Wander Woman: Gearing up for a Starved Rock Country hiking challenge

Editor’s Note: The Times is rerunning the Wander Woman column from Thursday’s edition because it did not run in its completion.

A 1,350-mile drive home from Maine’s Baxter State Park hit a lull somewhere in mid-Pennsylvania, when conversation in the car fizzled out and the radio blurred into background noise.

I fell into the usual trap when boredom strikes: scrolling aimlessly through social media. Facebook had latched onto a week of my Google searches for best trails, regional foods and scenic drives, and now my feed was full of targeted ads for hiking gear, travel guides and lodgings.

I was about to scroll past yet another sponsored ad when the word “challenge” caught my eye.

The Facebook post advertised My Adventure Challenge, a program that hosts a series of hiking challenges created by Alabama-based husband-and-wife duo Randy and Jennifer Householder. The program encourages people to hike for physical and mental health as well as urge participants to encounter and explore nature.

I followed the link to the website to read about the Fall 50 Challenge, in which participants sign up to hike 50 miles in two months. Similar options included the Waterfall Chaser Challenge (visit 10 waterfalls in 90 days – they have to be at least 2 miles apart), the Winter 100 (walk 100 miles from Nov. 1 to Feb. 28) and The Hiker’s 365 (hike 365 miles in one year).

I chewed and digested these challenges as we pulled off the interstate and settled into a hotel for the night. An unsuccessful summit attempt on Mount Katahdin was fresh on my mind – less than 36 hours before, I had made the call to turn around about 4.5 hours into the ascent on Hunt Trail. My fitness level wasn’t where it needed to be for the 4,000-foot elevation gain.

My leg muscles were quick to remind me of this when I exited the car in Pennsylvania. As I limped to our second-floor hotel room, I knew I wanted to improve my trail endurance so I could eventually conquer Katahdin (and any post-hike flights of hotel stairs).

The concept of a hiking challenge resonated with me. Most of the year, I’m a casual hiker. As much as I enjoy time on a trail, I’m equally inclined to spend an afternoon on the front porch with a book. I don’t feel a daily urge to lace up my hiking shoes.

But when a challenge is involved, I’m eager to attack it. If there’s anything I love more than hiking or reading, it’s charting progress and crossing items off to-do lists.

That’s why I started jotting down ideas for hiking challenges within Starved Rock Country’s tourism region. The plan is to create a few dozen hikes, write them on slips of paper and put them in a jar. Pull one out, complete, repeat.

A sample of the challenges going in my jar include:

The I&M 40 in SRC: Hike or bike the full 40-mile stretch of Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail in Starved Rock Country, stretching from La Salle through Morris, within one month.

The Starved Rock 13-Mile Challenge: Hike the full 13-mile trail system of Starved Rock State Park in a weekend.

The Starved Rock Country Triple Crown: Hike the full trail systems of Starved Rock, Matthiessen and Buffalo Rock state parks. (No double dipping with the Starved Rock 13-Mile Challenge – to complete both challenges, it means hiking Starved Rock’s full trail system twice.)

The Hennepin Canal 13-Lock Challenge: Hike the portion of the Hennepin Canal between Lock 1 and Lock 13, covering the estimated 11-mile stretch of the canal trail through Starved Rock Country.

The Five for 50: Log 50 miles worth of walking at five different parks within two months. (My top picks for this challenge are Starved Rock State Park, Matthiessen State Park, Dayton Bluffs Preserve in Ottawa, Spring Lake Nature Park in Streator and Goose Lake Prairie in Morris.)

The reason for my jar of hiking challenges is multifaceted. Each excursion will better acquaint me with our region’s parks and nature preserves. The exercise will benefit my health. The fresh air will boost my mood. And an increase in hiking frequency and distance will help build endurance.

Because the ultimate hiking goal will be waiting, taped to the bottom of the jar:

Climb Katahdin.

Julie Barichello is the editor of Starved Rock Country Magazine and is a graphic designer for Shaw Media’s niche publications. She can be contacted at jbarichello@shawmedia.com.