LEWIS AND CLARK AND MARC

I woke up in a Howard Johnson's in Springfield, Illinois. I pointed my car south for the two hour trip to St. Louis, Missouri for two appointments. I took a five minute break during the day to eat a Subway sandwich. During my visit my yarn shop customer, I had told one of the employees that I was looking for a good place to hike in the afternoon. It turned out this this woman was well aware of one of the best and most rigorous hikes in the area. She suggested that I take the 'Lewis and Clark' trail in Weldon Springs which was only about 20 miles west of St. Louis. What a great, rigorous amazing hike I had. 

I did pass exactly one other human being on this trail. This photo was taken with my 10 second timer.

When I arrived at the trailhead I was faced with two choices, I could take the short loop trail, the Clark Trail which was listed as 5.3 miles with a notice advising that this hike would take 3 hours.  The signpost directly under this sign announced the Clark Trail which was 8.2 miles which would take 5 hours. 

I did not have five hours of daylight left or anything close to that amount of time. But I did think that perhaps I might be a faster hiker than the average hiker. I started out prepared to only hike 5 miles, but hopeful that I would be able to hike the entire 8 mile loop. As it turned out, I am apparently a bit faster than the average hiker who approaches this trailhead. I completed the 8 mile loop trail in 2 hours, 18 minutes. Admittedly, I didn't stick around too long in any one spot to enjoy the few stunning views and/or rest. My agenda was to complete the 8 mile loop long before darkness set it. I was successful.

Missouri River which was mostly hidden during the hike 

This description was directly lifted from alltrails.com

Lewis and Clark Trail - Lewis Trail is an 8.2 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near St Charles, Missouri that features a river and is rated as moderate. The trail is best used from March until November. 

Stunning views of the Missouri River Bluffs, Best hike in Metro Area 

This is the most scenic hike in the Metro St. Louis Area. Three sections of the trail pass by limestone cliffs and bluff escarpments where hikers enjoy a beautiful view of the Missouri River. These sections require you to take a short spur off of the main trail. The bluffs are usually about 25 yards from the main trail. These sections come up in the first 2 miles of the hike. Moderately strenuous for Missouri hiking. One possible, yet easy, creek crossing in wet weather. Be sure, at the creek crossing, to take the fork that heads NORTH or else you will be doing the full 8.2 mile loop (Lewis Trail).

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Your Food Diary For:

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Quaker - Instant Oatmeal- Maple	480	96	6	12	780	36
	480	96	6	12	780	36
L U N C H
Subway - Turkey Breast Foot Long	560	92	7	36	0	14
Harvest Bay - Coconut Water	160	40	0	0	400	24
	720	132	7	36	400	38
D I N N E R
Bento Nouveau Sushi - Spicy Salmon Roll	560	77	20	19	750	13
Navel Orange	75	19	0	1	2	13
Red Delicious Apple	95	25	0	1	2	19
	730	121	20	21	754	45
Totals	1,930	349	33	69	1,934	119
Your Daily Goal	2,931	366	97	147	2,300	110
Remaining	1,001	17	64	78	366	-9
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,001 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 227.1 lbs in 5 weeks .


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I have taken urban hikes in Chicago, walked 10, 12, 15 miles around town, and when I return home by total 'floors' as reported by the fitbit can be less than 5. My hike on the Lewis and Clark trail, ended at precisely 100 floors. That day, two years ago, when I hiked Half-Dome in Yosemite, and climbed about 4800 feet to the summit - my total 'floors' that day were 'only' 563 - and that was from a dawn to dusk hike. Yesterday's hike was very rigorous for a hike just 20 miles away from downtown St. Louis that was completed in less than two hours, twenty minutes.