Wandering St Louis: Where’s Bambi?

A bit later, we’ll play a rousing round of “Where’s Bambi”. This is similar to “Where’s Waldo” except you don’t also have to find Bambi’s socks.

First though, I would like to invite you along with me on a hike through the Ozarks. Well, perhaps not all of the Ozarks, just a short jaunt through a beautiful area that is ridiculously close to Six Flags. With the break in the brutally hot weather we have had the last few weeks, I decided this morning to take advantage of the “cooler” weather and go for a hike. I grabbed my camera and bottle of water, forgot my granola bar, and headed out on I-44 to the Rockwoods Reservation for a few hours of woodland retreat.

The trail that I hiked starts at an old kiln, from which it gets its name, the Lime Kiln Trail. Apparently the area is popular with bicyclists; for the first fifteen minutes of my hike, I got to see some fabulous tush as the trail paralleled the road. What started out as a relatively flat trail turned uphill away from the road; the woods here were reminiscent of the area around Hudson, and at any moment, I expected to see my younger self walking down the trail with a spinning rod in one hand and a soda can in the other.

Altogether, the trail looped through roughly three miles of woods, filled with squirrels, deer, and birds. While hiking, I startled one poor fawn, got pelted with shells by a squirrel, and enjoyed the handful of wildflowers that are in bloom right now, including sheep sorrel and some sort of bellflower. The high overcast kept the morning relatively cool (it was about 85F when I got off the trail), and while I was by no means sharing the trail with others, I met several other people out enjoying the trail. It was a lovely place to spend the morning, and I look forward to exploring some of the other trails around St. Louis.

Now, for a round of “Where’s Bambi?” Hint: She can be found somewhere in the one picture that I probably wouldn’t have posted otherwise. If you click on the pictures, it should bring up hi-res versions.

This is just the beginning of the adventure...

I believe that this little gem is a bellflower, but I couldn't find it in my book.

Feather found on the side of the trail.

This funny little stream ran parallel to the trail for a bit before inexplicably disappearing. As porous as the limestone is, I'm guessing it all falls into bedrock and only runs when there is good rainfall.

The hillside was lovely.

Umm... Yes, I am on a hiking trail, thank you for pointing that out, a mile into it.

Actually, if you were hiking the loop in reverse, the other sign is pretty much necessary or you potentially end up following a game trail.

Where I was standing to take this picture was the meeting of three valleys. If the streams had been running I would have had the choice of getting my feet wet or walking across a log.