Now that I have finished last year, on to this year’s trek. Due to the virus, our originally planned hike in the UK from Winchester to Cantebury along the Cantebury and North Downs Trails got shot in the rump, my challenge was to find a trail along which we (former Hadrian’s Wall hiker Rich Wemstrom and I) could hike but not have to camp. Nothing jumped out pre structured so, I made bricks without straw and staged the I&M canal trail from Joliet to Starved Rock State Park, roughly 54 miles. So a little shorter and much flatter than our prior treks.
The canal was hand dug in the early 19th century to facilitate the transfer of farm products and furs from the rural Midwest to Chicago and finished products from Chicago to the Rural Midwest.
After a few miles we came to a point where the canal crossed the DuPage River with a series of locks and an aqueduct.
We continued along the trail enjoying the day and the weather finishing the hike at McKinley Woods. 9 miles done
Lou Hikes? 