A day

finally some 70 and sunny.  start the day with a trail hike and trail run, trail slog, whatever, 1.5 hours.

coffee.  paper.

more trail.  saw zane and doug kayaking, hopped in a kayak myself for half an hour.  yes!

got news that my aunt katy died last night.  born on the bessarabian steppes, lived on the banat in romania, relocated to poland, lost a husband to black lung from the mines, fled the war to near hamburg, to the states, lost husband to brutal decades long plus illness.  strong, strong lady.  84 years.  r.i.p., katy, we love you.

more trail tonight.  ran into old friend of my dad's.  great day, hippie sensibilities, talked about old stories, the woods, geography.  took kids to hit golf shots.  played h-o-r-s-e.

a day.  a very good day. 

Snow, yes, Snow

it's spring, oh yes, really, it's spring.  4 inches of wet, fresh powder.  go out.  run, hike, slog, use the trekking poles.  the high temp is 32, it should be 52.  it's wonderful.  really, it's wonderful.  oh yes, and it's spring.  we mentioned that...

Coffee or Death

developed the coffee vice after not drinking any caffeine for 9 years or so.  how i love coffee.  whole bean in the grinder is best, something about releasing the freshness, flavor, so i'm told.  just darn good.  give me coffee or give me...

Robinson Park South

power hike at robinson park south with the new leki trekking poles.  the lekis, a post for another time, perhaps.  the meat: the trail goes moon hollow to strawberry hollow,  went under rt. 6 through the drain pipe, they have neato wooden stairs and a bridge built in, i assume for the walkway to be built possibly sometime before we die OVER rt. 6.  but not today.  mud and garbage in the drain pipe, oh well.  oh, and no trail yet.  semi-bushwhack along the embankment, across the dirt access road, another nifty bridge, then partially up into boyd's hollow, no trail, hiked part way up, turned around.

then it got good.  second to last ridge before mossville rd, heard a dogfight, brays, cries, coyote screams, something.  have heard before at night never during the day.  interesting.  down the hill across the bridge, heading up hill towards old mine (?).

 look up through the trees to the northeast, there he/she is--big, big...wolf, no, coyote, had to be.  biggest coyote i've ever seen.  never, ever seen one during the day, this one walking leisurely, not spooked by me, maybe 50 yards away.  not spooked. big.  most interesting.  hours and hours and hours alone on trails during daylight hours, have never seen a coyote.  have never seen a coyote like this one, period.  now i have. worth the sweat and soreness.

Robinson Park South

everyone wants spring, i say just nice to be out.  32 degrees. some ice on the north facing slopes, clear on south facing.  deer trail to main trail all the way to rt. 6.  the illinois river bluff trail, eventually will reach all the way to forest park. scrambled down and looked at the drainage tunnel, didn't go through.  next time.  speed hiking, very little running, like i said and say, just nice to be out.  take what the trail gives you.