Icefalls and Eagles: Winter Hike at Starved Rock

Icefall in French Canyon. Yes, I had to walk up the iced over stream into the canyon to take this picture.

This past Saturday I made my third hike in the past year at Starved Rock State Park near Utica, IL. Each hike has been in a different season. The first was last Spring, just as the plants were starting to come out of a long winter slumber. The second and longest hike, which took me from the Visitors Center to LaSalle Canyon and back, was in early fall. This most recent hike took place on a thawing winter day, after a long streak of cold and snowy weather.

AT's AT Hiking Training Plan, Week Twenty-Six

Weeks: September 22 - September 28 (7 Days)
Miles Hiked (Total Period): 5.00
Miles Hiked (September): 17.69
Miked Hiked (September Goal): 30

Miles Hiked (Yearly Total): 154.44

Pounds Gained: 2.2
Percentage to Next Milestone: 36.00%
Pounds Lost (Total):  17.8
Weekly Goal Met: No
Nights Camped (Weeks): 0
Nights Camped (Total): 5
Nights Camped (Backpacking): 0

So this past week broke a string going back a ways of logged periods where I made weight progress. There was one major reason for this, which was that I worked long hours several days, and had to work an extra day on the weekend. The result was less hiking, more stress (and more stress eating), and just a lack of attention to the plan. I knew it was probably going to happen, and am not surprised that it did. In fact, I'm a little surprised it turned out as well as it did. The only thing I can do is do better. Things have returned to a certain level of normalcy at work, so I don't have an excuse this week.