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4 | November 8, 2018 | The New Lenox Patriot NEWS newlenoxpatriot.com 6 VERMONT CEMETERY Lincoln-Way Central coach takes illustration by Nancy Burgan/22nd century media Plainfield Shorewood 8 7 Channahon Diamond LAKE RENWICK Braidwood Godley 9 Braceville Bolingbrook 5 ISLE A LA CACHE ROCK RUN GREENWAY TRAIL Rockdale MCKI<strong>NL</strong>EY WOODS FREDERICKS GROVE Elwood Romeoville Joliet 10 Wilmington Lockport Fairmont 80 Lemont 171 7 4 WAUPONSEE GLACIAL TRAIL MESSENGER WOODS Homer Glen New Lenox Manhattan 52 3 83 Mokena Coley O’Connell completes nature hike challenge in single day HICKORY CREEK BIKEWAY 45 Tinley Park Frankfort 50 2 THORN CREEK Monee 1 90 T.J. Kremer III, Editor 294 43 Some people love a challenge. When people or circumstances tell 94 that person he or she can or cannot do something, they just go ahead and do it anyway. Crete 1 PLUM CREEK GREENWAY TRAIL 57 Beecher Peotone 17 Lincoln-Way Central teacher and boys bowling coach Coley O’Connell is just such a person. He’s been passionate about being in nature since his early childhood, when he was taking nature hikes in fifth and sixth grade with his Lutheran bible camp. “Since then, it’s kind of my relief just to be out in nature, and my stress reliever just to get away,” O’Connell said. “... Just to not think about your job and just think about nature. Or, to even think about your job but in a different way as you’re walking and it’s peaceful… You’re not in a stressful situation. It’s a relief. It’s a good way to de-stress.” So, when O’Connell suffered a heart attack brought on by his diabetes in 2014, it was a pretty sure bet that wasn’t going to stop the avid hiker from getting back out and doing what he loves. This past October, O’Connell decided to take the Forest Preserve of Will County’s 10 trail hike challenge. No big deal, right?! A seasoned hiker, such as O’Connell, should be able to do that. But, O’Connell wouldn’t be satisfied with just completing the challenge; he would finish the challenge in one day. A little warm up Prior to attempting the Forest Preserve’s challenge, O’Connell went and did something over the summer that had always been a goal of his: complete the Appalachian Trail hike, which consists of hiking across 14 states. O’Connell did it in 14 days. Each year, between 3,000 and 4,000 people attempt the hike. Some make it, some don’t. Photos submitted
newlenoxpatriot.com NEWS The New Lenox Patriot | November 8, 2018 | 5 (10) trails less travelled in Nature Hike Challenge According to one official O’Connell spoke with about getting a patch or some other souvenir for his effort, no one had documented completing the hike that quickly. “One of my dreams in life has been to walk the Appalachian Trail,” O’Connell said. “Just financially, timewise, health and a little bit of other things, I don’t know if it’ll happen. It’s still one of my goals. And I’m like, ‘I’m going to do that in 14 days.’ So, I set off on July 5 or 6, and from Illinois made it down to Georgia and 14 days later hiked my last one in Maine.” O’Connell said he met a lot of hikers along the way. “People of all ages, from high school kids all the way up to 70, 80 year olds, so it was kind of neat.” Two of those other hikers joined O’Connell later in the roughly 2,200-mile trek. “It was really fun. It was really fun,” O’Connell said. “For all but the last couple of states, then I had my brother [Rory O’Connell, a coach and teacher in Lockport] and cousin [Katie O’Connell, a coach and teacher in Arlington Heights] come out, and we did New Hampshire — actually, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine together. So it was pretty fun.” O’Connell prepared for the Appalachian Trail hike by reading 10 books about the trail before setting out, so he knew a lot about the trail before ever laying eyes or feet on it. “[Joe Regan, fitness trainer at Fitness Premier in Manhattan] worked me out pretty good,“ O’Connell said. “… Within a day I had a route picked out and my map nerdiness kicked in, and I was ready to go.” Forward march Having conquered the Appalachian Trail over the summer, O’Connell was ready for his next challenge: the Forest Preserve trail hike. The challenge would take him through 10 of the preserve’s trails. In order, they were Plum Creek, Thorn Creek, Hickory Creek, Messenger Woods, Isle a la Cache, Vermont Cemetery, Lake Renwick, McKinley Woods, Rock Run Greenway and Wauponsee Glacial Trail. O’Connell started out just after dawn, at about 6:45 a.m. on Oct. 14. By the time he finished, near 11 p.m., he had walked approximately 29 miles, or, according to his step tracker, about 60,000 steps. He saw a lot of sights along the way, as one can well imagine. At Plum Creek: “If you got out there in the next week or so with the leaves changing, it’s just gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.” At Thorn Creek: “It reminded me — besides not having the hills and the mountains — it reminded me kind of more of the Appalachian Trail, with regard that it had a quarter-mile boardwalk and just some beautiful pine trees. “By far [Thorn Creek] is my favorite.” At McKinley Woods, where it started to get dark: “I did have a flashlight, but the owls started going off and — I wouldn’t say I was nervous because I wasn’t expecting anyone to be hiding just waiting for a random person to come walking by, but it was a little scary.” O’Connell said his biggest challenge wasn’t the hiking, but, rather, the race against the sun as daylight started to fade into dusk. “All of a sudden, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh! I gotta have to move it a little quicker now,’” he said. Because O’Connell is a diabetic he had to closely monitor his blood sugar throughout the day; however, all that walking meant his body was burning off insulin faster, so there were no complications related to the diabetes. “To be honest, I unhooked my pump from the insulin for the majority of the day, except when I ate, because I was burning it on my own,” he said. “... When you work out, sometimes you naturally don’t need the insulin because you’re just burning it up.” Setting the bar Now that O’Connell has had time to reflect on his one-day journey across Will County, he’s got some advice for anyone else wishing to attempt the hike. “I would say, at this point in the year, wait until the one that comes out next year and do it when there’s more light,” O’Connell advised. “That was the stressful part of it. Do it as soon as it comes out — I think this year’s came out in August or maybe even July — get out there when the weather’s good, if you want to do all 10. Or, break it up and do five and five over a weekend, if you want the challenge… And if you can’t do that, do one a week.” For All Your Real Estate Needs National Advantage Real Estate 328 E. Lincoln Hwy. New Lenox, IL 60451 815-485-0304 www.Eleanor4Homes.com Sparkling Service - Old Value - Brilliant Results SAINT BERNARD Catholic Church 1301 Sterling Ave • Joliet, IL 815-726-4474 Saturday Vigil Mass ........5:30 PM Sunday Mass ..................9:00 AM Tuesday & Thursday .......7:30 AM
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