Hearty New Year's Day hike in St. Charles prairie

Valerie Blaine tried to put a “warmer” spin on things Saturday during her annual New Year's Day Resolution Hike through LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles.

“Welcome to the Grand Canyon,” said Blaine, a Kane County Forest Preserve naturalist who had 10 participants along for her educational hike.

The problem was, Blaine was standing along a ridge above Ferson Creek in LeRoy Oakes on a frigid and blustery morning that featured below-zero wind chills, rather than the warmth of an Arizona sun.

“The inspiration for me in doing this is that I've always liked walking early in the morning anyway,” said Blaine, who has offered the New Year's Day event for the past 10 years. “And people seem to be in such a good mood at this walk, as long as they haven't been out too late the night before.”

The small group was in good spirits, though bundled up tightly to counter the strong winds that whipped across the open prairie at LeRoy Oakes.

Ann Miller of Batavia broke into a quick set of jumping jacks in an attempt to keep warm prior to the hike.

“I can walk during the winter, as long as the walkways or trails don't have a lot of ice,” Miller said.

With her warmest skunk skin cap atop her head, Blaine began her hour-long hike with information most people would never take time to consider.

“What kind of animal made those droppings?” Blaine asked while pointing to a pile of animal feces along the path.

“That's all Kibbles in there, so you know it was a dog,” Blaine explained. “If it was a coyote or other wild animals, you would be able to see small bones, fur or berries.”

Blaine made several stops to illustrate the winter's interaction with nature, showing patterns that bugs and beetles make in tree limbs, and a “monkey face” on the leaf scars of a black walnut tree; and explaining why garlic mustard stays green during the winter, thus making it grow wild and smothering nearby plants.

Blaine had several props hidden in her pockets, and participants got a whiff of some when she pulled out small bottles to explain different scents – fox, mink and dead fowl — encountered in the wild.

At one point, Blaine spotted a large oak tree leaf that was about five times larger than a normal leaf.

“The leaves at the bottom of the trees get larger, because they are expanding out to get some of the sun that is blocked by all of the leaves on the top of the tree,” Blaine said.

From along the ridge above Ferson Creek, Blaine noted that Ferson Creek was especially effective for nature and wildlife because it meanders through the forest.

“Straightening creeks or making straight channels just enhances erosion and is lousy for fish,” Blaine said. “When they meander, it is much better for wildlife because they like the little ripples and accents in the land.”

Blaine pulled a bag of 12 grapes from her pocket, saying that a New Year's tradition calls for eating 12 grapes, each representing a month. If a sour grape was eaten, she said, then that month was going to be a bad one.

Each participant was given a grape and, in another sign that 2011 could be a good year, none said their grape was sour.

In following the New Year's theme, participant Jeanette Joy of Carol Stream said her resolution for the year was “to never walk by a piece of litter without picking it up.” She started by filling a small bag with litter during the walk.

As the hike was wrapping up, some joked that they would now don their shorts for the traditional Polar Plunge in Lake Michigan, knowing full well that a plunge in icy waters likely wouldn't be much colder than this hike along a wind-swept LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve.