Quick Overnight on Johnson Mt March 4-5 2022

 Theme for this trip

Johnson Mountain is a spur off the Council Bluff Lake loop. I have been up there once before in June of 2021 and it a beautiful place to camp. I had 24 hours free this weekend and decided to go again. Well a lot has changed since my last visit and you can compare as the link is above.

I suspected I would be alone this weekend, not just because Johnson Mt is a spur off a fairly popular trail but also the early season. Despite it being 72 degrees on Friday I saw only 1 person with a boat and just 3 mountain bikers on the main trail. Venturing out in the very early months of the year is a fantastic time if you like the trail to yourself and absolute quiet. (well maybe not so quiet... read on) 

Council Bluff recreation area was for the most part closed. the road to the hiker campsites was closed and gated off, so was the road to the beach. The only section that was accessible was the boat launch parking area, which I planned to park at anyway as it adds about two miles onto a fairly short walk. 

Just as a note, The boat launch and beach area are both a $5 per day use area.

After parking my truck and paying my $5 I was off. I decided to make this my first shake down trip for my upcoming trip back to Scotland for the TGO Challenge in May, so I was carrying all the same gear I would use but only one day of food.  With food and 1 liter of water I was around 14 pounds 

The Lake Loop Trail leads right off the parking area. (not sure what they mean by no camping! 😃)

Council Bluff Lake boat launch area 

Missouri is known for its unusual granite outcroppings and there are several around the lake 

You can see Johnson Mt in the background just left of center.

Just under 2 miles from the boat launch you come to the beach area, where I had parked in June. No one on the beach today, despite the very warm temperatures

After the beach you cross a natural outlet for the lake. I like this area as it has some great granite features again and it creates many pools for the water to stand in. 

You then enter a small section of pine forest 

The spillway was gated and locked. This is new as you have always been able to walk out on the spillway and it is a great view. Someone has probably done something stupid and ruined it for the rest of us! 

The earthen dam (In June this was up to my waist in tall grass)

You can see the exit of the lake below and source of the Big River. 

Here is a shot of the intake/spillway from the other side of the dam 

This area was part of prescribed burn last fall and the cleared and blackend forest makes the moss on the trail really snap with color

I had not realized how much of this area was encompassed by the burn. This whole side of the lake was effected. 

More of the huge granite outcroppings

The trail up to Johnson Mountain proper was part of the fire line. Notice the burn area on the right and no burn on the left 

Now reversed, burn on the left and clear on the right. There is real skill involved in doing these control burns to help manage the forest, but not letting it get out of hand. 

It is a rather brutal uphill grade for just a bit to reach the top of Johnson Mountain. This area, which is the part with the view is actually not the very top (no view from the actual top) but is only a few hundred yards from the actual top. 

You can now see what the burn area has done to the landscape 

Council Bluff Lake below

Here is a close view in June of last year. Big change

When I was here last year, I processed a lot of firewood and could not use it, because of the high winds on this exposed overlook area. I processed more wood and cleaned up the area, but again could not make a fire as the winds were "howling" from sundown to well past sun up. 

My plan had been to "cowboy" camp on the edge tonight, but with the wind, I set up the tent back in a remaining stand of trees just off the edge. It didn't help much 

                             

I did not start up until mid afternoon, so now just time to relax and watch the sky and sun change for the evening. 

An eerie and somewhat sad panorama of the top. It will be decades before the tree canopy returns 

   The sunsets are the same 

Trying to relax "on the ground" ! 

The sun tried just before the end to come out

I was trying some more cold soak recipes. This one tonight was tomato pesto pasta. It was very yummy

Picked up a local hard cider before the trip up. Added weight, but a nice addition to dinner. 

Evening light

Lovely 

It was a long and restless night with the wind howling all night long. The dawn didn't bring any relief from the wind but it was beautiful

The morning light was spectacular 

What a view 

I tried to capture some of the big wind gusts during the night, but it was easier to capture it in the morning. This is a tame compared to some of the really big gusts that occurred during the night. The tent did not move however, but the noise made it difficult to get quality sleep. Hammocks are much better! 

There is a lovely sounding little bird, braving the wind,  in the bush right outside my tent

Didn't want to hang around at the top, so just packed up and headed down. The fire crews had used this old forest road to access the burn areas, so now it a rather large forest track 

Back down at lake level 

I stopped at the beach area, seeing I had the whole place to myself and had breakfast 

Had my overnight oats, another cold soak recipe (oats, milk powder, chia seeds, maple syrup and some dehydrated strawberries) and made some coffee. I did a little trash clean up and used the facilities while I was there. 

empty beach 

Around the lake and back to where I started. Only 5 miles each way, but I got to experiment with a few things and gave me some things to tweak for Scotland. I don't think I will return to Johnson Mountain again. I think its south facing location makes it a natural wind funnel area but for a day hike it is well worth the effort for the views though 

Secret Loop Hike - March 2022

 The weather has been so good this week, I just had to start getting out and walking. Hockey season is winding down so it is time to think about getting ready for Scotland and getting outside. 

I have a very nice conservation/wildlife area within just a few miles of our house, that while it has become very popular and busy over the past few years, I have wondered around enough to find some very old and somewhat forget paths. This area of St Louis county has been populated for a very long time. The area was founded by European settlers in 1764 but has been occupied for hundreds of years before that by the original native people of this land. These trails are certainly not that old, but the area has some trails that served some very old settlements and the best part is it creates a very private walk where you are not going to see anyone throughout most of the walk.  

You start in a very popular and busy trail head at the Busch Greenway. Actually you could park and start at a number of places close by. 

Always check what season it is, as active hunting is allowed in the area and there was a tragic case of a hunter shooting a hiker last season. Perhaps the reason for the shotgun only regulation now? 

This is a very busy trailhead but if you know which fork to take the path gets quiet quickly 

Old farm fencing separating the fields. This area is still actively farmed 

Now we leave everyone behind as you won't see anymore bike tracks or footprints as you skirt around one of the fields on the farm track. There was lots of evidence of deer bedding down here 

Out the back of the field and you have found the "lost path"

You can notice that the path was once covered in brick work as you come across a Cemetery. It has been cataloged but all the stones have fallen and are not legible except for one

                                

A rather long life, given the time 1806-1878

Carrying on, you walk a lovely ridge line as you fall steadily toward the Missouri River. Before the leaves come back, you can see all the contours of the hills surrounding you 

The first indication you might be close to an old homestead. Historical trash

Buried in the trees is an old homestead foundation. You can miss this when the leaves return as it is buried in the thicket. 

I come down here because I found the spring house. This spring actually becomes a rather large creek on its way to the Missouri River. The cold fresh water still pours out of the ground here. I have found that it runs all year round, even in the heat of summer. 

You can see stone steps leading from the spring house up to the old foundations. Fresh water right at your door step. 

Another view of the spring house. This is only 100' from a very popular bike path. While I was taking this picture, several people walking their dogs and others riding their bikes past by without even knowing this is here. 

Backtracking a bit to get on another trail you come back through an old gate. 

Turkey tails 

If you know the connector you join a very popular hiking path, but on its most outside section, so this part does not get much traffic. It becomes very overgrown in the summer. It looks like there as been some recent sawyer work to clear some downed trees across the trail - Thank you 

It is the Lewis Trail 

More excellent sawyer work. You are only on this trail for a brief time as you are following the drainage up to the headwall and then switchback to the top. 

You get off the popular trail and head around on the field access tracks. If you saw anyone on the trail you are alone again now

Someone's idea of a bad joke. A deer carcass has been hung from the old fencing, skull and all. 

Lots of empty fields now, but Corn will be here soon. This is also a heavily hunted area, so make sure you are aware 

You end up back on some of the old roads that serviced the Weldon Spring military and nuclear waste site. You will start to see people again as you round the bend as you are just coming back to the parking lot. 

5.2 mile loop in a couple of hours. A really great way to spend a few hours feeling like an explorer in the woods.