SEEKING SOLITUDE ON THE RIVER TO RIVER TRAIL

The River to River Trail cuts through the rolling hills of an ancient mountain range and winds through seven wilderness areas in Southern Illinois. It is the backbone for nearly 1,250 miles of foot paths and roads in the 300,000-acre Shawnee Forest and is part of the coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail.

The mostly dirt hiking and equestrian trail extends about 160 miles, from Battery Rock on the Ohio River to Grand Tower on the Mississippi River. Many of the trail's users ride horses and there are several permanent camps where horses are stabled along the route.

Mountain bikes also can be ridden in places. But all-terrain vehicles are prohibited. "Most people are out for an experience in the woods that involves solitude," said John O'Dell.

O'Dell loves to hike on the River to River Trail. The 64-year-old Harrisburg resident is past chairman and founder of the River to River Trail Society. The society was founded in 1991 to help maintain and complete the trail.

Prior to the society's inception, the trail wasn't well marked or as well maintained. In the last four years, the rough-hewn path has been clearly marked.

The trail is designated by a white diamond sign with a blue "i." The "i" is a reference to Morse code and stands for trail entrance.

O'Dell said the trail has never been a priority with the U.S. Forest Service, although the agency does help maintain it.

With the increasing interest in outdoor recreation and hiking in particular, the society was formed to help complete and promote the trail.

The society began with about a half dozen Harrisburg-area residents. Today, it has a mailing list of about 1,600. "They are all over the world," said O'Dell.

The society sells a trail guide booklet. The proceeds are used to help fund the group's trail efforts.

O'Dell operated the Trails Emporium shop and restaurant in Herod. He promoted the trail through his business.

The Emporium was destroyed by fire earlier this month. O'Dell isn't interested in going back into the restaurant business, but he does want to open another trail store.

Even the fire couldn't dampen his enthusiasm for the trail.

"I hike a lot," said O'Dell. "It is good for you."

Richard Diefenbach, 57, of Anna also likes to travel the trail. He and his wife, Mona, regularly hike a section of the trail in Union County.

"We just like to get out and walk in the forest," he said.

They and O'Dell are among more than 20 people who serve on the society's board of directors. Each board member helps maintain a section of the trail.

The board members pick up litter, build sandbars and occasionally construct trails.

Diefenbach teaches math and science at Shawnee Community College at Ullin. But when he isn't in the classroom, he often can be found hiking on the River to River Trail.

"I just do day hikes since I live here. That is a benefit. You can get out and get back," he said.

Walking the entire trail across Southern Illinois takes about 14 days, Diefenbach said.

It took Diefenbach three years in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

"I would go out and hike for five miles and come back to the car," he said.

Hikers see the region's beauty, from its creek beds to its scenic vistas. It's a view that motorists don't see, Diefenbach said.

O'Dell said hikers still don't use the trail in the numbers that can be found on some of the nation's other trails.

"The Appalachian Trail had six million people on it this last year," he said.

The number of people who hike the River to River Trail use is probably in the low thousands, he said. "We just don't have a hiking culture here."

But O'Dell believes there is a growing interest in hiking.

"As our population grows, for mental health reasons we're going to need these sources of solitude," he said.