This weekend my sister, her husband and myself took my Dad for a birthday hike. We thought it would be a good excuse to get back in touch with good old mother nature, get some exercise, and for the reasons mentioned previously. We decided to go to the Waterfall Glen Forrest Preserve which is part of the Forrest Preserve District of DuPage County.
The weather was really quite bad earlier in the day. 31 degrees, snowing, windy and slushy. This made for sloppy hiking conditions, and some of the waterfalls we encountered that usually can be crossed were impossible to ford. As we continued on the hike, the weather improved to the point that I had to remove layers. As they say, Chicago has all four seasons, sometimes all on the same day.
This mini-adventure covered approximately 5 miles, and there was a decent amount of muddy hills to be hiked. There were a few opportunities to cross creeks and small rivers, and in better or worse weather, that is where the prime adventuring is to be done. Overall, it was a great beginner hike, and an excellent example of something to do with Dad on his birthday.
