by Kandee Haertel
Planning for Summer

The winter of 2007-2008 has really brought home to me that I no longer live in “Chicagoland.” A conversation with a friend on Christmas Eve who lives in a southern suburb really revealed that while she was not experiencing a beautiful day because it was overcast and cold, she did have winter’s semblance of grass, not snow, everywhere. At that exact same time, I was looking at a beautiful blue sky, much colder temperatures, and layer upon layer of ice and snow that measured at least a foot deep. The depth had been built up in storms that arrived every three days for the past month. Even this morning as I listened to the radio and learned about the Artic cold that was going to hit Chicagoland in the next few days. When I looked at the outdoor temperature, it was 6° F. I think we got it first!

With all of that moaning and whining put aside, this is the time of year that I think about where I am going to ride when the weather will finally make that possible. My plans are always bigger than the reality, but the plans, dreams, and memories themselves help me get through January and February and the following mud season.

Every year I want to ride the Hennepin Canal at least one more time. It is not a breath-taking ride, but it is a very interesting ride. The trail moves through history, towns, and country and provides an abundance of bird watching. I have actually become something of a “birder” since beginning trail riding. Learning about the birds I see as I ride along has become a real fascination for me that makes the trail just that more interesting. Thanks to the work of one local activist’s decades-long advocacy and total involvement, that trail is still open for all of us to ride.

Returning to ride the private lands near the intersection of Highway 6 and what is now the extension of I-355 would be wonderful, but only a dream. The best riding area near the new interstate highway has been taken over by the county forest preserve and is not in any way like I used to love riding. The quiet roads are now bounded by subdivisions and the traffic makes them a challenge even for a seasoned horse and rider. But I do remember them and the freedom that riding off-trail riding offered, and I do miss them mightily.

When I was actively training for endurance riding, there was a 22-mile loop that crossed back on itself a couple times, but was in the heart of DuPage County’s most excellent trail system. I have not been back to ride them in many years, but know that they are at the heart of how it became apparent how much horseback riders must learn to share their trails if they are going to enjoy them. Most of them are still available for horseback riding, but many are probably even less used by horseback riders than before because suburbia’s land use does not understand horse keeping and horse owners are moving still further away. DuPage County’s trails are some of the best opportunities to “get away” while staying within riding distance of your barn that I know about. You will share them with, quite literally, everyone from hikers, joggers, sled dogs in training, birders who demand not be disturbed, families walking, very green horses and riders, backpackers in training, etc., etc., as much as your mind can imagine. Not everyone understands my love of what Waterfall Glen, Blackwell, Green Valley, Dragon Lake, Herrick, and Danada trails offer unless you have experienced them time and again, but they are that county’s jewels. Ride them often, and considerately, when you can. I do want to go back and ride them some more.

Wolf Creek is yet another place of good memories. My first ride there was with a gentleman who rode those trails before the dam was built and the state took over the area. The history lesson he provided and the dreams for the future he envisioned and shared still live with me. I have not ridden there in several years and do not know what is available, but I would like to find out. I remember very comfortable camping and think of it as a grand weekend away spot.

Remembering seeing cactus at Sand Ridge, and riding those trails on dry ground the morning after a monumental rain storm, awakening up to flocks of wild turkey hens and their chicks cleaning up the camp ground at Rock Cut, enjoying the volunteer-built campground and trails at Matthiessen, riding through the pine grove at Kankakee, not to mention fording the deepest water we ever crossed at that same park, are just a few of the wonderful memories that warm my heart and dreams during these cold and icy times.

These and countless others are waiting for us – horseback riders – to enjoy. How many remain in the future is something that will be up to individual horseback riders. Riders who ride with respect for the land and others. Riders who take the time to say “thank you” to the people who manage the land and trails. Riders who take the time to at least become dues-paying members of the groups who work to keep them wonderful and ridable. Riders who give up a day a year to work on maintenance. Riders who understand that they are that someone who is going to keep these places open to ride. Little things mean so much in keeping our riding dreams alive. The little things include all of the above. Enjoy the upcoming trail riding season to its fullest. Have the very best rides you can have. But, please, please, do so with the knowledge that you are – really, really are – that someone who will make a difference in the future of horseback riding outside the arena for decades and generations to come.