Section 37 -- Dutch Hollow

Charlie and I decided to do a short one we'd been putting off because basically it was a trail that runs along the highway. The distance of the trail was .83 miles one way.

What surprised me was how warm it got. 

The trail head is right on the edge of Bridge 10 on Highway 131 and it heads towards Rockton. It is a nice trail that easily takes an equine rider, bicycle rider, or hiker straight into Rockton without much travel on the highway. This very first part is also the same trail one follows to get on the south end of the Hay Valley Trail.

This trail heads up between cropland and is well worn. Rockton Bar attracts riders, bicyclists, hikers, and motorcyclists and is famed for it Chicken Q's.
Rockton also has the most awesome fur store where a person can get fur hats. It's called Wild Things Furs. This is where I got my infamous Skunk Hat. 

[I may be looking for a Beaver or Muskrat hat this year that has a bill on it to shade my eyes from the sun.]

The trail continues through a spot with just a trickle of water. I wonder if this area would have been underwater if the dam had been finished?
I don't know.

Charlie and I made it to the end of Dutch Hollow Trail. Charlie was having trouble as he got really hot so close to the ground on a trail  that basically was a 6 inch deep groove of dirt and sand from years of hooves compressing the soil.

I picked him up and we continued to hike. He wanted down when we got to a shaded area and in no time at all we were back to the parking area.

I stopped and took some photos while standing on Bridge 10. It is a pretty river and looks very quiet. However, it does rage when flooded.

We spent some time down on the canoe landing in the parking area and cooled off in the Kickapoo River.

I think this was the prettiest part of the whole experience. 

Kickapoo Bluffs along the river:

Section 37. 
Done.

On Wednesday it is supposed to be a warm one so Charlie will stay home while I do a long hike. 

I'll be picking up short sections that I haven't been able to get to yet. My best estimate is that I'll be doing approximately 7 miles in order to catch those 3 sections and make it a loop.

Monday afternoon's Map:

My Partner in Crime:

9-10 Trail and bluffing

As you can see by the 'map' of my walk with Charlie, we ambled and rambled. We took our time to explore off trail as well as explore the trail.

The 9-10 Trail has two river access campsites. I'm not sure I'd want to camp with the skeeters. However, what cooler way to find a campsite than to Kayak or Canoe to it?

Since the Kickapoo is so prone to flooding, there are warning signs at the trail head for those who hike/bike/or ride their equine in. I imagine a person could walk their tent and camping stuff into these sites much easier than trying to drag their equipment up the hills.

However coming in from the river would feel so much more remote.

Canoe or Kayak access to camp S.

The trail is fairly wide to start with and nicely forested. Charlie lead the way.
This part of the trail is basically a way of keeping equine and other trail users off the highway between Bridge 9 and 10. Thus the name, The 9-10 Trail.

We broke out into a mowed path with the woods on one side and a corn field on the other. 
Yawn.

I turned around at the end of the trail not far from the trail head of the Big Valley Trail where it meets Hwy 131. We walked back. And then I kept an eye out for an old equine trail. They are faint and hard to spot, but the deer and other critters still use these old trails.

I ducked through the underbrush and ...

there it was... no words really to describe the feeling here...

and then there were the mushrooms...

and

Charlie was rather unimpressed. 

But he tolerated me saying ... ohhhh....

ahhh

Charlie LOOK!

Unless I said 'Cookie', he was just going to sit and watch me. What a good little trail dog.

We found our way back out and I headed across the bridge to check out part of the Dutch Hollow Trail. I found an old alternate route that was no longer maintained.

Charlie and I paused to find a safe way down off the bluff.

We finally found the old trail down.

More 'shrooms...

We headed back to landing #10 and crossed the 9-10 trail off our list. However, I do want to go back once the leaves have fallen to see all the rock formations in all of their glory.

And find 

more old

trials.