Loess Hills Hiking

One of my best friends from high school, Amy, and I are doing a section hike on the Appalachian Trail in June (of 2022). Because of this, we've been getting together every three weeks to take a hike - typically about halfway between our respective homes and somewhere in the Loess Hills. Our first hike was in the Jones Creek Pond and Amy was running late that day, so I drove up the road aways to check out a scenic overlook that I had always wanted to stop at.

There are plenty of scenic overlooks dotting the Loess Hills but not all of them have a dedicated plaque. Walter Ordway Jr. sounds like my kind of person!

It was a chilly & windy day this day, but the views - like always - cannot be beaten!

This particular scenic overlook has the largest, most accomodating deck I've ever seen and boasts plenty of seating. It would be a great place to hang out and take it all in on a perfect-weather day.

After my quick side quest, Amy and I hiked North of the pond on an old maintenance road, where we actually ran across a couple of other folks walking. We backtracked after a while and walked on the trails around the pond.

One cannot hike in nature without taking at least one photo, amirite?

Typical late Fall foliage. Some people hate hiking this time of the year because they think it's ugly, but when the leaves leave the trees and bushes, it makes it easy to see much farther out.

Of course, the trail starts and ends around Jones Creek Pond itself. What a beautiful sight! 

The next time we met up, the snow had fallen, although it wasn't as dense in my neck of the woods so we met closer to my place. This time we graced Old Town Conservation Area with our presence. 

It was definitely colder this time around, but more beautiful. With tufts of white dotting the ground, an azure sky above us, and the Sun shining brightly over the land, hiking was a glorious thing this day.

Just look at that! How could you not want to hike it?

It's nice having a hiking partner again - something I've been lacking for a long time. My kids are on their own or have no interest in hiking, and most of my friends are busy or also have no real interest in hiking, so it's been nice having company out there on the trails. Of course, we have an agenda we're working on, but we're doing it together. And, we're enjoying the views along the way.

Enjoy the rest of your week, friend!