Rim Rock and Pounds Hollow
I drove
down to hike the Rim Rock and Beaver trail system at Pounds Hollow. The trails
are located off Illinois route 34, and then down Karbers Ridge Road. It is a
beautiful area full of trees, and hills.
The trails have a very nice paved parking lot, restrooms and even a spot for a bus to park, when large groups come. I put on my pack, watch and mile tracker, grabbed my walking stick and headed out. I normally carry a pack with gear in it, both for the weight, and just in case something happens. I’m trying to be more of a minimalist, so the pack doesn’t have much, but it has enough that I could stay in the woods for a while.
The Rim Rock trail is a sort of loop that is about 1.7 miles long and goes around an awesome rock structure. It allows you the opportunity to climb up on the rock and down through the rock. The trail is very well done with stone or wooden steps, and is fairly easy to hike. It would be great for kids.
I decided to walk the Beaver trail first. It’s a 3.2 mile out and back trail that goes through the woods, and along a creek that feeds Pounds Hollow Lake. The trail is very well maintained and traveled. As I hiked I passed several groups of hikers dragging their kids through the forest.
I reached the Pounds Hollow recreation area, which I swear I have never seen but my mom told me that I have, when I was a baby. The recreation area is a very nice paved picnic and beach area on the Pounds Hollow Lake. The lake is beautiful with the hills and trees surrounding it.
The Beaver trail ends at the recreation area. I did not know this, so I continued hiking along a trail that went beside the lake. After a while I could tell that this trail was not the main trail but some kind of path used by people fishing. The corks and bobbers hanging in the trees was a good sign for me.
A tall forested hill was on my right side and the lake on my left. I was certain the trail was around here somewhere, so I started to climb the hill; which is a good reason to always have a walking stick when hiking. Get a good one and love it. After climbing the hill, I reached the road that went down to the recreation area, but still no trail. So, I decided to hike the road down to the end of the lake.
I looked up the hill on my right side and saw a cool rock formation, and decided to check it out. So, I climbed up there and snapped a few pics. Then, I looked up and wondered what was at the top of the hill. So, I climbed up there to look. I saw the top of a camper and peeked my head up to scope it out. Some people gathering wood saw me, so I figured I better act normal. I went ahead and walked on up the hill and into a campground where several people were camping in campers.
I waved at the guy who saw me. I didn’t want him to think I was doing anything weird, as I walked on down through the campgrounds. I figured the road looped around somewhere and went back to the recreation area. So, I walked and walked on this road. I walked past some teens who I must have busted doing something wrong. They acted kind of awkward. Or maybe it was because some creepy guy from the woods was staring at them. Not sure, but I blame them.
I walked and walked till I decided that this road does not loop around. Course, later when I checked the map I discovered that it does loop around and it would have been a good addition to the hike. However, I turned and walked through an area that was the walk in camping area for tents, I assumed. It seemed to have been abandoned; which says something about the changing views of Americans on camping. Maybe tent camping is too much work.
I looped around through the woods and came out of the bushes right where those teens were sitting. They looked at me like I was Bigfoot. A big creepy Sasquatch, determined to ruin their plans. They loaded up in their car and hid as I walked by. I figured I would end up as a pic on some girls Facebook page. “This guy came out of the woods and tried to get us! Does anybody know who he is?? Let’s get this guy!” It could happen; for real.
I walked back up the hill to the place where I had entered the campgrounds. I waved at the guy I had waved at earlier. Who gave me a look like, “Why are you waving at me again?” Then, I walked on into the woods, down the hill to the road and down the road to the Recreation area.
I decided to swim in the lake. So, I went to a place on the beach that wasn’t sandy; and dropped my pack. I took off my shirt and shoes and went out into the water. Since it was mid April the water was way too cold for swimming; at least for me. There were some young kids swimming around in it further down the beach, shivering, faces blue. Not me. I don’t do the cold.
I waded around a little in the water, enjoying the beauty of God’s creation; then gathered my stuff together and headed down the trail. The walk back is always shorter, or at least it seems that way to me. I got to a fork in the path and went to hike the Rim Rock trail; which was an awesome trail to let the imagination soar. I always think of goblins, dragons, dwarves, and cavemen in these places. I kind of wish I could be a caveman. That would be cool.
There were lots of people on the trail that day. I saw a dad paying his kid to catch crawdads in the creek, which really kind of ticked me off. No wonder our planet is full of stupid. I pulled out my camera and took a picture of them. Actually I took a picture of a rock formation, but the guy thought I took a pic of them, and told his kid to get out of the creek.
I climbed up some stone stairs, and then through a crack and up some wooden stairs to the top. Everyone was coming the wrong way, and I had to step to the side several times. Course, maybe it was me going the wrong way. I blame them. I got to the top and walked down the trail and came around a bend. This guy was walking with his dog on a leash. His dog took off toward me and the guy looked at me like I was disturbing his dog. The dog quickly got to me and started sniffing my crotch. The man said.
“He won’t hurt you, he’s just playing.”
The dog kept trying to raise his front paw to grab my leg. Finally he did get a hold of me and came up to start humping my leg. “No your dog aint going to hurt me, it just wants to rape me.” I thought. The man yanked the leash and he and his four legged man-grabber waddled on down the trail.
The view of the country side from on top of the rock is quite stunning. There are numerous benches placed throughout the trail system where people can sit and contemplate or rest. The Rim Rock trail in most places is made up of some kind of stone tile that was laid down during the creation of the trail. The sign at the entrance explains all of it.
The Rim Rock and Beaver trail are a great place to go for a family get away. Hiking around the whole area, getting hot and sweaty, then swimming in the Pounds Hollow Lake sounds like a plan I might have to make happen again sometime soon. I might even camp.
The trails have a very nice paved parking lot, restrooms and even a spot for a bus to park, when large groups come. I put on my pack, watch and mile tracker, grabbed my walking stick and headed out. I normally carry a pack with gear in it, both for the weight, and just in case something happens. I’m trying to be more of a minimalist, so the pack doesn’t have much, but it has enough that I could stay in the woods for a while.
The Rim Rock trail is a sort of loop that is about 1.7 miles long and goes around an awesome rock structure. It allows you the opportunity to climb up on the rock and down through the rock. The trail is very well done with stone or wooden steps, and is fairly easy to hike. It would be great for kids.
I decided to walk the Beaver trail first. It’s a 3.2 mile out and back trail that goes through the woods, and along a creek that feeds Pounds Hollow Lake. The trail is very well maintained and traveled. As I hiked I passed several groups of hikers dragging their kids through the forest.
I reached the Pounds Hollow recreation area, which I swear I have never seen but my mom told me that I have, when I was a baby. The recreation area is a very nice paved picnic and beach area on the Pounds Hollow Lake. The lake is beautiful with the hills and trees surrounding it.
The Beaver trail ends at the recreation area. I did not know this, so I continued hiking along a trail that went beside the lake. After a while I could tell that this trail was not the main trail but some kind of path used by people fishing. The corks and bobbers hanging in the trees was a good sign for me.
A tall forested hill was on my right side and the lake on my left. I was certain the trail was around here somewhere, so I started to climb the hill; which is a good reason to always have a walking stick when hiking. Get a good one and love it. After climbing the hill, I reached the road that went down to the recreation area, but still no trail. So, I decided to hike the road down to the end of the lake.
I looked up the hill on my right side and saw a cool rock formation, and decided to check it out. So, I climbed up there and snapped a few pics. Then, I looked up and wondered what was at the top of the hill. So, I climbed up there to look. I saw the top of a camper and peeked my head up to scope it out. Some people gathering wood saw me, so I figured I better act normal. I went ahead and walked on up the hill and into a campground where several people were camping in campers.
I waved at the guy who saw me. I didn’t want him to think I was doing anything weird, as I walked on down through the campgrounds. I figured the road looped around somewhere and went back to the recreation area. So, I walked and walked on this road. I walked past some teens who I must have busted doing something wrong. They acted kind of awkward. Or maybe it was because some creepy guy from the woods was staring at them. Not sure, but I blame them.
I walked and walked till I decided that this road does not loop around. Course, later when I checked the map I discovered that it does loop around and it would have been a good addition to the hike. However, I turned and walked through an area that was the walk in camping area for tents, I assumed. It seemed to have been abandoned; which says something about the changing views of Americans on camping. Maybe tent camping is too much work.
I looped around through the woods and came out of the bushes right where those teens were sitting. They looked at me like I was Bigfoot. A big creepy Sasquatch, determined to ruin their plans. They loaded up in their car and hid as I walked by. I figured I would end up as a pic on some girls Facebook page. “This guy came out of the woods and tried to get us! Does anybody know who he is?? Let’s get this guy!” It could happen; for real.
I walked back up the hill to the place where I had entered the campgrounds. I waved at the guy I had waved at earlier. Who gave me a look like, “Why are you waving at me again?” Then, I walked on into the woods, down the hill to the road and down the road to the Recreation area.
I decided to swim in the lake. So, I went to a place on the beach that wasn’t sandy; and dropped my pack. I took off my shirt and shoes and went out into the water. Since it was mid April the water was way too cold for swimming; at least for me. There were some young kids swimming around in it further down the beach, shivering, faces blue. Not me. I don’t do the cold.
I waded around a little in the water, enjoying the beauty of God’s creation; then gathered my stuff together and headed down the trail. The walk back is always shorter, or at least it seems that way to me. I got to a fork in the path and went to hike the Rim Rock trail; which was an awesome trail to let the imagination soar. I always think of goblins, dragons, dwarves, and cavemen in these places. I kind of wish I could be a caveman. That would be cool.
There were lots of people on the trail that day. I saw a dad paying his kid to catch crawdads in the creek, which really kind of ticked me off. No wonder our planet is full of stupid. I pulled out my camera and took a picture of them. Actually I took a picture of a rock formation, but the guy thought I took a pic of them, and told his kid to get out of the creek.
I climbed up some stone stairs, and then through a crack and up some wooden stairs to the top. Everyone was coming the wrong way, and I had to step to the side several times. Course, maybe it was me going the wrong way. I blame them. I got to the top and walked down the trail and came around a bend. This guy was walking with his dog on a leash. His dog took off toward me and the guy looked at me like I was disturbing his dog. The dog quickly got to me and started sniffing my crotch. The man said.
“He won’t hurt you, he’s just playing.”
The dog kept trying to raise his front paw to grab my leg. Finally he did get a hold of me and came up to start humping my leg. “No your dog aint going to hurt me, it just wants to rape me.” I thought. The man yanked the leash and he and his four legged man-grabber waddled on down the trail.
The view of the country side from on top of the rock is quite stunning. There are numerous benches placed throughout the trail system where people can sit and contemplate or rest. The Rim Rock trail in most places is made up of some kind of stone tile that was laid down during the creation of the trail. The sign at the entrance explains all of it.
The Rim Rock and Beaver trail are a great place to go for a family get away. Hiking around the whole area, getting hot and sweaty, then swimming in the Pounds Hollow Lake sounds like a plan I might have to make happen again sometime soon. I might even camp.
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