The cool weather and quiet Sunday afternoon afforded me the opportunity for some exploring at Young Conservation Area. I have visited this area many times over the years, and rarely leave disappointed. Today was no different. Young Conservation Area is located in Jefferson County, only minutes from Eureka. The area is home to a few…
It had been a while. A while since I went hiking at Forest 44 Conservation Area. A while since I went walking through the woods. A while since I had the opportunity to go outside by myself and try to clear my mind. I knew it had to be today, so I set out mid-morning…
After a crazy busy month and a half of travel and overloaded work schedules, the McCaslin crew finally found a Sunday basically freed up from any other responsibilities and decided to hit the trail. The target was the Scour Trail at Johnson Shut-ins State Park. HISTORY: In 2005, the Upper Taum Sauk Reservoir collapsed, suddenly…
I really didn’t know anything about Zion National Park or the Narrows. I knew it was in Utah, and have seen some pretty amazing photos from there, but that is about the extent of it. Dan Klein (www.mythreefiftynine.com), had been there and insisted that we spend at least a day there as part of our…
I always like the brisk mountain mornings in the middle of the hot summer. Knowing that the sun will heat it up by noon but still be humidity free makes it ideal to spend the day outside in the beauty that God created. We started at the trailhead in long sleeves and jackets and…
Rim to Rim 2018 is in the books. The terrain beautiful, and hike challenging, the comraderie unforgettable, and the experience a memory of a lifetime. Dan Klein said as we started out that day, “It’s not every day you get to do something you will remember the rest of your life”, and I know that…
Sunday morning found us packing up our belongings from a long weekend at Echo Bluff State Park, cleaning up our cabins and making sure that we didn’t leave anything behind. Most of the crew was tired and anxious to get back to St. Louis for various graduation parties, work tasks, etc. In somewhat typical fashion,…
Limping through a busy weekend after an absolutely crazy long week, Debbie and I sat at the dinner table after an early Sunday dinner and tried to regroup. As I looked out the window I saw the dogwood tree twisting in the breeze, I knew my evening plans would consist of something outdoors. Knowing that…
The epic 22+ mile hike in the Grand Canyon is glaring at me, now hovering only a few weeks out. It’s crunch time and I needed a good test of my readiness and to work out a few tweaks to my gear. Once again, Greensfelder County Park got the call and answered with a suitable…
May is a difficult month for me as everything is busy. School is wrapping up, work gets crazy, and sports are in full swing. This week was particularly challenging at work, and later days kept me from getting out much during the evenings. On top of that, with Mother’s Day approaching my thoughts have been…
