Emmenegger Park, April 5, 2013

 Haven't been to Emmenegger Park in over eleven or twelve years.  It lies off of Highway 44. Take the Watson East exit and then go 200 yards to make a right onto Craigswold Road. It's just past Powder Valley, another destination I haven't been to in years.  Paul first took me to this park before we were married. I remember one of  my last trips--by myself--no with a very young and spunky Sam, off leash.  There was a young man and woman with a dog.  I met up with them on the trail, wearing my engagement ring. The guy was nothing great--but he was obviously toying with the woman's affections. Apparently he was moving out of state and leaving her. At times he would try to flirt with me. I was so relieved not to be in a relationship with this kind of dynamic.  On another visit, in the Fall, I believe, I hiked to the far reaches of the park, wondering where the trails would lead. It was a warm getting cool Fall evening, gray but I felt heightened anticipation. All the cliches are true. Time passes so quickly. My memory of that fall hike is vivid, like it was last week, even though I haven't recalled the memory in over ten years.

 Green at last! This has been one of the longest, coldest, most difficult winters of my life.

 The park itself is in Kirkwood, but I think it overlooks Fenton to the West.

The Meramec River

A field with two deer. They were very close but bounded away when I snapped the shot.

Overlooking Highway 44

  I think the trail is really only about a mile long, but there are some little off shoot trails, too.  If you follow one of them, it takes you to the edge of the park overlooking highway 44, but then you can hike up this hill for more terrain.

Greensfelder: April 4, 2013

Hiking at Greensfelder with Dena. Second warmest day so far on Spring Break--the temperature reached into the sixties and it was sunny. Really, really pleasant!  We started at the Visitor Center and hiked part of the Deer Run Trail to the paved trail to the scenic overlook--and then wrapped back around along the Eagle Valley Trail--accidentally taking the same route on the Deer Run Trail to the visitor center.  At the overlook, we saw a line from Into the Wild, the movie carved into a picnic bench and I had to take a pic for the blog and to show kids. . . .oh wait, I won't be teaching Am Lit. next year, so I guess I'll just show this year's batch.  Made me a little sad, though, because if you think you're walking into the wild at Greensfelder Park, you are sadly mistaken as roller coasters from Six Flags are visible through the trees. . . .As my brother texted, "The next line should read 'and he walked to the nearest Steak-n-Shake.' You are in Missouri, you jackass!" I bet we hiked a little over four miles in an hour and a half or so.

Matson Hill Park Trail, 2.8 Mile Loop: April 3, 2013

 Sunny Spring Break Hike--around 54 degrees by the time I finished hiking after meeting friend Sue for breakfast at Rendezvous in O'Fallon.  My brother Patrick told me about this trail, which is about two miles off of highway 94, just past Defiance. (He usually bikes this trail, adding the steep hill from 94 to his route.)

 Blue sky. Nobody on the trail.  Trail was closed to bikers today, o.k for hikers, probably because of rain and snow.

 There are two extra loops to add length.  The Oxen Mill Trail connects to the Hayes Trail for about a total length of eight miles.  I only hiked the 2.8 loop today.

An old deer stand?