark.  Even though I pant climbing those, the pay off in anxiety fighting endorphins at the end of the hike is very pleasant. This trail promises a slow plodding, and also deferring to mountain bikers.

Met a birdwatching woman who told me she'd seen two cockatoos--and showed me what one looked like in her bird book.

Beautiful green field.

Yucca Plant, evidence of former homestead.

 Some dogwood blossoms left on a few trees.  Got close enough to see the red marks, which always reminds me of the legend of the dogwood they told us in Catholic school. This also made me think of Mom.

 Some furry, fuzzy moss right at the end of the trail that runs through the woods.

 These two trees were on either side of the old logging road. They both had what appeared to be wind shear?  Limbs were ripped from the trees, and were left hanging.

Look back over your right shoulder at the end of the hike and see this peaceful stream.

Cool swampy noises!