I come here with a long story but I am short on verbage. (LOL) I'm joining to learn more about the River to River trail. I have downloaded the Avenza APP, went to the links pointed out in the information on the Shawnee National Forest website and purchased the maps, and viewed numerous hours of YouTube videos on the adventures of hikers on the River to River hikes. Trust me folks I'm not that fast of a hiker like them but then I am new to "long distance hiking" and actually selected the... Read more ..read more

Whether for hiking, cycling, etc. Just reply with the last gear you bought and reply after that with more buys. Let's get this thread big ..read more

I live in the country, but my address is Metropolis. I'm more by Round Knob/Big Bay/New Columbia area. I lived most of my childhood and most of my 30's in Hurst. I grew up in Hurst after being born in Carbondale. I've lived in Carterville, Herrin, and Marion ..read more

Do you climb at Jackson Falls? How often do you climb there? What area is your favorite area to climb ..read more

I think I want to give fishing a try. I'll be a catch and release sort of fisherman... I typically don't like the taste of fish. But I'd like to incorporate fishing videos into Hiking with Shawn one day here and there. But I'm such a fishing newbie. What's a good starter kit? Like rod and reel and bait/tackle to start with? On that note, what's a good fishing style to start with? I'm that new LOL ..read more

Did you get the deer you wanted this season? Shotgun or bow or both ..read more

So far, our favorite spot is a toss up between Lake Glendale and Glen O Jones Do you have a favorite spot in southern Illinois for kayaking ..read more

Does anyone participate in the 9-day? What's it like? What's you day like during that ..read more

Our favorite has to be the campground at Trail of Tears State Forest. The shelter sites are the best but the non-shelter sites are nice too ..read more

The Forest Service are going to be working on trails around Cedar Lake and Kinkaid Lake soon. They plan to designate for mountain biking. I hope it pans out. Those areas are already used widely (unofficially) by mountain bikers. I think the Shawnee needs all the mountain bike designations we can get. There's enough forest for everyone to enjoy it ..read more