Exploring the World with Pokémon Go: Des Plaines River Trail 4
While on vacation and away from the Florida humidity for a bit, I took a chance to explore Des Plaines River Trail 4. This segment of the trail took me down memory lane and I asked my dad to come with me. Not only did this section take me towards my old high school, but the path itself was the very one that inspired me to go on hikes and run races.
There is likely no section of Des Plaines River Trail that is as familiar to me more than this section. It might be labeled as Des Plaines River Trail 4 according to this blog, but to my memories, this is section one. When I was in high school, I used to run up and down this section with the cross country team. And my dad and I started training for half marathons by running down this very same part.
Memory lane aside, this whole area is filled with trees lining the edge of the trail while the path itself is mostly exposed to the sun. While it wasn’t as humid as Florida in Illinois, the entire region was under an unprecedented heat wave at the time I was here. This limited how far my dad and I were willing to walk. Especially since we were in the heat with little shade during the entire thing.
Beyond the Mile Marker
The second section of Des Plaines River Trail 4 transitioned between the two parts that had my more undivided attention. Between the trailhead where I started and the half mile leading into the next section, my mind sorta went into auto pilot. Old habits perhaps since while this section was pretty, it paled in comparison to everything happening around it.
I don’t mean that this section is less than the others. Just that to me personally the stretch that took the half mile between markers 9 and 10 simply is a bridge between two segments that are far more important to childhood me.
One major positive of this part of the trail was that I got some much needed protection from the sun. The path transitioned towards the trees and sits under there gaze rather than away. Better them than the wrath of the sun.
Beyond the Bridge
Normally I would have spit this section up into two separate ones due to the mile markers present. But I have chosen to combine these last two sections of Des Plaines River Trail 4 because of their significance. This part and the area directly after it that I’ll be exploring in my next post are the two most important segments of trails perhaps in my life.
My high school is right past where I stopped and beyond that is the other half of the trail that served as my training spot for races. But there is even more significance than that. The bridge that the trail passes under carries Grand Ave, Illinois State Road 132. I grew up on this road. Even now when I visit family in the surrounding areas, I still make use of this street.
Unlike the segment before which had my mind occupied on other matters, memories came streaming back as I traveled the final stretch. Every bend of the trail brought back a smell, a sight, or a feeling. What a nostalgic feeling. It almost made me sad knowing that I would only get to experience this one more time on the trail.
Pokémon Go
Here is Des Plaines River Trail 4 in Pokémon Go. All in all the trail is a fantastic place to play the game. There have been no segments thus far that have been lacking in Pokestops and Gyms. Even the parts far out in the middle of nowhere have had a stop for each mile marker and sub mile marker. As for the parts that traveled through parks, each landmark has been a Pokestop.
Compared to some of the trails in Florida, the Des Plaines River Trail is an incredible place to hike and to catch Pokémon. You might notice that several stops along the trail were not spun properly. That wasn’t because of the trail or me not hiking to them. My phone crashed and I had to restart it. A shame because I’m certain that those areas had tons of spawns.
Nothing special hatched. Just a Smoliv. I only hiked a mile each way after all.
Here I am with my dad. This part of the Des Plaines River Trail was an important part of my childhood and I was glad to hike this segment with him. After all, my dad is one of the reasons I have this travel blog in the first place. If not for getting me to go running and join cross country, I doubt I would be in good enough shape to go on longer hikes now.
If only the weather wasn’t so humid and hot in Florida during the summer. Oh well. At least I’ll have more trail to explore the next time I travel to Illinois.