Eileen's Third Anniversary Hike

we must consider every winter hike to be automatically tentative, subject to weather. always check the announcement the night before and the morning of the event to make sure there have been no changes you should know about.

dear friends--

the winter solstice, with the shortest day of the year will soon be upon us, then the holiday season, followed by winter in earnest, so i hoped we could get outside and get together one last time while it still might be pre-winter.

this event will be the third anniversary of Eileen with the group. i felt a strong connection with her as soon as we met. our first major bond at her first event was that we both hiked all winter.

we will meet at 12:00 PM CST (1 PM EST) at the Beverly Shores South Shore line parking lot. though we will not be using the train, the lot is never full, and i've never heard of anyone's having problems parking there, but if you are uneasy about that, just park at the Great Marsh trail parking lot, a couple blocks to the north, and walk to the South Shore parking lot by 12:00.

note, however, that the Great Marsh parking lot is a fee area, so you will need a permit to hang on your mirror (you can purchase one at the Marathon station on the corner--but not cheap).

there is a washroom at the South Shore train station on Broadway, north of the tracks. there is also a washroom at the Marathon gas station south of the tracks.

since we'll be meeting in a (likely) cold parking lot, let's be moving by 11:20.

please check the weather before departure and have appropriate clothing and equipment https://weather.com/weather/today/l/46301:4:US . bring along a snack which we will eat on the trail, plus enough water (one quart minimum).

first we will hike the Great Marsh Trail to the wildlife viewing platform, and tarry there a bit if it's not too cold.

after that, we will go back to Broadway, turn right, and walk to Beverly rd. there is a nice Marsh overlook with benches at the corner.

be sure to take and post some pictures throughout this hike.

we will then turn left (west), and continue down Beverly, then cross Derby Ditch to the beginning of the Lost Roads. these are the old roads of the part of Beverly Shores that was condemned and torn down when the National Lakeshore was developed. the concrete and asphalt have crumbled into dust in the nearly 70 years since the park was founded, and what remains in a nice network of trails that have recently been cleared and signposted with the advent of the National Park.

we will then take the Lost Roads through the Beverly Shores woods back to the Great Marsh, and continue on the lost part of Beverly rd to Rafi's Bridge.

we will cross the bridge, and continue on Beverly to lost Carolina ave. there we will turn left and continue north to the Calumet trail. we will take the Calumet Trail to Broadway, and end up back at the train station and our vehicles.

after that we will visit the Christmas markets at the Depot and at the Goblin and the Grocer.

after that, we may have dinner at the Goblin. the details of this will be clarified as the time gets closer.

if you have symptoms of, or have recently tested positive for Covid-19 (or any other contagious disease), please DO NOT ATTEND.

to view photos from previous hikes at this location, see

2017 https://www.meetup.com/ricks-hiking-fun-group/photos/28366883/

2019 https://www.meetup.com/ricks-hiking-fun-group/photos/30533245/

2022 https://www.meetup.com/ricks-hiking-fun-group/photos/31961005/

2022 https://www.meetup.com/ricks-hiking-fun-group/photos/33052654/

2023 https://www.meetup.com/ricks-hiking-fun-group/photos/33990628/

hope to see you there,

Rick & Eileen