Backpacking Virginia's Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area in Jefferson National Forest back in 2003

Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in Virginia was established in 1966 and protects about 200,000 acres of land in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. It is a recreation area offering over 500 miles of trails, including 60 miles of the famed Appalachian Trail, 18 miles of the Virginia Creeper Bike Trail, and 67 miles of the Virginia Highland Horse Trail. It has 11 campgrounds, four of which cater to horse parties. It is named for the founder of MIT and the state's first geologist, William Barton Rogers.

In 2003 I went to Damascus, Virginia, arriving early for an American Hiking Society Volunteer Trail Project so I could bike the famous Virginia Creeper Trail  (one of Rail-to-Trails Hall of Fame Trails). I also had an extra two days so I did a quick backpack trip.

I parked at Highway 603 and the Appalachian Trail and backpacked 4 miles uphill 1600 feet on the AT, then turned onto the Pine Mountain Tail for 2 miles and back to the AT.  I filled my water bottles at the Thomas Knob Shelter and enjoyed seeing these two wild ponies there which had somehow gotten around the fencing and were right by the shelter -- I always wondered if these two hikers had let them in.

The ponies are a locally popular attraction. Unlike the wild horses found roaming in the western United States which are mostly of Spanish mustang descent, the wild ponies of Grayson Highlands are of Shetland pony descent and are not actual horses (although they are related). The Grayson Highlands ponies were introduced to the area many years ago to help control the spread of native hawthorn -- thorny shrubs and trees found throughout the region. These types of ponies were specifically chosen for their heartiness and ability to live above 4500' elevation.

The wild pony population in Grayson Highlands is limited to approximately 120 ponies. The Wilburn Ridge Pony Association, a local citizen group, manages the population. Every September, the group works together with park officials to select and round-up specific ponies for an adoption auction at Grayson Highland Fall Fest to prevent overpopulation. The ponies are most commonly seen between Massie Gap and Thomas Knob Shelter. Although considered wild, the Grayson Highlands ponies are very comfortable around humans, with some getting close enough for people to touch. However, touching and feeding the ponies is against park policy.

Just past the Thomas Knob shelter I came upon the blue-blazed trail and signage leading to the summit of Mt. Rogers. I took off my pack and headed for the top and what I expected would be wonderful views and was very disappointed --the summit was thickly covered by high altitude Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest and the abundance of trees meant there was absolutely no view available. Mt. Rogers is the northernmost habitat for these trees.This spur trail is less than a mile round trip.


Another mile and half of up and down backpacking later I finally located a spot open enough to set up camp and did so.

Yesterday's 31 miles of biking on the Virginia Creeper Trail uphill to Green Cove Station and back down...

...followed by today's 5 1/2 hours and 9 miles of mostly uphill hiking had wiped me out!

But the marvelous scenery of Grayson Highlands State Park which abuts the AT...

...and the Appalachian Trail itself had made for a wonderful day of hiking.

The next day I packed up and after 7 1/2 miles on the AT. the Mt. Rogers Trail, and the Fairwood Valley Trail, I was back at my van. I went to the Visitor Center, then got a motel room followed by a good meal, and then began getting organized for the upcoming week of volunteer trail work.

Here are some more photos of the hike through Lewis Fork Wilderness...

Fall Biking in Lakewood Forest Preserve

Fall displays Nature's magnificent palette as I bike the former Four Winds Golf Course, now part of Lakewood Forest Preserve in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

What Makes Wilderness Wilderness? The Characteristics of "Wilderness "

Over the years, I've backpacked and hiked in numerous Wilderness Areas in the USA and my trips are indexed here. These magnificent areas are the closest we can experience to what the country was like before man developed/improved/engineered the land for his own purposes. I praise those who had the foresight to protect and preserve these national treasures for future generations! For those curious about what Wilderness Areas are and how this came about, here's a brief history of the process.

After eight years of negotiations and 66 revisions. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Wilderness Act of 1964 into law on September 3, 1964. It stated a legal definition of “wilderness” and provided strong legal protection to any area so designated as a wilderness area. Under the Wilderness Act, a designated wilderness area may not be used for timber, mining, grazing, or any other activity that would harm its pristine condition. The act also bans all vehicles from designated wilderness areas including mountain bicycles.

Howard Zahniser authored this famous poetic definition of wilderness:  “A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” 

Only Congress has the authority to designate a wilderness area and set boundaries. A separate act of Congress is required to remove a wilderness area from the list of designated wilderness areas. Furthermore, the legislation did not place any new land under federal control but simply provided protection for some federal lands already under the control of the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).  In 1976 the law was extended to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to recommend land held by the BLM for designation as a wilderness area. Every designated wilderness area falls under the control of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS).

(Photo Above: Jedediah Smith Wilderness Area in Idaho's Targhee National Forest)

When passed in 1964, the Wilderness Act designated 9.1 million acres of public land land (located in 54 areas in 13 states) as wilderness areas. Today, the total has grown to 765 areas (110,005,113 acres) in 44 states and Puerto Rico. In 1980, the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) added over 56 million acres of wilderness to the system, Overall, however, only about 5% of the entire United States—an area slightly larger than the state of California—is protected as wilderness. Because Alaska contains just over half of America's wilderness, only about 2.7% of the contiguous United States—an area about the size of Minnesota—is protected as wilderness. 

Of course this sounds like a lot of land, doesn't it? Yes it is.  BUT -- it is roughly the same acreage as the amount of pavement that exists in our country! So is it really enough wilderness?

Basically, the characteristics of wilderness covers land that:

-- preserves cultural, historic, geological, or ecological treasures

-- is located in undeveloped areas and retains a primitive nature

-- exhibits physical characteristics of natural forces and is free from the effects of human manipulation and civilization 

-- offers outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation

Here's Lewis Fork Wilderness in Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area in Virginia...

Mountain biking in Deer Grove Forest Preserve

Today I returned to my old stompin' grounds and biked 10+ miles on the mountain biking trail in Cook County's Deer Grove Forest Preserve, the first preserve the district bought 102 years ago. It began as 500 acres but now totals 1800 acres located on both sides of Quentin Road in Palatine, Illinois.  Deer Grove consists of rolling upland forest interspersed with ravines and wetlands. The original section west of Quentin Road is predominantly dense forest whereas Deer Grove East (across Quentin Road) is a mixture of forest, meadows, and wetlands.

The west section is on the left in this map and offers about six miles of trail, and another four miles of dirt single track is available on the west side which also has about three miles of paved trail.

Below are photos of the single track on the east side...

The west side has a wider trail and is the hillier section of the preserve...

There aren't a lot of colorful trees in the preserve but a few were beginning their color change...

More photos and info can be found here including a map of the trails.

Gateway Arch National Park

Gateway Arch is our 60th and newest national park, elevated to national park status in February of 2018. 

Previously known as Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, this 91 acre park along the Mississippi River in St. Louis has a museum and the definitive icon of the city, a steel catenary arch known as the Gateway Arch, so named because St. Louis was known as the "Gateway to the West." Here's my ticket to go to the top of the arch from my 1985 visit.

Below is the arch and its newest addition (in 2018), the visitor center and the Museum at the Gateway Arch. The new museum features exhibits on a variety of topics including westward expansion and the construction of the arch. Tucker Theater, finished in 1968 and renovated 30 years later, has about 285 seats and shows a documentary (Monument to the Dream) on the Arch's construction. A second theater was added in 1993 but removed in 2018 as part of the CityArchRiver renovation project. Also located in the visitor center are a gift shop and cafe.

It is the tallest structure in Missouri standing 650 feet high and 630 feet wide at its base. Its legs are 54 feet wide at the ground and narrow to 17 feet at the arch.

It was designed back in 1947 and finally built between 1963 and 1965. A unique tram system carries visitors to the observation room at its top.

The observation deck at the top...

Underneath the Arch is a visitor center, entered from a circular entryway facing the Old Courthouse. Within the center, a project to rebuild the Museum at the Gateway Arch was completed in July 2018. The new museum features exhibits on a variety of topics including westward expansion and the construction of the arch, all told through a St. Louis lens. Tucker Theater, finished in 1968 and renovated 30 years later, has about 285 seats and shows a documentary (Monument to the Dream) on the Arch's construction. A second theater was added in 1993 but removed in 2018 as part of the CityArchRiver renovation project. Also located in the visitor center are a gift shop and cafe.

Here's my list on all the national parks and links to my page for each park.

Biking the Ft. Hill and Millennium Trails in Lake County, Illinois' forest preserves

Chicago is surrounded by six counties, and over the last 100 years, these counties have each created forest preserve districts. I have a brief history of this process here.

I live in Lake County and my subdivision abuts the Millennium Trail which connects to the Ft. Hill Trail. Lake County Forest preserve District protects nearly 31,000 acres and is the second largest Forest Preserve District in Illinois. Below is a pond alongside the Millennium Trail and this year the resident swan family has four kids seen here. I see them most every time I bike past here.

The trail traverses the back section of the former Wauconda Orchard. Most of its fruit trees had been sold off, but some remain and each spring the trail is ablaze with blossoms...

The Millennium Trail takes me four miles to Lakewood Forest Preserve where I can turn onto the Fort Hill Trail which is now ablaze with colorful wildflowers seen below in Ray Lake Preserve. On today's ride, an otter scampered across the trail in front of me. Cute sight!

There is a "rest stop" at the large pond where you can often observe water fowl...

The Ft. Hill Trail passes through the former Four Winds Golf Course, and a short detour onto the Loop Trail (the old paved golf cart path) rewards you with

A water hazard from the old golf course provides more scenic views as seen in the next few photos...

I was frightened by a huge adult great blue heron as I crossed this bridge a few years ago. It had been sleeping in the tall reeds and my passage frightened him and he took off nearly hitting me with his enormous (and powerful) wingspan...

Here's the view looking the other way from the bridge (you can barely make out the bridge at the far end of the water hazard)...

When they opened this area up to hikers/bikers, they improved the bridge deck and added the railings. Previously, there was just a 4x4 on each side to keep golf carts out of the water.

Here's one of my favorite shots at the old golf course. It must have had lovely landscaping back then, and over the years, the flower beds have reverted back to Mother Nature's wishes. It's very interesting to watch every year as forests of saplings take over the old fairways and greens.

I often see wildlife on my rides, and this sandhill crane family is around every year...

Deer are also a regular sighting along the trail...

Last October I noticed that beavers had taken on a huge project. I've been watching each ride, but so far no sign of them continuing their efforts. I wonder if the preserve biologists captured and moved them? The tree is already dead, so I doubt they were captured.

Fall is also a lovely time on the trail...