Final Hikes of 2019
I did a little hiking towards the end of the year, but still didn’t make it to my goals of 52 hikes or hitting every adventure series bullet point. I’ve fallen short two years in a row now , but I’m not giving up. I’m starting fresh, again, and with the best intentions for 2020. The point of 52 Hikes With Mike is to encourage getting out and doing the damn thing, not JUST the numbers or the miles. (this is what I’m telling myself)
Hike 25 - Highland Park Trailhead - Trinity Trail (DFW Metro)
Group hike with REI DFW
4.07 miles, pretty mild and flat
Enjoyable conversations, but no lasting connections
Hike 26 - Purtis Creek State Park
Hiked with my other half and Chewy the Dog
4.85 miles, through the woods
Fall, crisp, sunny, felt good
Nice little park tucked away just outside of DFW
Hike 27, 28, and 29 - State Park Quest
Big Spring State Park - hiked the nature trail, about .67 miles. Cute little park with a nice paved loop and a little nature path and GREAT views of the nothingness around it
Lake Colorado City State Park - hiked the Cactus trail along the lake. About a mile of it, tiny hills and nice lake views.
Abilene State Park - did a mile on the Spring Nature trail. This park was an instant favorite with plenty of paths through the woods.
Overall 2019 Stats
136.02 miles of hiking
Unique trails for EVERY hike
Longest hike was about 10 miles, shortest was .67
About 45 miles less than 2018
Hikes averaged just over 4.5 miles each
16 solo hikes, 13 with a friend, and 3 with the dog
Hiked in 7 states: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Illinois
Visited 11 state parks and 3 NPS sites
The goal this year is to avoid getting bogged down again by work stress. When work got tough in 2019, I didn’t want to do anything but stay home and veg out. This year, I plan to channel all of my work related rage and stress into hiking, road trips, and camping. Adventure is out there and I have a few quests to finish which could really help me get some unique hikes.
2019 #hike12 & hike#13 - Illinois State Parks
Hike 12 - Illinois Park Project
Date: Friday, April 19, 2019
Location: Fox Ridge State Park - Charleston, IL
Distance: 8.5+ miles
Trails: Most trails and roadways throughout main areas
Miles from Home: 774
Weather: Cold, windy, cloudy, moist
Equipment: iPhone, Apple Watch, Olympus TG-5, gloves, trash bags, etc.
This hike was a dream. The weather was shit, the drive was long, but the people and cleanup were the shining stars. We cleaned up over 20 pounds of trash, with 18.5 of it on the first half of the day. We had a group just shy of 10 and it was so fun to stomp around together in pursuit of a better place. This event was put on by my good friend Jen at Illinois Park Project. Go check them out! It was in held in partnership with the 11th Essential, a group dedicated to publicizing and normalzing stewardship in every day life. I wrote all about them HERE, so go check it out to learn more about the good stuff going down with all of them.
The second half, call it hike 12b, was about half the group and was more throughout the inner trails of the park. It was nice to connect even further, after the main event!
Hike 13
Date: Saturday, April 20, 2019
Location: Ferne Clyffe State Park - Goreville, IL
Distance: 2.2 miles
Trails: Rebman, Hawk’s Cave, Big Rocky Hollow
Miles from Home: 668
Weather: Cool, sunny, windy, warm
Equipment: iPhone, Apple Watch
I was 34 years old when I learned that Illinois has beautiful, natural places. I was on my way back to Texas from the group cleanup and wanted to stretch my feet and get another hike before the weekend was over. I saw this place on the map, felt intrigued, and decided to stop. I’m so glad I did. WHAT A GEM. The waterfalls were gorgeous, the rocky bluffs were intense, and the general terrain was just so lovely. I had read about this place before, and forgot about it, so it was all dumb luck.
