Elusive Illinois Mountains

Shawnee National Forest – Illinois

Indian Point Trail

• Loop
• 1.5 miles
• GPS files: Garden Of The Gods, Rim Rocks

 Friday afternoon and we race out of work early to head 5 ½ hours to Shawnee National Forest.  Of course we stopped for our usual caramel latte.  For this trip we didn’t even leave Illinois, but we came dangerously close to Kentucky.  The big site to see here is Garden of the Gods.  

 When we arrived we headed straight for Indian Point Trail.  After walking about a half mile we spotted the perfect camp site.  We moved on to the lookout point, and made it just in time for sunset.  We stayed and watched, and then headed back to set up camp and make ourselves some food.  We pitched our tent and drank some cocoa on the rocks (not ice, actual rocks as in cliffs. what do you take us for a couple’a hooligans?!).  While enjoying our cocoa, we heard the strangest cry.  It sounded like it came from a large mammal, but then we followed the sound to a tree and there was a large owl staring down at us.  She hooted a few times and then flew off.  It was such a cool experience to have a female Barred owl stare into our eyes and then silently fly off.   

 Saturday we woke up early to watch the sunrise!  It wasn’t half good, but we saw a beautiful sunset the night before.  We packed up and finished up the trail.  We headed to the nearby Pharaoh Campground to stock up on water.  We had to work for our water by using a hand-crank water pump.  As we were set to head for another trail Nick ran back and filled one more bottle to ensure we had plenty of water.  Another worthwhile day trip would be Rim Rocks, with the option to use a connector trail over to Pounds Hollow for a picnic and fishing area.  Rim Rock is about a 2.33 mile trail loop that took us around 2 ½ hours to complete.  The rocks were massive and mossy!  After getting back to the car Angelina reached for her water and realized it wasn’t there.  This is when we realized that on our venture to get more water we ended up doing the exact opposite.  Nick had placed the bottle on the roof of the car haha.

 We wanted to figure out a campsite that topped last night’s.  We drove around the forest and found tons of fields full of flowers.  It seems like corn fields have been overtaken by them!  Then we ended this 45 minute search right back where we started at Indian Point Trail.  This time we started at the other end of the loop and camped away from the point.  For dinner we usually eat Mountain House meals, but tonight we dined on homemade dehydrated meal (made by yours truly, Nick Martinson).  We watched yet another beautiful sunset(check video below), but mostly kept our eyes on some birds we designated as Big Uglies.  These things were massive, and hideous at the same time.  After doing our research, we found out that they are Black Vultures.  Big Uglies have a poor sense of smell, and therefore follow around Turkey Vultures to find food.

 

 Sunday morning we gave sunrise another chance, and let’s just say it impressed.  We also woke up to big birds that were a bit prettier than the ones the night before.  We packed up camp, and were set to leave.  Then we stayed for another half hour taking pictures of these massive birds.  Once we were within a couple hundred yards from the baby suv, we got sidetracked by chirping toads.  We were passing a swampy area and heard a Knot (or group) of toads splash into the water.  We were surprised by the sounds they made.  They made chirping noises as they leapt from the muddy shoreline.

It was a weekend well spent!  Stay tuned for next weekend’s boundless journey!!

Last Minute Tips

 

• Swing by the Harbison’s Country Market for any last minute supplies and a quaint vibe (IL-34, Herod, IL)
• The Vault Cafe on the Square about an hour northwest of Garden of the Gods makes for a laid back lunch on the way out of town. (Marion, IL)

Car tunes