Trails of Tears State Forest, Jonesboro, IL

Yesterday I hiked at Trails of Tears State Forest north of Jonesboro, IL.  It is about a 45 minute drive from Cape Girardeau, MO.  Here is a link to my GPS track and other information on the hike.
http://alltrails.com/tracks/trail-of-tears-state-forest-main-street-north-ft
If you are interested in other trails I have hiked (and not posted on this blog).  You can view other trails and tracks at 

http://alltrails.com/members/akridelbaugh

The state has a good map that clearly labels all the fire trails (abbrev FT) in the forest (easy to follow).  Here is a link to that map:

http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/r5/TOT/visitor_map_8_11_feb2013.pdf

The fire trails at this state forest provide many options for short or longer hikes (loop, out and back, point-to-point). The fire trails are wider forest roads with some connecting trails.The connecting trails typically drop down into the hollows and then climb back up to the ridge top to connect with the fire trails. So you can hike 1/2 mile or plot a 12+ mile route. The forest is awesome (yea I know overused term) with old growth (huge trees). I hiked in August, so the views were not that spectacular but the that will change in the fall and winter.

 I hiked north on FT 31 (also referred to as north main) and then onto the Lost trail which looped back to hickory hill trail and then to red shale hill trail. Red shale dropped into the creek valley (down about 300 ft). The trail along the creek was over grown (which is typical in this area during the summer) but well marked with trail signs so you could follow it. I did miss a connecting trail to the hickory hill trail and looped back to the top of red shale (no problem). I put a link in the trail information to the park map. The fire lanes are clearly marked (at least they were on north main). I will hike the south portion of the main FT in the future and provide a track. I estimate that will be another 6 mile loop. So if you combined both loops, you could do 12 miles. Be sure and bring all of your water. I did not see any water sources at the park facilities. The bottom drainage of the hollows may or may not have water depending on the amount of rain.

If you are looking for trails to hike, I would recommend going to http://www.alltrails.com.  You can join for free.  This site has been a great incentive for me because it lets me keep track of my hikes and I enjoy tracking trails using GPS and my iPhone.  

“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” — Frank A. Clark

Tibialis Anterior Tendinitis

I developed tibialis anterior tendinitis on Monday of last week on a 6 mile hike.  I have not had any problems in the past even on longer trails (other than my feet hurting but no tendinitis).  Anyway, I have Merrell Moab boots and I bought them 1/2 size larger to avoid banging my toe against the toe box.  My feet were still sliding forward (especially my left foot) and I resorted to lacing the boots tighter.  This worked for the most part.  Apparently, I must have knotted the laces right over this tendon that day (I do not believe it was a cumulative affect).  So I did not hike for 4 days and then did 8.5 miles.  The pain came back and I will have to stay off until it is completely healed.  I looked up treatment, massage and taping for this type of tendinitis.  I will update this blog if any of this really aids in the healing process.  I am most curious about the KT taping.  I purchased the boots and Academy Sports in Cape Girardeau, MO.  The sole has already started to split on the left boot at the toe box on the left side.  I talked with a employee at Academy Sports yesterday and he said they had a 90 day return policy.  I am going to return the boots today and go one full size larger this time.  I have already purchased a pair of Merrell Moab Ventilator (shoes not boots) to keep the laces lower on my ankle (again 1 size larger than my street shoes).  I prefer the mid boot for ankle protection but it may not be that important for day hikes.  I will let you know if those shoes make a difference.

First Blog for MoTreks

I decided to start a blog on hiking.  I use to backpack years ago.  In fact, some of my gear may actually qualify as antiques.  I decided to start hiking again to get the exercise (too boring on the treadmill).  It is also too easy to quit when you are on the treadmill.  When you are 5 or 6 miles away from your car, you could still quit for the day (and have a sleep over) or call for an air lift but those are not really viable options.  The real option is to keep walking until you get back to the trail head.

One of the big advances in hiking outdoors is GPS.  I joined www.alltrails.com to find local trails and post my activity including tracks of my hikes.  I can track hikes using my iphone.  It provides real-time data on distance, elevation, coordinates, time and average speed.  It makes the trip more enjoyable and turns it into a game.  Alltrails keeps track of your activity and assigns a point score for your reputation.  The more you accomplish (trails hiked, tracks and pictures uploaded and trail review), the higher your reputation.  I will update this blog with information on new trails, equipment, good and poor hiking judgement, etc.

At this moment I am on a short hiatus (at least I hope it is short).  I hiked on Monday at Trail of Tears.  I typically hike approximately 6 miles on the red loop of the Pee-Wah (no problem).  However, for some reason I developed tendinitis in in my left ankle.  I believe it was due to the method used to lace my boots to avoid jamming my toe into the toe box of my boots.  I have laced the boots in a similar fashion in the past and it has not been an issue.  I can only assume that i laced it too tight or put the knot right over the tendon.  End result, I am not able to hike until it gets better.  I have tried heat and anti-inflammatory drugs and it is still too sore to hike on.  Hope to get out this weekend.