My brother-in-law Rick Downs is visiting with his family from Chicago and he and Derek and I did the Cedar Butte hike this morning. Kudos to Rick because he did his best and what more can any of us do?
Rick lives in Illinois, which is Flatland, he travels on business almost every week of the year, and he is not a hiker. But I picked a hike I thought would be challenging but doable and he came through like a trouper. He was exerting himself and sweating and working hard – great job, Rick! And he loved it.
Cedar Butte is about 2.8 miles round trip, and is a bit more than a mile from the parking lot. So Rick’s total hike was roughly 5 miles. Cedar Butte is not flat, it is about 850 feet of elevation gain in 1.4 miles, which is more than you will find anywhere in Illinois outside the walls of a skyscraper.
Although Cedar Butte tops out at about 1900 feet of elevation, look at these views:
And from just below the summit:
And along the trail you can view the Boxley Blowout historical site:
http://www.scn.org/cedar_butte/bb-main.html
And there is even a marker at the summit:
And with that it is official: Rick made it to the top, it wasn’t easy for him but he powered through and would love to do more (if he could; Illinois and airplanes offer few mountain hiking opportunities).
Tomorrow, Fourth of July, I am planning another solo conditioning hike up Mt. Washington. Got to get in shape for another try at Vesper Peak.