ERE Marching Meetup Series

[jacob]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. My feet are hamburger and I lost my voice. But it was worth it.

I didn't see the money-part of the FOMO-argument through the lens of indexing vs market-beating but more as hands-off vs hands-on in terms of interest [in investing], confidence, and SWAN (not getting beaten by the market vs beating the market).

Maybe we should have a canning party, possibly as a finisher for the next Tour de Cicero?
(It would take about 45 mins of prep and ~90 minutes of boiling outside. This will make 19 jars of beans. The burner/pressure needs to be continuously monitored, so it would fit well with sitting and talking after walking.)

Taking suggestions for next time/place?

[Smashter]

Kevin Kelly and a rotating cast of friends do whole trips centered on walking and talking. I enjoyed this write up on what they’ve learned https://kk.org/thetechnium/files/2023/1 ... ndtalk.pdf

They pick a topic of conversation at the start of their multi day trip. All conversations, both while walking and eating, center on that topic.

It could be fun to have a conversational theme that we focus on for the duration of an ERE march. If it’s boring, we abandon it.

[jacob]

@Smashter - Based on my experience with AVA group walks, talking AND walking tends to make the conversational subgroups smaller. Typically 2-3 people (max 4) for a given conversation. If there are more people, it tends to split e.g. into a front-group and a back-group or even a string. I suspect this is because the walking part forces people to face the same forward direction as opposed to standing around which is compatible with 2-8 people partaking in the same conversation (anything more and it becomes more like a lecture/the extroverts take over). Being on the extreme end of the introvert scale, I definitely find it easier to partake in a conversation the fewer there are, so capping the subgroup at 3 or maximum 4 works better for me.

[Dave]

I would be down for a canning party after Tour De Cicero 2.0!

My schedule just firmed up, and the next time I'm in Chicagoland with a free weekend is the weekend of 05/18 - 05/19. After that, the next time would be in August.

We talked about making it closer to @Smashter next time, IIRC a Bender Park or sections of an Ice Age Trail. I haven't spent any time near either and don't have real preference, either of those or something else is good by me!

Interesting article and thoughts on walking strategies.

[Smashter]

Definitely down for a canning party at some point, that would be really fun.

I can't do that weekend, unfortunately. I will look forward to August!

Doing that one in southern WI would be great, thanks for keeping it in mind.

[jacob]

August is coming up. Dates?

Since Bender Park came up, I'd like to add Lake Geneva to the list. I know a good walking route there.

[Dave]

I am free 8/10, 8/11, 8/17, and 8/18.

Any of those locations work for me. How about you @Smashter? Any preference?

[jacob]

I prefer 8/10 or 8/11.

[Smashter]

Hey! Sorry to be so late to the party, I missed this thread. I can do 8/10 but not 8/11. Lake Geneva sounds great, I vote for that.

[Dave]

March #5 has been planned and details are as follows:

location: the Geneva Lake Shore Path in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
hike start time: 7AM, Saturday August 10th
distance: 22-27 miles

We'd love for others to join - if interested message me and I'll send more details your way. If anyone is coming from Chicagoland or Milwaukee, we can carpool.

[jacob]

Looks like the weather gods are still with us: https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/us/wi/lake-geneva

[Smashter]

I have been making the raw cookie dough nutty treat the animal wrote about a few months back. I use an assortment of different nuts rather than just cashews. It always turns out pretty tasty. I'll bring some for the march!

[jacob]

Fine weather and fine company, all the way around Lake Geneva, WI (clockwise). 21 miles, 6:40 hours.


At the halfway point, we could actually see the cars parked on the other side:

[Dave]

'Twas a grand walk around a grand lake with grand adventurers .

Starting the conversation for next time, I will be in Chicago the second half of November. 11/16 , 11/23, and 11/30 would all work for me, with a preference for the first two. I enjoyed Elk Grove, Fullersburg, and Cicero, but am also open to other sites.

[jacob]

The weather is difficult to predict for November. It could be anything between "cold and windy" to "snowstorm" to "nice and cool". This would affect the choice as not all trails are cleared.

My added suggestions include but are not limited to:

Chicago Lakefront Trail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Lakefront_Trail 19 miles long. Scenic bucket list. Depending on the weather (it could be freezing, windy, and miserable), there may be a lot of people walking, cycling, skating, and generally being in the way of forward progress. It's all wide hardtop, no grass, gravel, or need for single file. Logistics might be tricky since it's not a loop. Ditto finding parking. We could take the L-train from my place to either end, which would add ~80 minutes x2. (Going to the mid point, like Navy Pier, and just going in/out either north or south is an alternative. In that case, getting there by subway takes half the time.)

Salt Creek Trail: https://map.fpdcc.com/#/?trail=Salt+Creek+Trail+System ~22 miles in/out (orange paved + red paved + getting there and back). We'd walk to the starting point from my place. This is a "bike path in a green tunnel"-type walk (Compare to Elk Grove). Logistics is easy.

[Dave]

Agreed on weather. So we'll have to play it by ear, but if one of those first 2 (and maybe 3rd) dates aligns with weather, I would be in for walking one of them.

Of those 2 options, I am less favorable on the Chicago Lakefront Trail for the reasons you said: trail traffic + logistics add several layers of difficulty to the event. If we were doing it on a weekday when a meaningful block of trail users were working and the trail traffic was down, it would be more favorable, but assuming the same general traffic as most of the time I saw it on weekends, it would really crimp our ability to have conversations for a long stretch along the core city area. With that said, if everyone else preferred doing the LFT, I would join!

Salt Creek Trail looks interesting to me!

Curious if others (@Smashter, @Scott 2, others) have any availability and interest in that date range, and what they think of the options.

[Smashter]

The Lake Geneva walk was memorable and had great scenery! There was something extremely satisfying about being able to look out across the lake and see how far we'd gone. I also have been loving the slack jawed look I get from people when I tell them we walked it all at once.

Any of those November dates should work for me, weather permitting.

I agree with Dave, this is another vote for Salt Creek over the Chicago Lakefront. I used to live right by Navy Pier, so the lakefront would not be a novelty. My biggest gripe with it, even over the crowds, was the constant drone from the cars on nearby Lake Shore Drive. That road always felt too close. That said, I do like the idea of looking for places that require a minimal amount of single file walking. That was one downside of the Lake Geneva route we chose.

[theanimal]

Another option you guys could do is the loop around Waterfall Glen.

https://www.dupageforest.org/hubfs/Plac ... p-2020.pdf

It's ~10 mi through forest preserve and across a couple roads and there's a neat waterfall(though it might be small in November). The trail is crushed gravel and you could probably have 3-4 people walking side by side. It's busy in the summer but not so much in the winter.

[jacob]

Waterfall Glen is perhaps the best option of the three. It was one of our first walks when we started, but I've only done (part of it) once. It's perhaps better known for the fact that it circumscribes Argonne National Lab, but maybe that's a physics nerd thing (I once gave a talk in there.) Part of the trail goes right by the security fence.

It's a loop! The trail is wide, so no ducking for branches. Parking is free, but IIRC, facilities are limited to just the main parking lot(?) The gravel is packed hard enough to easily ride a bike at high speed. It's not loose, but it's still rock. I don't know if that's a problem for thin soled shoes?

Another one is Palos Forest Preserve. That's a further 30 minutes southwest of ERE HQ though. It's famous for its stair workout: https://greathikeschicago.com/2021/07/1 ... iff-woods/ This is more like Fullersburg, but much bigger.

[Scott 2]

Going around Lake Geneva is a little nuts guys! That's the rich kids playground. I had a work event that cruised around the lake. I think it was supposed to inspire us.


Dunno if I'll be able to join in November. My jaw surgery is at an unknown date, due to insurance. The furthest I've run since uncovering my feet issues is 3 miles. So it'd only be for a portion, if I can. No date restrictions.


I've run swallow woods in barefoot shoes. It's got rocky stretches, where the gravel is marble to golf ball sized. Doable, but not always comfortable. The gravel can be loose or steep in spots too.

The Palos preserves are just sightly north, offering a wide variety of trails, ranging from single track to paved. Several dozen miles of interwoven paths. Easy to get lost. The furthest into nature you'll get by Chicago.

The IM and Centennial trails run through that area, east/west, if you want flat and paved. Open, nice views, but kinda boring.

Waterfall Glen is crushed limestone the entire way, extremely well maintained. Unbeatable surface, IMO. It's where CARA hosts their marathon training programs. Parking is easy, they just expanded the waterfall lot. The main lot, immediately off 55, can be a little busy on weekends.