Archived Featured Articles on the Wilderness in (y)our Backyard!!
Hike by Faith! by Jessica Dawson
A sentinel: Alas, these are my woods, as well...
I am from Illinois, and I have wanted nothing more than to be home in Illinois since September. I missed the deciduous forest and the murky rivers that ran through them. But as an adult, I hadn’t spent too much time really exploring the Forest Preserves.
I was so used to large topographical maps, elevation gains and bear spray from working in Yellowstone I wasn’t sure what to expect hiking around the River Trail Nature Center in Northbrook. I traded my bear spray for a winter hat and gloves. Otherwise I still brought everything else I would for a hike out west – Camelback, sunglasses, medical kit, granola bars and camera.
The trails in the Forest Preserve were instantly my style. They were flat, and I mean flat, which for a girl who grumbles at the thought of an 800 foot mountain, it turned out to be an incredibly enjoyable jaunt through the woods. It meant I could relax and take in every detail of the scenery.
Paul and I weren’t the only ones in the woods, however. We were in fact visiting the home of one of Illinois’ most famous residents – the white tailed dear. We were guests to them and with good reason they kept a close eye on us. Perhaps this sounds a bit crazy to think that we are guests in their home but consider this for how to have a healthy relationship with wildlife: If you think you are invincible and will not be injured or killed by wildlife, then think of respecting animals for another reason. Imagine you are in your home having a nice family dinner around your dining room table. Then a stranger you have never seen before comes in and sits down right next to you and starts taking pictures of you while you eat. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, perhaps it makes the wildlife uncomfortable and on edge.
After seeing the first sentinels, we continued on the trail and stopped abruptly when we realized we already reached the end of the first loop. For two people used to hiking in the western states for miles and miles before reaching another trail marker or point of interest reaching the other side of the FP loop after only 5 minutes was a bit of a shock. OK, clearly the scale of this map was very deceiving. We reached the nature center after another five minutes. Eventually we just hiked the whole trail system in about an hour and a half, even though the map made it look like it was miles worth of trails.
Being able to cover all of the trails allowed for more fantastic experiences with the deer. The white tails blend in well in the winter. There was a group of them with one male. Stopping to take pictures allowed us the chance to observe their pawing behavior in snow. Then, from the other side of the hill the Buck, taking more interest in us every passing moment, rose majestically to the top of the hill and stood proud, such as you might see in Bambie or Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I stood nearly speechless, just amazed at what happened. Here is the doe and the buck standing frozen looking at me as if to say, “you have lingered here long enough, it is time you let us eat in peace.”
It was at that moment that I knew I was in a very special place. Standing in a ravine made the trees that much taller, as if they were an arched ceiling of a cathedral. I found myself speaking in hushed tones out of respect, much the same way I would do in a church. A peaceful feeling crept its way into my very being, as if the woods were my shelter, my escape and strong tower in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world.
-JD
I was so used to large topographical maps, elevation gains and bear spray from working in Yellowstone I wasn’t sure what to expect hiking around the River Trail Nature Center in Northbrook. I traded my bear spray for a winter hat and gloves. Otherwise I still brought everything else I would for a hike out west – Camelback, sunglasses, medical kit, granola bars and camera.
The trails in the Forest Preserve were instantly my style. They were flat, and I mean flat, which for a girl who grumbles at the thought of an 800 foot mountain, it turned out to be an incredibly enjoyable jaunt through the woods. It meant I could relax and take in every detail of the scenery.
Paul and I weren’t the only ones in the woods, however. We were in fact visiting the home of one of Illinois’ most famous residents – the white tailed dear. We were guests to them and with good reason they kept a close eye on us. Perhaps this sounds a bit crazy to think that we are guests in their home but consider this for how to have a healthy relationship with wildlife: If you think you are invincible and will not be injured or killed by wildlife, then think of respecting animals for another reason. Imagine you are in your home having a nice family dinner around your dining room table. Then a stranger you have never seen before comes in and sits down right next to you and starts taking pictures of you while you eat. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, perhaps it makes the wildlife uncomfortable and on edge.
After seeing the first sentinels, we continued on the trail and stopped abruptly when we realized we already reached the end of the first loop. For two people used to hiking in the western states for miles and miles before reaching another trail marker or point of interest reaching the other side of the FP loop after only 5 minutes was a bit of a shock. OK, clearly the scale of this map was very deceiving. We reached the nature center after another five minutes. Eventually we just hiked the whole trail system in about an hour and a half, even though the map made it look like it was miles worth of trails.
Being able to cover all of the trails allowed for more fantastic experiences with the deer. The white tails blend in well in the winter. There was a group of them with one male. Stopping to take pictures allowed us the chance to observe their pawing behavior in snow. Then, from the other side of the hill the Buck, taking more interest in us every passing moment, rose majestically to the top of the hill and stood proud, such as you might see in Bambie or Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I stood nearly speechless, just amazed at what happened. Here is the doe and the buck standing frozen looking at me as if to say, “you have lingered here long enough, it is time you let us eat in peace.”
It was at that moment that I knew I was in a very special place. Standing in a ravine made the trees that much taller, as if they were an arched ceiling of a cathedral. I found myself speaking in hushed tones out of respect, much the same way I would do in a church. A peaceful feeling crept its way into my very being, as if the woods were my shelter, my escape and strong tower in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world.
-JD