17,700 Feet (The Northern Constitution Trail)

There are many ways to get to the end of a path. You can walk, run, bike, drive, or if it a metaphorical path, you can realize all the goals needed to achieve the end. Normal, like any place, can bring about claustrophobic feelings. Sometimes you need to escape and I know of one beautiful way to do it.

0 Feet

Start at the well known roundabout at the center of Uptown Normal. Remind yourself of the place you are about to leave. Stretch, hydrate, and prepare for the journey.

2200 Feet

There is a good chance you will not get far without seeing something odd. Normal is ironically prone to unusual activities. On this particular day of my journey, I only got a few feet down the path and I notice something I haven’t seen before. Although random garbage isn’t unusual around the city, I have never seen a pile consisting of a baby car seat, paint buckets, plywood, and kids toys. The border between residents and students is blurry here. The feeling of escape still seems far from reach.

2750 Feet

Only a few feet down the road you start to feel like you are leaving your comfort zone. The tunnel created by the trees seems never ending, hypnotic even. You might realize that this is the most nature you have seen in awhile. Trees replace parking lots and people become scarcer.

10600 Feet

The long tunnel finally subsides and the trail takes its first hard turn. You feel so far away. So free from the usual surroundings. You turn to look south and you are instantly reminded of the place where you began the journey. It seems so far away but it is still in sight. You feel like there is nothing you can do to get away, but it drives you to keep going.

11150 Feet

Only a few more feet down the path you run into I-55. This seems like it should be the end but you’re not sure why. Like many others, maybe this is the road you take to get back to your hometown. It feels foreign, being outside of a vehicle and underneath the road. Crossing this line feels somewhat liberating, you feel like you’re almost there.

14900 Feet

After passing I-55 you power past the lines of mobile(esque) homes. If you’re lucky, you see the black and white cat that eludes my camera every time I take this journey. You pass farm fields and more trees, and you finally feel like you are beyond your Normal. Juxtaposing these organic fields, you see the large gravel yard that lines most of the rest of the trail. Usually you despise seeing industry like this among natural beauty, but the feeling of being so close to the end is overriding that feeling.

17500 Feet

A sign. A literal sign that tells you how close you are. You ponder the purpose of this sign, but keep going. Just because you can see the end doesn’t mean you are there.

17650 Feet

Only a few feet away now. You stop to look at the sign that reminds you how far you have come and how close you are to the end. You see how much longer the trail extends to the south and consider taking that path next time, but you probably won’t. You think you are done, but decide if you are this far, you might as well actually accomplish the task at hand.

17700 Feet

The literal end of the trail. You made it. Take a few deep breaths and limber up. Consider your trek back but take the time to enjoy making it here. You are sad that the journey is over, but you feel great. The air seems fresher and you feel rejuvenated.

Beyond

You are sure to see what lies beyond the trail. You see wind turbines, something you could never see from your Normal. More farmland. More open space. This is a side of Normal that most people never see on foot. You feel superior, but only for a moment. You take as much time as you need to enjoy the feeling of escaping the place you have become far too used to. You head home.  --Chris Krueger