Snow, Ice, and Eagle Cliff: A Winter Adventure with Cache

January 26, 2025 · Starved Rock State Park, Illinois

On a winter hike at Starved Rock, I look up for eagles and down for ice. Cache looks for whatever smells interesting. Between the three of us, we had the trail pretty well covered.

Cache and me at Eagle Cliff Overlook.Photo: Steven Pierson · Original log

bapierson, Cache, and I went to Starved Rock on January 26 for Starved Rock State Park – Eagle Cliff Overlook (GC9P6DX). We usually make a trip out there around this time of year to see if the bald eagles are flocking to the Rock. This time we had a Virtual to give us a destination, and a dog who was happy to go wherever the walk took us.

Snow underfoot, ice on the stairs

The snow crunched under our boots. There was ice on the stairs, too, so we watched where we stepped on the way up. By the time we got to the railing at Eagle Cliff, the Illinois River opened up below us. From up there, the ice looked almost like somebody had painted white streaks all the way across the water.

The Illinois River from Eagle Cliff Overlook on January 26.Photo: Steven Pierson · Original log

We spotted a few eagles in the trees on the other side. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources points to the river near the lock and dam as a good place to watch when the river freezes. Bald eagles can fish where the water stays open. Cache had plenty to investigate at nose level.

We took our photos for the Virtual and stayed at the overlook a little longer. I’m usually thinking about the next stop by the time I’ve logged a find. Up there, with the river below and a few eagles across the way, I was happy to stand still for a bit.

bapierson and Cache at the overlook.Photo: Steven Pierson · Original log

A few more on the way home

We picked up three more finds after the hike: Stretch your legs 1 (GCB1AQT), In the Light 3511 (GCB1MD7), and Stretch your legs 2 (GCB1AQZ). They were all quick stops. After those stairs, I appreciated the easy ones.

That made four finds for the day. I remember the one at the top of the stairs best. Cache’s own log was a little more economical: he found it with his humans. Woof.

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Field Notes

• Outing on January 26, 2025 at Starved Rock State Park near Utica, Illinois.
• Companions: bapierson and Cache_the_GeoDog.
• Four finds, including the Eagle Cliff Overlook Virtual (GC9P6DX). My original log and photos.