Blackwell hike

On the second day of large hikes in a row, Rob and Diane joined me for a hike through the Blackwell Forest Preserve, another hike in my book. This hike is in Warrenville, near Wheaton, and it was about six miles.

The hike starts out on a cute lake with lots of trout fishing, which sits in the shadow of a hill that you would never know was a huge mound of garbage.


We couldn't smell it, but apparently you can once you reach the top. Still, that's a pretty nice way to deal with a landfill.

The hike continues on through some trees, then is pretty much in the open sun for the rest of the way. The land was flat and had lots of prairie and marsh. It was pretty and peaceful, but the flat expanse was a little boring without all the wildflowers that are supposed to bloom here in the summer.


There were lots of birds on the hike, and even this little caterpillar that Diane saved from being run over on the pavement.


The marshes were neat, especially with the birds flying around. Apparently they found a woolly mammoth skeleton somewhere near here, which is pretty neat to think about.


I would do this hike again, as it was nice exercise and not too strenuous, but it's not very scenic in the early spring. I would definitely wait until the wildflowers are blooming, which is supposed to be very beautiful. And it's not too far from my vet's office - I wonder whether the little guy would be up for a six-mile hike?