River-to-River Trail Society ready for fall hiking season
Soon the air will be crisp, the leaves will be changing and people will be yearning for time in the great outdoors.
The River-to-River Trail Society is offering such an opportunity with its fall schedule of 10 a.m. Saturday hikes on popular trails in the Shawnee National Forest.
All hikes are free of charge and hikers should be self-reliant, with proper hiking shoes or boots, water, a snack, but no dogs.
Most hikes are 3 to 7 miles are intended for people who have done some walking.
The schedule is:
Oct. 11 - Godwin Trail in Union County, led by Eric Johnson and Gillum Ferguson. Meet 10 a.m. at the picnic gazebo in downtown Alto Pass.
Oct. 18 - Sand Cave to Bell Smith Springs in Pope County, led by Mart Watson. Meet at the Hunting Branch picnic area, Forest Road 849, off Forest Road 848, Bell Smith Springs Recreation Area.
Oct. 25 - Jackson Hollow, Splatter Stone Falls, Cove Hollow in Pope County, led by Bill Gilmour. Meet at the East Trigg Trailhead, Trigg Tower Road (Forest Road 424), 1.5 miles northeast of Trigg Tower and 3 miles northeast of Simpson.
Nov. 1 - Grindstaff Hollow and Hurricane Bluff in Gallatin County, led by Eric Johnson. Meet at High Knob parking lot, atop High Knob, 1.5 miles north of Karbers Ridge.
Nov. 8 - Panther Den in Union County, led by Gillum Ferguson. Meet at the abandoned gas station (formerly known as Sullivan's), on Goreville Road, 100 yards west of Exit 40 off Interstate 57.
Nov. 15 - Wildcat Bluff, Boss Island, Little Black Slough in Johnson County, led by Jim Kramer. Meet at Vienna City Park, 302 E. Vine St. (Route 146 East), Vienna.
Nov. 29 - Crest Trail, Tecumseh Statue to Old Stone Face in Saline County, led by Les and Deb Vaughn. Meet at the Tecumseh Statue, Glen Jones Lake, Saline County State Fish and Wildlife Area, 8 miles southeast of Harrisburg.
Dec. 6 - Mantle Rock in Livingston County, Ky., led by Mark Motsinger. Meet at Cave-in-Rock Ferry Landing on the Illinois side.
The River-to-River Trail Society is a not-for-profit organization founded by John O'Dell during the 1990s to promote completion of the River-to-River Trail, which now runs through the Shawnee National Forest between Elizabethtown on the Ohio River and Grand Tower on the Mississippi River.
The Society engages in trail maintenance and advocacy and offers guided public hikes during the spring and fall hiking seasons. It also publishes a trail guide to the entire River-to-River Trail, available for $20 plus $5 postage and handling ($25 total), from the Society's headquarters at 1142 Winkleman Road, Harrisburg, Ill. 62946.