River to River Trail | Thru-Hike | Day 8

This is a documentary of my first solo thru-hike attempt of the River to River Trail through Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois. On day eight, I start at Cedar Lake Spillway and hike through Alto Pass, IL, Bald Knob Wilderness, Clear Springs Wilderness, and take a break at Inspiration Point. Finally, I grind it out on 10 miles of gravel and pavement to reach Grand Tower, IL, the Mississippi River, and the western terminus of the River to River Trail.
Get the Avenza app and download the R2R trail bundle.
Below are my gear and food lists. I also listed some resources for the trail and hikers I follow.
Backpack:
Osprey Exos 58 - amzn.to/2qusB3N
Trash Bag Liner - amzn.to/2vcLduD
Zpacks Multi-Pack - www.zpacks.com/...
Tent & Sleep System:
Zpacks Duplex Tent - www.zpacks.com/...
Enlightened Equipment Enigma 20* - enlightenedequ...
Thermarest Neoair Xlite - amzn.to/2qsKxvG
EXPED Schnozzel PumpBag - amzn.to/2GXP5RT
Thermarest AirTap Pump Kit - amzn.to/2EI1xDn
Sea to Summit Aeros Pillow - amzn.to/2EJSBx0
Clothing:
OR Realm Jacket - amzn.to/2GWcmDB
Arcteryx Delta LT Zip - amzn.to/2GVz3fh
Smartwool Mid 250 Bottom - amzn.to/2GVUGfB
Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer - amzn.to/2v8nFap
Darn Tough Micro Crew Socks - amzn.to/2EJ2Ul3
Smartwool Beanie - amzn.to/2GXD9PT
Carhartt Hat - amzn.to/2sQYwjx
Seirus Hyperlite Gloves - amzn.to/2GX0sgX
OR Revel Mitten Shells - amzn.to/2EJ4ROn
Altra Trail Shoes - amzn.to/2EJxJ99
Dirty Girl Gaiters - dirtygirlgaite...
Prana Stretch Zion Pants - amzn.to/2ISguFo
Patagonia Capilene Long Sleeve - amzn.to/2GZEPIN
Exofficio Boxer Briefs - amzn.to/2qsAfLS
Buff - amzn.to/2EG1hVn
Orange Vest - amzn.to/2GZoyU2
Monoprice Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - amzn.to/2vdkBK0
Cook:
BRS Gas Stove - amzn.to/2GXXc0u
Olicamp Fuel - amzn.to/2GZoNyq
Toaks 650 ML Cup - amzn.to/2vecvRu
Toaks Long Spoon - amzn.to/2qv7FJN
Big Sky Insulite Pouch - amzn.to/2INMHgM
Freezer Bags - amzn.to/2EIvCTn
Lightload Towel - amzn.to/2GVy5vo
Misc:
Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter - amzn.to/2vhkBZo
Sawyer Coupler - amzn.to/2vdlYIE
Evernew 2 Liter Soft Bottle - amzn.to/2vcOeer
Deuce of Spades - amzn.to/2quFhry
Petzel E-Lite - amzn.to/2GYFDOb
Anker PowerCore II - amzn.to/2GYqxYI
Victorinox Mini Knife - amzn.to/2qvcKlE
Leukotape - amzn.to/2qwZVHc
Dr. Bronner's Soap - amzn.to/2EM6Hyg
Lip Balm - amzn.to/2EG2lbP
Sunscreen 1 oz - amzn.to/2GUnQr9
Chamois Butt'r - amzn.to/2GUQys8
LOKSAK Opsak Food Storage - amzn.to/2IS4BiE
Oakley Crossrange Sunglasses - amzn.to/2EJqIFx
Casio Watch - amzn.to/2quP40w
Samsung Galaxy S8 - amzn.to/2GUlexr
Food:
Mountain House Spaghetti - amzn.to/2GUlWuB
Mountain House Chili Mac - amzn.to/2vbTizF
Mountain House Chicken and Dumplings - amzn.to/2EJrHWf
Mountain House Beef Stroganoff - amzn.to/2GT5Ilw
Backpacker's Pantry Red Beans & Rice - amzn.to/2IRbccZ
Probar - amzn.to/2EJrXV4
Stinger Honey Waffle - amzn.to/2vh6cwA
Justin's Honey Peanut Butter - amzn.to/2IS2qvs
Jelly Belly Sport Beans - amzn.to/2ITxkUd
Gatorade Powder - amzn.to/2EJzAe7
Snickers - amzn.to/2GX2LAD
Breakfast Shakes:
Oats - amzn.to/2EGYMlG
Chia Seeds - amzn.to/2IQFOeH
Protein Powder - amzn.to/2GUS7X2
Instant Breakfast - amzn.to/2qvao61
Starbucks VIA Veranda - amzn.to/2GXRYCd
Powdered Milk - amzn.to/2EJ4C5X
R2R Trail resources:
www.rivertoriv...
rivertorivertra...
www.gaiagps.com/
/ ultralight
www.fs.usda.go...
www.shawneefrie...
Hikers I follow:
Darwin on the trail - darwinonthetra...
Follow Bigfoot - / @followbigfoot
Homemade Wanderlust - / @homemadewanderlust
sintax77 - / sintax77
Outdoor Adventures - / frozensadventures
John Zahorian - / johnzahorian
Neemor's World - / neemorsworld
Will Wood - / wmwood2001
Andrew Skurka - andrewskurka.com/
Lint - www.linthikes.com/
Day 8 Music by Wes Hutchinson

[@bestrong3149]

Congrats man!!!! That was an incredible hike!!!

[@montegomm]

Ben, Congratulations, and thank you for sharing your journey!

[@stevewright2241]

I think that road below Inspiration point is called "Snake Road" . In the spring it gets closed off to the pubic so snakes can sit on the road and warm up their bodies after being in hibernation all winter. It's kind of a tourist spot for people who like reptiles. You can google snake road and see KZbin videos of people getting their picture with a cottonmouth.

[@JosephJonLombardi]

Yes!

[@davidtate166]

Very enjoyable hiking videos 😁👍

[@susanb1617]

Excellent

[@RickStoneTravels]

Thru-hiking this trail next week! Cant wait

[@JR-playlists]

To be fair, if the roads hurt your feet, the shoulder of the road looked like grass. Nice views of the summery!

[@clayschuetz899]

I know this has been a couple years ago for you but thank you Soo much for sharing your adventure. I went last Halloween day for my very first backpacking trip, a four day solo in Wayne national Forest Ohio, I fell in love with backpacking and I decided that's what I want most from the rest if this life that I've Soo wasted, I'm gonna live life fully. Videos like this are more important than you can know, back in February I injured my left foot, stepped on a sticker plant, branch went straight through my hiking boot and into the ball joint right behind my second toe, still something in there , trying to work it out but I've been grounded from hiking since then, virus don't help much either, but hopefully all will be good soon again. Its killing me not being able to get a trail right now, I have plans on hiking the entire Appalachian trail in the next year or two, and seeing people like you doing things like this, inspires courage and helps fuel my desire to make dreams a reality, Soo again thank you Soo much😁😁😁😁😁 You may not know it but what you do, filming things like this, it means everything right now to keep that inspiration 😁

[@benhikes]

Heal up and happy trails!

[@clayschuetz899]

@@benhikes well thankfully I finally got what was in my foot out yesterday😁😁😁 A big thorn, that sucker was lodged in my foot for over two months, now it's just gotta heal, lol I can hardly wait to get back out there😁😁😁

[@lazyextremist3119]

Just watched all your R2R videos this morning! Very helpful to get visuals of a lesser known trail. I'm heading out in a couple weeks to check off a thru this year. Thanks again and well done!

[@davidtate166]

Grand towel floods a bit .but the levies stop flooding.

[@greygardens81]

Loved this series of videos. Nice work

[@mountaintofu]

Thanks for the great series of videos! I leave in the morning and am shooting for 9 days (or less). It was fun seeing things I will hopefully recognize along the trail ahead.

[@benhikes]

Thanks for watching. Have fun!

[@nichellehowell]

Jennifer how did it go?

[@DeliciousBass01]

awesome series...im literally doing this very soon. Did you rely on the Avenza Maps online or did you bring paper maps?

[@benhikes]

I didn't have Avenza maps at the time but I would totally recommend Avenza and the R2R map bundle. You can download them in the Avenza store. I had paper printouts of the pdfs with me too but only for a backup. I used Gaia maps and it was a struggle at times. Thanks for watching! Have a good hike!

[@DeliciousBass01]

thanks!

[@mbomr]

Great job and videos, commentary and tips! Starting through hike on 9/28/18. What a sense of accomplishment!

[@Truth-4-Humanity]

Well done! This is awesome! Thank you for documenting and sharing your journey of the river to river trail!

[@AungMoeWin]

Congratulations!!! Great videos.

[@samuelyoder5502]

This was awesome! I'm planning to hike this trail next year and this was a great inspiration!

[@jaysonbohnert6373]

This was an awesome series! I just found out about this trail recently and I'm from southern IN. Great photography and videography skills. I watched the whole series so thanks for sharing your experience. Looking forward for more of your journeys. Hike on, buddy!

[@dgaul65]

VERY AWESOME!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

[@rigbyUnbound]

really great series.. loved your filming and editing but primarily your description of what was going on.. great charisma. look forward to more thru hike videos ATB

[@CasualDork]

Im doing this the second week of September. Watching your journey made me even more stoked! Thanks for making the video!

[@benhikes]

Cool man! Let me know how it goes.

[@frankierodriguez5620]

Watched it all. Awesome, congrats. Great narration, camera work, and most of all hiking!

[@loveisvulnerability]

I enjoyed this series! Thanks for filming and editing and sharing!

[@jdamonevv]

Great series!

[@kenwbrenner]

Hi Ben, from an avid hiker. Comments: 1. Congratulations on completing this trail. Impressed with your efforts on the hike, and all that you were able to overcome. 2. Impressed with your doing this without resupply. 3. Loved the video quality, and the amount of detail you provided for each day and section! 4. I like the variety of scenery offered by this trail. Admittedly, a lot of road hiking, but some of it allowed you to see farms, small towns, etc. that you wouldn't have experienced if it was all in the woods. 5. Very impressed with the view from Inspiration Point. 6. I was touched by your reaction to finishing. 7. Very good job on the production of your 8 videos for this hike. I have come away with a very good idea of what this trail looks like along its entire route. Well done! I can relate in several ways: 1. I am attempting to hike the Appalachian Trail (AT), doing so in sections over the past 20 years. So, I understand the concept of wanting to finish an end-to-end trail. 2. If I am blessed to finish the AT (I've done 902 miles thus far), I imagine it will be an emotional moment when I reach the northern terminus. 3. I like to photograph my hikes, then make youtube videos of each "section" I've done. Like you, I like to show the details of each section so one can get an idea of what the trail looks like in that area. If you would like to get an idea of my hiking the AT and the videos, my channel is Ken Brenner, and I have a playlist (kzbin.info/aero/PLqMAUhnDoVYltarXskQjaFYznlYFiSJv2) with all videos thus far. I apologize for the long comment, but after watching all 8 videos, wanted to share my thoughts with you, including what appears to be some common philosophy/approach to hiking and documenting via videos. I plan to share your videos with my hiking friends. Very well done Ben, God Bless... Ken

[@benhikes]

I appreciate you watching and all of your insights. Good luck with competing the AT! I'll check out your playlist.

[@desotopete]

Enjoyed that. I do most of my stomping around the pine hills area and levee system or I should say west side of the shawnee. Video edit was awesome. I need an image stabilized phone.

[@benhikes]

Thanks! I'll have to check out more of the Pine Hills area. This hike made me realize how much more there is to see in Shawnee.

[@papertiger795]

Awesome... Just binge watched all of the hike. Really reminded me of hiking back home (St Louis area). Make sure you take us along on your next stroll through the woods, I definitely think you have a talent for these hiking vids. Subscribed.

[@benhikes]

Can't wait to get back out there! Stay tuned.

[@Ray_Here]

Nice job on the R2R vids. Congrats!!!

[@troykallister5138]

Epic hike... Thanks for the insperation and insight. I'm planning on doing this in spring of 2019 and I watch your vids from time to time for info and to hype myself in the planning stages. I thank you for your filmography, your gear list and your truthfull commentary on the trail, very helpful. God bless you and I would love to see more trail hikes or work of yours... Some of my favorite quotes..."I know why they call it through hiking, cause you get to a point where your through with hiking"..."Trail conditions, poor"...and last but not least...lol..."It's all down hill from here"....Peace

[@benhikes]

Troy Kallister glad you're enjoying the series. Your comments made my day! Let me know how your hike goes. I just finished a hike in Oregon so stay tuned for that video.

[@ChadWesselman]

Congratulations Ben! Nice camera work, that should be expected though. This series is recommended viewing for anyone preparing to hike the R2R. Crazy to think this trail is so close to E'ville but rarely talked about here.

[@benhikes]

Thanks Chad! It's an incredible trail right down the road from Evansville but let's not tell anyone. Thanks for all of your videos on the R2R.

[@HikingWithShawn]

Well I binged-watched your whole documentary tonight! Awesome work! Love to see it... I've lives in southern IL all my life and grew up in the Shawnee :) Thanks for doing this, Ben!

[@benhikes]

I appreciate it Shawn. I definitely want to go back and spend more time exploring certain areas. So much to see! I've seen some of your vids and "Snake Road" looks crazy!

[@HikingWithShawn]

In about a month, Snake Road will be closed for migration again! So expect more crazy snake videos haha

[@nepalesenomad1195]

enjoyed watching, thanks for sharing :)

[@MrCyfriend]

Ben Hikes? Naaw, BEN RAWKS! Great editing and documenting. This is my old stomping grounds though not unfortunately for 30 years that I've been in the gawddforsaken Chicago area. Miss my Southern IL roots increasingly and enjoyed seeing quite a few places I recognize in your vids. I plan on getting down there to backpack part of this with my 15yr old son this fall-just watched the last few days with him explaining where a lot of this was shot and referencing places he has been down there. GREAT WORK (and play)!

[@benhikes]

Thank you! Fall will be a great time to hike. I need to get back out there too.

[@davidtate166]

Forest service don't do trail repair ? Contract it out . only get a ? Million dollars or so to service the forest.