Shawnee National Forest will be a huge part of my writing, as we have spent endless hours exploring the area all the way to central Illinois. There are numerous areas to camp, hike, and for those looking for more of an adventure, rock climbing. Most of the trails are kid friendly, and my kids enjoy playing on the boulders and rocks that are found on almost every trail in the area.

In April 2016, my four boys and I stayed in Redbud campground, not far from the Bell Smith Springs area in Shawnee National Forest. The campground is backcountry, meaning limited facilities, no electricity, and no showers. Vault toilets are available, so bring the hand sanitizer. The campsites are well spaced apart, but there are quite a few, so expect some noise. For the most part, I was pleasantly surprised with the area. The area for tents is gravel, air mattresses are a lifesaver here, but there is more than enough room on each site to spread out. There are plenty of places to collect firewood, and the sites are shaded during the day to keep it cool. The weekend was warm, mid 80’s during the day, but perfect for sleeping in the nighttime between 55 and 60 degrees.

Most of this camping trip was spent at the campsite, enjoying each other’s company and playing games, but we did take a couple of hikes that were impressive. The Bell Smith Springs area is gorgeous, the spring itself, a swimming hole during the summer with crystal clear, blue water. There are steep steps leading down at the beginning of the hike, and most of the hike follows the creek through the area. We only hiked 2 miles before heading back to the camp. I will cover more on Bell Smith Springs in a later post.

The first night at camp, we ate dinner cooked over the fire and told ghost stories to pass the time. Logan and Hayden always told scary stories with happy endings, I think this helped them to sleep better at night, but it always made me smile. Late that night, after the boys had gone to bed, I set by the fire with the thoughts in my mind running freely. While placing another log on the fire, I dropped my lighter into the burning embers. I knew this was going to be bad…and loud. It was well past 11 pm, and I am a stickler for “quiet time” in the campground. I knew I was about to disrupt that quietness in an exploding fashion. I couldn’t reach in to get it, and I had nothing to retrieve it. It was almost as if I was waiting for a bomb to explode and the fallout to occur afterward. Within seconds, the loudest explosion I had feared rang through our campsite. I cringed, waiting for the uproar I thought would occur. A couple of fellow campers asked if everyone was okay. I embarrassingly answered, “yes, just a little accident, but we are okay.” And that was it, no other questions, and amazingly, my kids stayed asleep through the whole ordeal. Shortly after, I extinguished the fire and went to bed.

The next day we hiked to Burden Falls, a small fall just off the side of the road with a trail leading to the bottom. This was my kids’ paradise. They danced in the water trickling over the rock above, loving every moment of the experience. There was a small pool that had formed at the bottom, enough for them to soak in to cool off. If I haven’t made it obvious, my kids are always happy if water is involved. They are almost as happy if they can climb on rocks or jump from one rock to another. I loved seeing their smiles. The trail followed the creek, the kids stayed in the creek most of the way until we began our ascent back to the top. The trail is rather short, and the hike up the steep hill with four boys, two younger than 8, was a little challenging.

Again, another short trip, another small adventure, but another great memory. We enjoyed our last night at Redbud Campground, no lighter mishap included in this night, and the next day we broke camp to head home. I keep saying we will camp there again, but there have been so many other places we have wanted to explore we haven’t made it back yet. But someday, I will take them back there to dance in the waterfall and swim in the creek. To see them smile and laugh under that fall again would be more than worth it.