Backpacking Shawnee National Forest
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- This backpacking trip was with my son to the Shawnee National Forest in Southern IL. We hiked near the Garden Of The Gods and camped on a beautiful bluff. Backpacking with kids. We did not ultralight backpack but more lightweight backpack. What a great time with my son!
New gear used in this video:
TENT - Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 amzn.to/2UYzuZg
DRONE - DJI Mavic Air amzn.to/2HJACg9
Osprey Ace 50 Kids Backpack amzn.to/2WOKOrn
My Other Go To Gear:
AWESOME Down Jacket - Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer: amzn.to/2DwUkIG
Cheaper but still GREAT down Jacket: amzn.to/2TbLmpJ
THE BEST Chair - Helinox Chair Zero: amzn.to/2RLFFCv
AMAZING Headlamp - Nitecore NU25: amzn.to/2CJ7DEh
EPIC Pot - Evernew Pasta Pot 1L: amzn.to/2MyTs9G
ULTRALIGHT Stove - BRS Stove: amzn.to/2RMV8SM
My HAT amzn.to/2VGKieB
My OTHER hat amzn.to/2GWuJvK
My Camera Gear:
Canon EOS 80D amzn.to/2Cq3WmY
Canon G7X Mark ii amzn.to/2MizHCX
Sigma 24mm-70mm F2.8 Art Lens amzn.to/2sysGVC
Rode Video Micro Mic amzn.to/2FGD9Gj
Boya Lavalier Mic amzn.to/2CrjsPt
If my dad were here, he would have thruhiked with me in a second! He took me hiking all the time. By the time I was old enough to thru, he was gone. But I have great memories of the hikes we had together and I’m thankful for them. Cherish this time with the kids! This was a great trip- thanks for bringing us along, Dan!
This video melted my heart! So thrilled to see your son’s excitement about the trip and his eagerness to share, on camera, his story about the hat. 🥰
Thumbs up bud. Great seeing you two sharing family time. Hearing him ask for you to pray was awesome.
Of course it was a good trip you got to pray with your son and he initiated it!! Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
your doing an AWESOME job dad keep it up!
Hello Dan, thanks for sharing this fine video. Years from now your Son will remember the great time that he shared with his dad. You guys take care out there and always be safe. 🤗
Thanks again as always Ronald!
Youre a hell of a good father...Ive known a lot worse....what a great family and life you have...I envy you
Nothing better than the outdoors with the family.
Those of you with kids... Have you ever taken them backpacking? What's your experience been like and what advice do you have for others?
My youngest son and I have done a few trips together, including what was supposed to be a 5 day canoe trip on the Buffalo River here in Arkansas. We will be hiking what is considered to be this state's toughest trail, Eagle Rock Loop, in May. Some of my experiences as a father have been a bit miserable, honestly, because I failed to account for weather conditions that became seriously dangerous. For example, during the canoe trip, it stormed upstream and the water rose six feet over night. We had way too much gear and getting to the closest bailout point was a hairy experience. Knowing that my son was potentially at risk made the trip super stressful. I would advise folks to not over-plan, to not pack too much gear and to just slow down and be present in the moment. If your child decides to become a blazing fast, ultralight backpacker as an adult, so be it, but don't feel pressure to try to make that happen now. Just take time to soak it in and enjoy hanging out. After all, I think that is what your children crave more than anything else...time with mom or dad.
Words of wisdom, Mo!! I agree 100%! You’ll see in this video up coming today (spoiler alert…) that I ended up cutting it a day short due to weather conditions so my son was comfortable. Also, you might enjoy this video I did several weeks back about how to backpack with kids… th-cam.com/video/cDlZLMTc2ns/w-d-xo.html
Heading out this weekend backpacking with my son in Illinois. His first time!
Loved this video. My son is almost 7 now, and has been going on trips with me since he was 3. Main advice I always give is plain a much shorter hike than normal, and don't rush it. Let them stop at every mushroom, animal track, cool looking rock, whatever it is! It's so amazing to watch your kids enjoy a passion of yours!
I have taken my kids quite a few times and our scouts. 1.5 yrs ago, me and 2 other dads took 5 scouts ages 14 to 17 kayaking from the St Louis area to Cape Girardeau in the Mississippi. We camped on sand a couple nights and it was pretty awesome. Not quite backpacking but a fun, memorable and challenging trip
That’s awesome! My mom and I pray on every trip we take.
I love how much you number one concern was for you son!! So enduring! Hike your hike!!💗
Crazy-Good drone shots!!! 👍
Heck yea
Legit
What a coincidence. Just this morning I changed my facebook cover photo to one of my kids when they were 7, 9 and 11 at Palomar mountain CA in 1996 and '97. We car camped for a week all alone after the weekenders left and hiked all of the trails in the state park. Memories and satisfaction from my kids (now adults) and me. I also sent them to Christian camp two years in the same mountain. Awesome!
Nice drone action! That's cool you brought your son out into the backcountry. Thanks, Dan.
It was a blast! I’m taking my nine-year-old daughter next! In about 5 weeks!
Oh how neat. This is the area where I live. It's cool to see a more popular backpacker on TH-cam having been here and done a video on it. I've watched many of your videos, but didn't realize you had been here. Very cool.
My daughters first hiking trip was at age 9 at Red River Gorge and to this day she loves everything about the outdoors.
This was so cool. Reminds me of the good ole days when parents did things with their kids...and kids actually went outdoors 😂very very good to see. Renews my hope for the next generation! Shawnee looks like a great hike. Thanks again, Dan. Neat thing to do for your viewers 🌞
This reminds me of camping with my kids when they were younger. This Fall me and my youngest boy {18} will be out in the Shawnee National forest for a 5 day hike which we are really looking forward to. I'm 51 now so I can't keep up with him anymore but that's just life. I really enjoyed this video, Thanks.
Great views, great times what more can you ask for! Trips like these make for the best memories.
Hey Dan! A buddy and myself just hiked the river to river a couple weeks ago! We started at Camp Cadiz on March 16th and ended at Inspiration Point near Grand Tower. Beautiful week, low to mids 50's during the day and lows 30 to 35 " with sun except for Wed., rain and 45. We slept under rock bluffs all but one night. My buddy that had tried to thru hike this trail three previous times turned 60 on the 20th and was determined! This was my first "thru hike" and have never worked so hard or enjoyed a vacation more in my life!! And don't get me started on that BEAUTIFUL full moon! Enjoy your videos, keep it up!
I lived a couple hours away but always find myself on the spring creeks in Missouri, now that I see how nice this is I will have to go, thanks for sharing.
Great Father and Son outing... Love the drone footage. 👍🙂👌
Amazing camp site
Praying together! Awesome!! Good Dad right here folks! Awesome video looks like y'all had the best time.
Awesome video man reminds me of when I would go hiking with my dad. I know he’ll remember it when he gets older. Good father son bonding.
Hey Dan awesome video. I am also from Wisconsin, I just started hiking, I am a late bloomer I am 56. I have been hiking the ice age trail it is about r miles from my house. I just love it, I will be watching your videos to learn more about backpacking. I would love to backpack Arizona someday. Thanks a million keep them coming.
This made me feel nostalgic of past trips with my father and got me excited for when my daughters are old enough to hit the trail...the drone footage was awesome addition by far best video to date in my opinion
Great video. Shawnee National Forest is a wonderful place, and Garden of the Gods is beautiful.
Awesome Video!! Glad you went with your son, great to have that father and son bonding time!
Heading to Shawnee to backpack 3 nights with my 10 year old daughter in a few days! This video made us very excited. Thanks for sharing!
Hands down my favorite video of yours. It’s awesome to see you enjoying hiking with your son, and such beautiful drone shots!
Similarly to you, I’m looking at heading South. For me in MN, that means hiking a section of the Ozark Trail with my 8 year old son. I like that you weren’t too proud to back out early due to weather and fatigue. I will keep that lesson in mind when I take my son out too. Better to keep the enjoyment high in the early years! Type II fun is a hard sell when you’re a parent.
I'm heading to Shawnee tomorrow, and found your video tonight. Thanks for the tip about the app!
👍
Your logo could mean Salt Of The Earth from Matthew 5:13 KJV Bible
Good call! I bet you’re right!
1faithful2Him I believe you’re correct
@@DanBecker - I mean I does have a Cross right in the middle of the logo.
Lol everytime Dan tells us his son is 11 years old.
Awesome video and sweet views from camp! Made me think of all the cool camping/backpacking trips I got to do as a kid!
Another great video. Glad to see you and your son enjoying nature. My 9 year old and 6 year old grandsons get out as often as we can. They love it.
Thais awesome Calvin!
Love ❤️ this. Great job. Great memories. So damn important in life.
I remember when you and Dwight had the heart to heart in the stairwell...that was really kind of you to empathize with him.
🤣🤣
We went there after I saw this. Thanks. It really is an amazing area!!!
We have taken our kids. I think kids can handle a lot more than we think. Not that we want them to be miserable but if things are tough and they make it through they learn resilience and gain confidence. And overcoming challenges makes for a great story :) on the west coast the Ozette triangle in Olympic National Park is a great route for kids! Also, Heather Trail in Manning Park BC to Buckhorn is also fantastic.
Great video Dan! Glad that info worked out well for you and if you ever need info again down this way I’d be happy to help. My boys were watching the video with me and calling out spots they recognized from our trips and my 10 year old has already requested a pack upgrade to that Osprey your son had. God Bless you and yours, your hiking, and your faith. Happy trails!
That’s awesome Brad! Love it when I meet other Christians on here! Your son deserves that backpack.. you better get it for him! 🤣🤣🤣
Brad, thanks for sharing with Dan. I love how most of the viewers on the outdoor channels share and support each
other. The occasional troll sticks out like a sore thumb.
Great video. I'm hiking with my son this year and this was very inspirational and informative. Thanks.
Great trip man. Wonderful experience for the youngin too. Digging the DJI footage. Cheers brotha.
Thanks Rob! When we hikin??
Looks like a great trip Dan, good on you to take the time to show him the outdoors!
Do you have a map of where you all went on this trip? Looking to take my oldest two boys. Love the camp spot.
I live here in Southern Illinois, there are miles and miles of very scenic trails to hike in the shawnee. The fall colors are outstanding !
We are trying to plan a backpacking trip soon, any recommendations?
Bravo for taking Caden into the Backcountry. He won't forget this time with Dad. In contrast to my earlier comment, you do want him to have good experiences early on and then build to loving backpacking in single digits and in the rain. If he can do that when he is young, he will find great happiness in life even when trials come. He is already demonstrating great character by reminding you to pray. I'm sure he is off to doing great things in this life.
Love that! Thanks for the encouragement!
Awesome trip! My daughter (16) will hike all day but she won’t sleep out there. Thanks for sharing your trip and your faith.
❤️
What an awesome trip! Great editing! Great content!
Thanks TJ!!!
Terrific video. It had such a great feel to it. The music and drone shots really added to the feel of it. Love the drone shot following you two walking. I also liked the comment your son made reminding you to pray before the trip. Sometimes it takes our kids to remind us what's important. That's a sign of good parenting.
Thanks a ton for the encouraging words!
I so envy you. I use to go camping at Lake Glendale in the Shawnee national forest. The 3.3 mile hike around the lake is nice.
Fern Clyff is a nice place to visit as well. I so miss my beautiful Southern Illinois.
OK, HE'S ELEVEN, WE GET IT. DON'T KILL US
Did I meantion he’s 11? Cuz he’s 11. Oh and he’s also 11. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
lmaooooooo
Pretty sure that I have stayed at that same campsite! Great video! Thanks for coming to my home state! Go, Salukis!
It was an AMAZING site!! Plus I love 5 min from your home state right in WI!!!
Never thought about hiking down there. Have only driven through that region once. Nice looking trail and views. Enjoyed the two of you on your hike.
What a great video! Very cool trip with your son.
Should really check out Jackson falls. Trail 49 is amazing. Panther den is a great winter camp. I like it to get out of the central Wisconsin winter.
Excellent trip and video. As someone who's lost a favourite hat in a lake, thank you Caden, for giving it a good home! :)
Great video! Your son seems awesome! Keep up the great work!
Thanks for this we are thinking of doing the River to River trail which passes thru Garden of The Gods area. This is very helpful!
Awesome trip Dan. This video actually brought a tear to my eye, it reminded me of when I was a kid and my Dad would take me Backpacking. Really cool video Dan. Enjoy making memories 👍
Thanks, Jason! They grow up so fast!
Dude I took my Grandson fishing for the day, his favorite meal, mac and cheese, he was astounded that I told him we could make, Papa he says you don't have a boiler, I just smiled, here is what I tried and it work rether well, got lake water, He was amazed at that, heated up to boiling put mac n cheese , a coulpe of cheeses sticks, butter and a couple onces of milk that I brought, (I like you idea of powered milk), added boiling water to bowl of m/c stirred, let sit, stir, let sit, 10 minutes all good to eat, just like a Mountain house!!!!
Good video Dan. Glad you enjoyed Garden of the Gods. Pretty spectacular for southern IL.
Looks like such a great trip. The drone shots were awesome.
Thanks Scott!!!
That was some next level blurry background. Yes, please! Great shots, gorgeous sunrise, and great times. Nice edit, man!
My camera is for sale! I’ll give you a sweet deal!! 🙌
Great video! Makes me want to be back on the trail with my boys! We're hiking North Manitou Island in Lake Michigan over Memorial Day weekend. Can't wait!
Love it. I’ve hiked there. Nice place.
The drone pictures are really cool. Great trip!
Thanks for this video and all of your advice. We just got back from a backcountry camping trip in Garden of the Gods and it was outstanding. Beautiful bluffs and rock formations, sparse crowds (didn't see another person for two days) and diverse flora were some of highlights.
We arrived at Garden of the Gods a little late on Friday and camped that night right at the trail head of Indian Point by the backpacking parking lot. Next day started on the River to River trail and hiked west towards Herod. Pretty sure we passed the campsite in your video. We found a trail that went north from the R2R trail. I think it is called 001A. That trail followed a creek bed through a canyon with rock formations and shallow caves. The creek eventually merged with another creek. There was a perfect campsite at that point. We stayed there three more nights. It rained quite a bit at night but there was a good sized overhang (shallow cave?) right at the campsite. We ate a few meals in that cave. The creek had many small pools. After a long day of hiking in the sunny heat, we would soak in the pools. It was very refreshing and helped us get a good night sleep.
That’s awesome, Ron! Did you take the same trail by chance? Where did you end up camping?
@@DanBecker - took the River to River trail to another trail, I think it is called 001A. Camped right off 001A. Wish we had more time to explore the rest of the area.
Great Hike, I just ran across this one, I hike in Shawnee quite a bit but I haven’t done this trail yet, looks like one I would love to do! Great video, I enjoy the way you put them together, I’m a subscriber now!
GoG is an amazing area, several good trails all of Southern ill. for Hiking with Shawn to see all of the good areas we have to offer.
That campsite looked awesome. I never would have guessed that was Illinois!
I only knew of that place because I went down to see the eclipse in 2017. It was seriously an awesome campsite! I highly recommend Shawnee national Forest! Just don’t ever go there during the summer it’s absolutely miserable with bugs!
Inspiring! I have a 10yr old son, pretty sure we will give backpacking together a try this summer! Thank you for sharing your experience. We'll let you know how it goes.
Awesome, Brad! Can’t wait to hear about it! Thanks for watching :-)
Glad you liked your new tent! I looked at that one as well, but ended up getting the new REI quarter dome SL2.
wow your about 20 miles from my house ....welcome to the shawnee.!!!!!
Awesome trip, and beautiful video! My son is also 11, and we were just talking about getting out for an overnight backpacking trip. We too are in IL; so the R2R may have to go on the list.
The Garden of the Gods area is fantastic! Just don’t go there in summer unless you want to get annihilated by mosquitoes!! 🤣
Dan, been watching your channel for a few weeks. Really enjoyed your last two with the kids. Introducing your kids or other young people to nature is one of the best things that you could do.
Also, thank you for producing outdoor videos. Recording, editing, and adding music is a big, time consuming job. The production quality is getting better with each video; this one in particular. Your use of the drone is also good. Some people
add them just for the novelty. Your use seems to add a significant extra dimension to the scenes.
One last thing which is just a personal preference for me. Some of the hiking, camping, outdoor channels just like to show the hiking with a few scenic views. They get to a camping spot, talk about their big miles day and the screen goes black. Then, they get up with the sun, roll up their tent and start another big mile day. And that is O.K.
I like a balanced video with a story, a little hiking showing the local area, camp life with the equipment and food, and finally, the hike back to the vehicle. I think you are attempting to follow this pattern and I enjoy it. Keep up the good work at a pace that will not cause you to burn out too quickly.
jp
Thanks JP! I truly appreciate that encouragement. Yes, it’s a bit time consuming but is definitely something I’ve come to love. I’ve never shot video prior to last November so each video is a new learning experience. Thanks so much for taking part and watching!!!
Dan Becker you are quite welcome. You are a great addition to the outdoor community.
Hello Dan. I don't know if you get notified of comments on older videos, but I will give it a try. My wife and I are headed to Shawnee in two weeks and would love to try to find that campsite that you and your son camped at right at 4 minutes. Would you have any coordinates or whatever that would help me find that site?
We're you and your wife able to find the campsite? My husband and I would love to find it! Hope yall had an amazing trip!
Great video! I live in Illinois and need to get down too the Shawnee NF for some backpacking.
This was my second time there and it’s great! Just don’t go in summer because the bugs are terrible!
@@DanBecker I hear ya! Used to spend time down there fishing at Lake of Egypt.
This is near where I grew up! I now live in southern indiana Hoosier national forest. It is beautiful this time of year! Maybe you can come visit some time.
Hi Angela.! I was just there! Charles Deam Wilderness!! Check it out 👉🏼 th-cam.com/video/pOEbc-8POmY/w-d-xo.html
Great vid, great time.
Absolutely loved it bro!
Awesome drone footage
Wait, wait, wait...how old is your son? Just kidding... lol. Great time, making memories and spending time with your boy is what it’s about!!
Also. Great meal that I like to do, these package of 33 cent macaroni noodles , velveeta sells individual cheese packets at Walmart. Add that, then throw in some kielbasa or some kind of protein. Its pretty dang good . Super cheap and you dont have to carry butter or milk ^_^
Good thinking! I’m gonna have to try that!
I’m super excited to find this video. I live on the Illinois Wisconsin border and this spring break, one year after you made this vide, I’ll be taking my very first leap from day hiking to backpacking and think this area would be my first trip!
Did you need to reserve campsites ahead of time?
Just park at the backpackers parking lot near Garden of the gods near Herod Illinois. Hike the loop just south called Indian Point Trail and then you can also hike the River to River Trail. You don’t have to reserve campsites either. You can camp anywhere you like.
Dan - great video! I am planning on going to the GoG area in a couple of weeks with my son. You mentioned someone sharing some good camp locations. Could you possibly share those with me?
SOTE - Salt Of The Earth
Awesome! Thanks!!!!
I was reading through the comments to see if anyone knew what that logo was..,salt if the earth is pretty cool
Great video Dan and you are a great dad for teaching your kids the great things of camping hiking and praying. Got to keep God in the equation
Wished I knew you where doing that one. We hike to Camel Rock. If you ever decide to do Land Between the Lakes hit me up.
Killer shots. Also-good thinking with the McDonald's butter. Don't know how I missed that!
That was a cool trip.seems like we all had issues this weekend and week .I had pull wife outta Shawnee State Forest turned in 30 mile day and video footage was ruff. Jeremiah had two people pull off that through hike he was on and then you guys had the weather turn that it shorten your trip. This was not the weekend for TH-camrs lol. Your son seemed to really enjoy it and your camp site was amazing.
That’s crazy!! The weather seems so nice when we arrived. I don’t think it stormed after we left. Just the fact that we were hiking out right away in the morning made me not want to have to put him through rain all night and then pack up wet gear LOL
What camp site did you guys stay at? My family and I are looking at backpacking there and you site location was gorgeous!
Great Videos Dan! Is there anyway you could send a pin or show exactly on the map where this campsite was. Thanks!
Hey Dan ! Glad you have a praying family. Way to go Dad ! I'm heading out on Thursday for my 1st solo backpacking trip/spiritual journey. Just me and my Jesus! Could you share those maps or can I get them in the visitors center ?
Email me.. dan@danbeckeroutdoors.com
Great video!
Thanks so much!!!!
Thinking about heading out here Memorial day weekend. I just want to hike a few miles in setup my hammock and try to get a fire going. It seems like they are open for backpacking. I have only been backpacking one other time on the Manistee river trail.
Also, is there a section you’d most recommend? We want to do 3 nights...maybe 10 mile days.
Handsome young man
Thank you so much!
Below freezing for an 11 year old is great character development.
I hike and camp with my granddaughter around the AT in Virginia. Or did. They just moved to Maine. Sucks big time.
Sorry to hear that Garry! Maybe you can find some good trails in Maine!
Am in the middle of planning a camping trip to Shawnee and would love to camp on that first site! Even though it's been 5 years, happen to still have the maps/information?