Current Outings for Eastern Missouri Group. Sierra Club members and non-members are welcome to join club members on these outings.

Randomly selected from the EMG Photo Gallery!, Submitted by: Bob Gestel, On April 15-16 Our trail crew completed 500 yards ..., View full story, Submit your photograph Jul 4-5, Sat-Sun: Local overnight canoe outing on the Missouri River to celebrate Independence Day. Contact Jim Rhodes at (314) 821-7758. Jul 8, Wed: Day hike of 4-6 miles in the St. Louis area. Type and location of our summer hikes are dependent on weather conditions. For information contact Margot Kindley margot107@charter.net. Jul 10, Fri: Today we will bike ride from Creve Coeur Lake across the Missouri River to the Katy Trail. Distance about 28-35 miles total. Optional: Blues concert in C.C park in the evening. Suzanne Smith, thisissuzanne@yahoo.com or (618) 281-4762. Jul 17, Fri: Could be a hike or could be a bike depending on the weather. Suzanne Smith, thisissuzanne@yahoo.com or (618) 281-4762. Jul 18, Sat: Enjoy the quiet of an early evening paddle on a nearby stream. No rental boats will be available. Toni Armstrong & Richard Spener, (314) 434-2072. Jul 22, Wed: Day hike of 4-6 miles in the St. Louis area. Type and location of our summer hikes are dependent on weather conditions. For information contact Margot Kindley margot107@charter.net. Aug 5, Wed: Day hike of 4-6 miles in the St. Louis area. Type and location of our summer hikes are dependent on weather conditions. For information contact Margot Kindley margot107@charter.net. Aug 19, Wed: Day hike of 4-6 miles in the St. Louis area. Type and location of our summer hikes are dependent on weather conditions. For information contact Margot Kindley margot107@charter.net. Aug 21-23, Fri-Sun: Festival of the Little Hills. Join us for a few hours and a great time making real lemonade with other Sierrans at a charming fair in the historic area of St. Charles near the riverfront. New members are always welcome. Jim Young, (314) 664-9392, or the Sierra Club Office, (314) 644-0890. Aug 22, Sat: Operation Clean Stream on the Meramec River. Join us for a day of fun picking and digging up stuff and giving it a canoe ride to a trash pickup. We may be able to help a few people who do not have a canoe. Ann Eggebrecht, (314) 725-1560, or Jim Nyberg, (314) 725-0767. Aug 28, Fri: This might be a good time for a creek/trail hike at Hawn State Park. Wear tennies or water shoes, water shorts and "play it cool". Suzanne Smith, thisissuzanne@yahoo.com or (618) 281-4762. Sep 2, Wed: We'll hike about 4 miles on forested terrain with hilly and rocky stretches at Greensfelder County Park near Six Flags. Margot Kindley -- margot107@charter.net Sep 5-7, Sat-Mon: Canoe/kayak trip. Three day Mississippi trip, possibly above St. Louis. Enjoy the wide open spaces of the Father of Waters. George Behrens, (314) 821-0247. Sep 11, Fri: Join our group to hike 8.2 miles on the Lewis and Clark trail in Weldon Springs. Visit the interpretative center afterward to learn more about the area. Suzanne Smith, (thisissuzanne@yahoo.com) or (618) 281-4762. Sep 16, Wed: Rockwoods Reservation is a favorite park in West County for day hikes. We will plan for 4-6 easy to moderate miles on 2-3 scenic trails. Margot Kindley -- margot107@charter.net. Sep 19, Sat: Water quality monitoring. Find lots of "creepy crawlers" as we test water quality on Fox Creek near Eureka. Help us identify the aquatic insects, test for dissolved oxygen (DO) and other chemical parameters, and measure stream flow. We should see a lot of macro-invertebrates. Leslie Lihou, (314) 726-2140, or Jim Rhodes, (314) 821-7758, jarhodes@sbcglobal.net Sep 25, Fri: Shaw Nature Reserve should have late summer prairie flowers blooming. Join us on our 7 or 8 mile hike to see what is there. Suzanne Smith, (thisissuzanne@yahoo.com) or (618) 281-4762. Sep 25-27, Fri-Sun: Eighth Annual Fall Celebration at Hawn S.P. Great for all, beginners and families welcome. Camp or come for the day. See box add for more info or call George Behrens, (314) 821-0247. Sep 25-27, Fri-Sun: We will join George Behrens' 8th Annual Fall Celebration at Hawn S.P. Free camping at the Scout Camp. Party Saturday night. Trail Builders will hike down to the area we will be working in October and flag the proposed route. Paul Stupperich, (314) 429-4352, or lonebuffalo@earthlink.net Bob Gestel, (636) 296-8975, or rgestel@sbcglobal.net Sep 26, Sat: Easy Hike in Ruth Park Woods (University City) before National Public Lands Day Clean-up Event. We will hike a slow to moderate pace for 1 to 2 miles on level trails through mostly shaded woods to find and explore a native tall-grass prairie hidden in University City. Ruth Park Woods is the last large stand of an oak/hickory hardwood forest in the St. Louis area. Located right in the heart of the metropolitan area, it is an oasis for avid bird lovers. Almost a hundred different species of birds have been sighted there. Optional: The outing will conclude just prior to a National Public Lands Day clean-up event in Ruth Park Woods. Following the outing, participants may join with volunteers from other environmental organizations and enjoy a day volunteering to help clean-up the River des Peres watershed. Please e-mail leader Ted Slap for meeting time and place (slapcentral-sierra@yahoo.com). Rain cancels. Sep 30, Wed: 5-6 mile day hike at Castlewood S.P., possibly including the moderately challenging Cedar Bluff loop. Margot Kindley -- margot107@charter.net. Oct 2, Fri: Early fall color? Maybe there will be signs of fall on our 8-9 mile hike at Washington S.P. Suzanne Smith, (thisissuzanne@yahoo.com) or (618) 281-4762. Oct 10, Sat: Easy Hike in Ruth Park Woods (University City) before Native Tall-Grass Prairie Workshop. We will hike a slow to moderate pace for 1 to 2 miles on level trails through mostly shaded woods to find and explore a native tall-grass prairie hidden in University City. Ruth Park Woods is the last large stand of an oak/hickory hardwood forest in the St. Louis area. Located right in the heart of the metropolitan area, it is an oasis for avid bird lovers. Almost a hundred different species of birds have been sighted there. Optional: The outing will conclude just prior to a 2 hour Green Center workshop (cost $10) exploring the history, ecology, wildlife, lore and conservation efforts concerning Missouri tall-grass prairies through both lecture and hands-on experience. Please e-mail leader Ted Slap for meeting time and place (slapcentral-sierra@yahoo.com). Rain cancels. Oct 10-11, Sat-Sun: Two day canoe float on the Current River. We hope to enjoy fall colors. Toni Armstrong & Richard Spener, (314) 434-2072. Oct 14, Wed: Let's look for elk, bison and other wildlife on the 3.5-mile gently hilly White Bison Trail in Lone Elk Park. Margpt Kindley -- margot107@charter.net. Oct 16, Fri: Cuivre River S.P. has great fall colors. Hike with us on Friday and stay over for the Sierra Club annual weekend reunion. Suzanne Smith, (thisissuzanne@yahoo.com) or (618) 281-4762. Oct 23, Fri: Leaves should be falling on our heads at St. Francis S.P. for our 8-10 mile hike. Join us afterwards for deelicioous b.b.q. at C.B. Joes across the highway. Suzanne Smith, (thisissuzanne@yahoo.com) or (618) 281-4762. Oct 24-31, Sat-Sat: A full week of trail building at Hawn S.P. We will begin rerouting a badly eroded section of the Whispering Pine trail on the South Loop. Free camping. Meet at the park office at 8:30 am. Bring Lunch, water, work gloves and sturdy boots. Come down for a day or the whole week. Hawn State Park, (573) 883-3603, hawn.state.park@dnr.mo.gov Paul Stupperich, (314) 429-4352, or lonebuffalo@earthlink.net Bob Gestel, (636) 296-8975, or rgestel@sbcglobal.net Oct 25, Sun: A one day canoe trip on a river nearby. Toni Armstrong & Richard Spener, (314) 434-2072. Oct 26, Mon: Join our weekly hiking group and the other trail builders for a fun day (or several days) of trail building at Hawn S.P. Some of us will be camping and I will cook a concoction for dinner and "killer" mouth-watering oatmeal for breakfast. Suzanne Smith, (thisissuzanne@yahoo.com) or (618) 281-4762. Oct 28, Wed: The Al Foster Trail and Glencoe Bluffs will be an enjoyable fall outing. 5 level miles plus an (optional) climb up the bluffs overlooking the Meramec Valley. Margot Kindley -- margot107@charter.net. Oct 30, Fri: Fall colors should be at their peak on our weekly 6-10 mile hike and maybe chicken of the woods will be found at Hawn S.P. Yum-Yum. Suzanne Smith, (thisissuzanne@yahoo.com) or (618) 281-4762. Oct 31, Sat: We will do the final clean up on the Whispering Pine Trail followed by our annual Halloween party Saturday evening. So bring a costume. We will trick or treat the rest of the campers. Paul Stupperich, (314) 429-4352, or lonebuffalo@earthlink.net Bob Gestel, (636) 296-8975, or rgestel@sbcglobal.net = Eastern Missouri Group outings cost one dollar and are open to the public.  Leaders are unpaid volunteers who need your cooperation to make the trip safe, pleasant and rewarding.  Please call the leader well in advance for details, approval, or if you plan to cancel.  Outings start officially at the trail head or river access.  Travel responsibility rests on each participant.  Car pooling is encouraged but leaders can not be responsible for its organization.  The Sierra Club does not provide insurance for transportation.  Participants sign a liability release form and reimburse drivers for expenses.   Be adequately equipped and prepared.  No guns, pets, or radios are permitted on trips.  Please leave the area cleaner than you find it.  For general information about outings call Suzanne Smith, 618-281-4762 or thisissuzanne@yahoo.com.