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There are some trails that allow me to daydream about being able to complete sections of the PCT or AT–these trails invigorate me, help me feel connected to the natural world, and empower me to continue to push my boundaries. The Clay Hill and Preserve Loop Trail at Brushy Creek State Recreation Area is no such trail.
The Clay Hill and Preserve Trail loop is made up of parts of the Hackberry, Short Cut, Preserve, Lake, and Clay Hill Trails. Found on the southern side of the Brushy Creek State Recreation Area, it isn’t close to Brushy Creek itself; however, there are enjoyable views of a smaller lake and prairie land on the northern loop of the trail. Most of the trail is made up of dirt, and there’s gravel in a few sections by the small lake. Several parts also gave way to stretches of sand, which was a bit tougher to maneuver.  The easy crossing. There were two small creek crossings on this trail. Thankfully, park officials have placed some cement blocks in the water to aid a dry crossing. With the help of Stick Stickly and the cement blocks, I emerged from the first creek crossing high and dry. However, I wasn’t so lucky on the second crossing. The cement blocks were a bit far out, and the rocks in between were wobbly. It’s the Rule of the Oregon Trail–sometimes you will ford the river safely, and sometimes you will lose an ox and maybe young Henry. After I found a poop-free part of the trail to sit and wring out my sock, I was back at it.
Overall, Brushy Creek is probably a “one and done” hiking spot for me. I would probably come back only after a hard frost or if I got a bug net. It's a pretty area, but it was tough to enjoy it. Total miles covered: 4.59 miles Total time: 1 hour, 43 minutes Temperature: 70 degrees Fahrenheit, 80% humidity Bugs/ticks: No ticks; eleventy billion gnats Water consumed: 15 oz (didn’t want to open my mouth a lot due to gnats)
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It’s spring in Iowa! That means I have finally crawled out of the black depths of SAD and once again feel like a person! Hello, world! Hello, sunshine with actual heat! Hello, chirpy birds! It’s time to scamper down new trails once again! Totally necessary and much-needed use of exclamation points!!!! I would be remiss, however, if I left out that I did leave my rat’s nest of winter depression once or twice. I tried snowshoeing for the first time! (It really aggravated my hip.) I got through a 1.8-mile snowy hike at Tower Rock! (Haaaated it the entire time.) The main thing is that I tried new things. Even though I ultimately decided that winter hiking wasn’t for me, I got off the couch and got outside.
Several Canadian geese had settled in for the season and were enjoying Pine Ridge Lake. These honkers made themselves known, as did the many spring peepers. (Many thanks to my friend Heather for identifying the frog type! Heather has a wealth of knowledge about the natural world, and I love learning from her.) Even though I didn't see the peepers, they were quite vocal. The pond was alive with the sound of music! I followed several well-cleared trails until I came to the lower north side of the pond. From there, I stepped into the woods...and promptly lost my way. The trails were difficult to find, and I stumbled through some thorny bushes as I relied on all of my survival training (follow the stream, use the sun for directions, get to the high ground to avoid the Ottomans). I will probably stay out of this area once everything greens up--it was just really thick with pokey things. The DNR, Hardin County Conservation, and other organizations are working to return this land to its native prairie/savanna state. This includes removing invasive species like honey locust, systematic burning (I saw evidence of this on my hike), and possible incorporation of desirable native Iowa species in the future. Why this area, in particular? There were several interpretive signs on my hike, and I learned that people have been continuously living in that area for almost 11,000 years. Native Americans even created several mound groups about 1,000 years ago that are still being studied by archeologists. I didn’t see these mounds on my particular hike, but I will keep going next time! Not only is there historical significance, but there's a crap ton of geological importance too (crap ton is a legitimate scientific measurement). No few than three different landforms converge in this area--the Southern Iowa Drift Plain, the Iowa Surface, and the Des Moines Lobe. What's this mean? I'm not totally sure! However, it makes for a distinctive landscape: boggy wetlands, rolling hill slopes, and unique soil composites. In the chunk that I hiked, there was an elevation change of 190 feet. You bet I felt those hills!  Total miles covered: 2.28 miles
Total time: 1 hour, 4 minutes of moving time Temperature: 77 degrees Fahrenheit AND WINDY Bugs/ticks: I brushed off two ticks. Water consumed: 20 oz  My local state parks may not have the size or plethora of trails like some of the prominent parks, but what they may lack in scope and amenities they make up for ten-fold with serene views and tranquility. My recent excursion to Beeds Lake near Hampton, IA was much needed. In addition to some exercise and fresh air, I was in need of autumnal tints. Forget year-round summer--if there is such a place that exists in perpetual autumn, I would move there in a heartbeat. Beeds Lake is a 99-acre reservoir encircled by a dirt walking trail. If you've got tennis shoes and an hour or so to spare, you've got all you need to make the roughly 2.2 mile hike. The only safety issue for this time of year is walnuts. I mean it. Walnuts. I almost rolled my ankle twice from the walnuts littered on the ground, a falling walnut almost conked me on the egg. Be on the lookout. There is not much else that I can write about Beeds Lake that can't be better told in a photograph. It is beautiful. During my hike, I was spinning around singing in my head, "The lake is aliiiiiive with the sights of auuutuuuumn!" I didn't actually do this because I was still within hearing distance of the campground at the time, but you best believe that I was giving Julie Andrews a run for her money in my head. Total miles covered: 2.7
Total time: 40 minutes, 18 seconds of moving time Temperature: 63 degrees Fahrenheit Water consumed: 16 oz Times I almost got brained by a falling walnut: 1 Times I almost rolled my ankle on fallen walnuts: 2 I have been quite remiss in staying updated with tales of my hiking excursions. Once school starts, it seems like everything else falls to the wayside. However, I'm trying to do a better job of creating quality time for myself ... and it was with that idea in mind that I traversed up to Decorah recently for some hiking and tent camping. Yes, I have bought a tent! I had joined a Facebook group dedicated to central Iowa "adventure" women, and a camping trip to the Iowan hinterlands was on the docket for September. This was a chance to gain camping experience in a safe group setting. I took it! Until I started researching the outdoor opportunities, I had no clue the city of Decorah itself was so chock full with hiking/biking trails, kayaking routes, and an 11-mile paved trail around city and nearby countryside (Trout Run Trail). All of my previous knowledge of Decorah could be summed up with "Mabe's Pizza," "Vesterheim Museum," and "Luther sucks!" You see, I am a proud Wartburg Knight (U RAH RAH RAH), so it pains me to the core of my little orange-and-black heart to say this, but ... Decorah is freaking amazing. (Now I must pray to the dancin' Saint Francis statue for forgiveness). Our group stayed at the Pulpit Rock Campground on the western edge of Decorah. We had a scenic view of the Upper Iowa River mere feet from our tents, and the allotted spaces felt spacious for all of our gear. Since I couldn't get to Decorah until early afternoon, I embarked on a solo hike since the rest of the ladies were already kayaking. It took maybe 7 minutes to set up my tent under a tree for extra protection, and then I was on my way.  My (poorly-edited) trail route. I began my route just outside of the campground, following the Trout Run Trail for just under a mile. This portion of the trail hugs the Upper Iowa River and makes for peaceful surroundings. Even though there were plenty of bikers, they were courteous and always alerted me of their whereabouts. At the College Drive intersection, I left Trout Run Trail and made my way to Ice Cave Road. The beginning portion of the road has a dedicated bike lane for hikers, and just past Dunning's Spring Park the road is closed off completely to cars. Dunning's Spring is serenity personified--the dense foliage and rushing water cooled the surrounding area and provided a refreshing respite from my sweaty hike. From Dunning's Spring I got back on Ice Cave Road and contemplated doing Huldra's Trail, which is a 1.2 mile loop along the river. However, I really wanted to see the Ice Cave and hike in Van Peenen Park; I kept trudging. Continuing to walk along Ice Cave Road, I came across a trail sign that led up into the hills. I thought that maybe I could get some good aeriel views of Decorah, so I paid no heed to the name of the trail and scampered up. The name of the trail? Stairway to Heaven. Maybe I should have rethought that trail. Although I didn't use any actual stairs, there was a lot of climbing involved. I leaned a lot on little trees, use roots to gain footholds, and cursed my crappy knee joints. These trails--Stairway to Heaven and the nearby Upper/Lower Mother's Day--aren't marked nearly as well as the previous trails. I didn't have any maps for these trails and had to rely solely on my keen sense of direction to navigate. Heck, even my AllTrails app was confused. The trail views were enjoyable, but I wasn't getting a good view of the town and I didn't want to injure my good ankle. I had left my walking stick (that I think I'm going to name Stick Stickly) in the car. That meant I needed to tread carefully to wend my way back down to the main Ice Cave Road. Looking at the map, I realized I was incredibly close Ice Cave Park. However, my legs were starting to feel a bit like jelly, and I still had to get back to camp. With a bit of regret, I decided to save my Ice Cave and Van Peenen trail plans for another trip. It was time to hotfoot it back. I had a cold pop waiting for me in the cooler, and I was pretty stinky and needed a shower. After my shower and meeting the rest of the group, we had an enjoyable time putting together foil packets for supper. It took quite awhile to cook them in the coals of the fire pit and was dark by the time I finally ate supper. It was worth the wait though. I threw a bunch of fresh veggies and some ham/pineapple patties together, and it was all delicious. By 9:30, most of us were ready to fall alseep. I zipped myself into my tent and prayed that the forecasted rain would amount to nothing. One of the main reasons I was concerned was that I saw everybody else put a tarp underneath their tent. For some reason, I thought a shower curtain would be okay, so that's what I brought. Would it hold? Or would I wake up in a wet, muddy mess? It worried me a bit, but I was honestly too tired to give it much more thought as I nodded off to sleep. At least all of my stuff was in plastic bags or trash bags for water protection. I slept well throughout the night, waking only a few times to check the inside of my tent. It stayed dry the entire night! It rained pretty consistently, but my tent was up to the challenge. That'll do, tent. That'll do. I didn't get any pictures, but our group had two two-burner Coleman camping stoves we put to use. Everyone brought ingredients for egg burritos--my contributions were black beans and gluten-free wraps. It made for tight quarters under the kitchen tent while we tried to stay out of the rain and prepare a breakfast for eight people. The burritos were delicious! Since our Saturday outdoor plans were a bust, we decided to head into town. Hot coffee awaited us at Magpie Cafe and Coffee House, I tried to spend my life's savings at Dragonfly Books, and I got to experience a cider house for the first time at Convergence on Washington Street. A four-pack of the Wandering Harvest brew definitely made the trip back to Iowa Falls. Even though I ended up not staying Saturday night (dang rain!) I really enjoyed my trip to Decorah. I would love to come back to explore the ice cave and many more of the paved and dirt trails.  This is only a small section of the heaven that is Dragonfly Books on Water Street. Total miles covered: 6.8 miles (My new record!)
Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes of moving time Temperature: 79 degrees Fahrenheit Water consumed: 32 oz (This was my entire Nalgene bottle. I should have filled up the other bottle that was in my bag as well.) Food consumed: I snacked on a little packet of almonds while hiking, then I scarfed down some jerky as soon as I got back to the campground. ALSO: Why would I name my stick Stick Stickly? I still have memories of watching Nickelodeon in the mid-90s with the Popsicle stick host of the same name. I still remember the jingle, too! "Write to me, Stick Stickly P.O. box 963 New York City, New York state, 10108!" The Iowa DNR calls Stone State Park in Sioux City an "urban wildlife sanctuary." That is a truthful but also misleading statement. Although it's on the edge of Sioux City, I never felt like I was near Iowa's fourth largest city. There was no traffic noise at all. As for the "wildlife sanctuary" claim? ACCURATE. Plenty of deer, including a large buck, were visible from the trails. I'm still learning specific bird calls, but there was plenty of avian chatter in the early morning hours.
The combination of the early hour and intermittent rainy skies meant I caught glimpses of daybreak when I came out from under the tree canopies. It made me want to take earlier hikes in the future because I could watch everything around me wake up, unfurl, and begin the day. It was so rejuvenating! A tiny portion of the Longfoot loop was on a gravel road, but almost 25% of a second loop in the upper part of the park was on paved park roads. That didn't seem safe to me since there are a lot of twisty roads with extremely narrow shoulders. I scrapped the plan for the second loop and instead hiked over a mile of the Dakota Point and Buffalo Run trails. Just look at the picture below--WOWZA! I happily ventured up and down plenty of loose gravel steps for this view.  Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa! (Note: this is actually South Dakota and the Big Sioux River. However, the need for geographical accuracy has never stopped me from dropping a really good Field of Dreams reference.) For a second on the Dakota Point Trail, I forgot I was so close to another state and was actually gazing out on South Dakota fields. The Big Sioux River, which flows into the Missouri River, provides a natural boundary for the park and the state of Iowa. (Amusing but slightly off-topic anecdote: One time I went for a haircut in Sioux City and accidentally ended up in Nebraska. That's how close to the edge of the state it is.) I had no expectations when I entered Stone State Park. Upon leaving, I now have a new park to recommend to other hikers. Stone State Park has gorgeous views, plenty of trail signage for easy navigation, and a variety of trail types depending on your preference. It even houses the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center; the nature center includes live/interactive plant and animal exhibits, prairie grass trails, and a butterfly garden. This won't be the last time I visit Stone State Park. It's well worth the drive. Total miles covered: 4.8 (This is the most I've hiked alone so far!)
Total time: 1 hour, 38 minutes of moving time Temperature: 73 degrees Fahrenheit Water consumed: 28 oz Food consumed: I snacked on a little packet of Justin's Honey Almond Butter between trails. |
Meet Jessica
I'm a former couch potato and lifelong bookworm who stepped outside in 2020. This tenderfoot trekker is learning about the great outdoors one hike at a time. Archives
June 2023
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