Thursday, Dec 29th, 2011 11:55PM
Today, RJ and I went hiking in Matthiessen State Park. The weather was impeccable- 50 degrees and sunny. Could you believe it? 50 DEGREES in DECEMBER in the MIDWEST; that, my friends, is UNHEARD OF.
I took the first picture while we were walking alongside a stream, down a path we’d never hiked before. The further we went, the wetter is became. It got to the point where RJ and I were trying to find higher ground but with no such luck. He sank knee-deep in seconds, it looked as if he had stumbled into quick sand but instead it was decomposing foliage- a thick, wet, mud. I stood by laughing but karma bit me in the ass minutes later when I attempted to jump over the stream. My shoe left my foot and I was left standing in a muddy puddle with my sock on. I was defeated. We continued onward, I was curious to see where we’d end up and sure enough we stumbled right into the Vermillion River. (The Vermillion River is actually a tributary of the Illinois River- it flows S to N). Needless to say, the hike was well worth it because this spring, once the weather gets warmer, Rj and I have a new swimming/ fishing spot. Our very own haven.
I also took the second picture from inside the park. It was nearing nightfall and if you look closely you can see the moon peaking-in between the branches of the trees while the last rays of the sun set.
