I had the opportunity to go to the Garden of the Gods-Lusk Creek Canyon-Shawnee Forest with some friends back in March of 2014 and figured I’d check it out because I’ve heard quite a bit about it. So, after going there I’ll just go ahead and give it my two cents.
This was my first and only visit to the Garden of the Gods in Southern Illinois and it was definitely worth the drive to see the rock formations and beautiful rolling countryside. The Garden of the Gods is about 3,300 acres and the Shawnee National Forest is approximately 280,000 acres. There are a lot of cool sights in this area like the numerous rock formations and one-horse-gap just to name a few. Our hike also had a mix of stuff that kept it interesting such as an old church, old cemetery, rural farmland, a road-walk and more.
I can honestly say that the first night I spent there was one of the coldest nights I’ve ever slept in a tent! We spent the first night in a small canyon a mile or two down the trail from the parking area. It was clear and very cold the that night so we all spent the night huddled around the fire. I managed to compromise the glue that held the toe cap in place on my Asolo Fugitives because I was so close to the fire. I was very thankful for my Mountain Hardwear Switch 20 because it kept me plenty warm as long as I stayed on top of my Big Agnes air mattress loaded with Primaloft. In addition to that I had a piece REFLECTIX BUBBLE PACK INSULATION
Night two was a bit of a different story because there was freezing rain thrown into the mix. We spent night two on a ridge right next to one horse gap where it was cold but then it started blowing freezing rain. We all huddled underneath a large tarp and ate our dinners until it subsided. It turned into a pretty decent night and it was actually a little warmer than the night before.
We didn’t have too many issues to be concerned about other than the fact that it got downright cold the first night. Water was pretty easy to locate so that was definitely not an issue. The trails are used by horses so that did make for some hiking in rocks and ruts. There was an area that ATV’s had been riding as well and that caused some rough going as well.
One thing is for certain, with the temperature hovering around freezing or below at night, tucked my Sawyer filter in the bottom of my sleeping bag to keep it from freezing. However, I just keep it inside my tent anymore because the tent stays plenty warm enough to keep it from freezing. I’ve yet to have one freeze on me but I’ve heard it will destroy them.
| BACKPACK/CONTENTS – BOOTS/SHOES | WEIGHT OUNCES |
| BOOTS/SHOES | |
| ASOLO FUGITIVE BOOTS | 50.00 |
| BACKPACK | |
Mountainsmith Falcon 55 Recycled All Terrain Backpack, Largeotus Blue |
76.00 |
| TENT | |
MSR HUBBA 1 WITH FOOTPRINT & MUDMAT(MSR HUBBA NX IS NEXT GENERATION W/FOOTPRINT) IN OUTDOOR RESEARCH LIGHTWEIGHT 5 LITER DRY SACK  |
66.00 |
| SLEEPING BAGS | |
MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR SWITCH 20 (NO LONGER AVAILABLE) IN OUTDOOR RESEARCH LIGHTWEIGHT 15 LITER DRY SACK |
66.00 |
| COLUMBIA LINER BAG ( HARD TO FIND) | 10.20 |
| SLEEPING PADS | |
| BIG AGNES AIR CORE INSULATED SLEEPING PAD LONG WIDE | 31.00 |
| REFLECTIX 24 X 70 | 12.00 |
| TREKKING POLES | |
EASTON TREKKING POLES |
20.00 |
| TARPS | |
| GRABBER SPACE BLANKET |
12.80 |
| FOOD | |
| BLACK BOX WINE SMALL | 18.00 |
| FOOD IN OUTDOOR RESEARCH 5 LITER LIGHTWEIGHT DRY SACK |
65.00 |
| BASICS | |
| CORDAGE BAG & LINE TENSIONERS | 3.60 |
| MINI COMPASS AND THERMOMETER | 0.70 |
| ZPACKS CUBEN FIBER WALLET | 2.00 |
| SAWYER FILTER MINI (2OZ), ONE SQUEEZE BAG (1.5OZ), SCOOP CUP (2OZ) MESH BAG | 5.50 |
SAFETY LANYARD WITH BG SCOUT KNIFE/ADVENTURE MEDICAL SLIM RESCUE HOWLER/COAST G10 FLASHLIGHT |
2.80 |
| TOILETRY KIT – MEDICINE/TOOTHBRUSH/TOOTHPASTE/TRIPLE A BATTERIES/ETC IN OUTDOOR RESEARCH SMALL DRY DITTY SACK | 10.40 |
| FIRE KIT – DRYER LINT/LIGHTER/LIGHT MY FIRE FIRESTEEL | 2.80 |
| POTTY KIT – DEUCE OF SPADES, TOILET PAPER, NYLON SACK, HAND CLEANER BOTTLE/HOLDER | 4.30 |
| CLOTHING | |
| MARMOT VARIANT JACKET | 12.80 |
| SARANAC FLEECE GLOVES | 3.00 |
SEIRUS INNOVATION HYPERLITE ALL WEATHER GLOVES |
4.00 |
| WINTER CLOTHING BAG 2 NIGHT SLEEPING BAG: WOOL SOCKS/LIGHT THERMAL BOTTOMS/MIDWEIGHT WOOL THERMAL BOTTOMS/SHORTS/SHIRT IN OUTDOOR RESEARCH MEDIUM WATERPROOF DITTY SACK | 25.00 |
| NIKE RAIN PANTS | 12.40 |
| OUTDOOR RESEARCH ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOW GAITERS | 4.80 |
| COOKING | |
MSR POCKET ROCKET STOVE/SNOW PEAK SOLO MINI COOKSET/VARGO FOLDING SPORK /MSR FUEL CANISTER STAND/GAS |
20.00 |
| GSI ULTRALIGHT BOWL ONLY | 1.50 |
| WATER BOTTLES – BLADDERS | |
| CAMELBAK 3 LITER UNBOTTLE FULL | 114.14 |
| LIGHTING | |
| PRINCETON TECH REMIX HEADLAMP | 3.00 |
| TOOLS | |
| LEATHERMAN TOOL | 5.30 |
| ADVENTURE MEDICAL RESCUE MIRROR / SILVA POLARIS 177 COMPASS / MOUNTAIN LAUREL DESIGNS CUBEN FIBER DITTY BAG | 1.50 |
| MISCELLANEOUS | |
| TIFOSI SUNGLASSES | 1.40 |
| MP3 PLAYER; EARPHONES; BATTERY | 5.30 |
| TOTAL SUM OF WEIGHT OUNCES | 623.24 |
| TOTAL SUM OF WEIGHT POUNDS | 38.95 |
Here are some links with information:
Garden of the gods / Shawnee National Forest
Cincinnati
Recent Comments