Northbrook sled hill sees visitors all year

A Northbrook Park District sled hill might see just as much use in the summer as it does during the winter.

Located in the southeast corner of Techny Prairie Park and Fields in Northbrook, the sled hill there is used by athletes who incorporate the incline into their workouts.

Last summer, while covering the arrival of the Union Pacific railroad's Big Boy steam locomotive on its journey from Milwaukee to the Chicago suburbs, I used the top of the sled hill as a launching point for the drone while capturing an aerial view of the train's passage on the tracks just east of the park. Because the Big Boy was not operating on a firm schedule, I arrived early to make sure I was ready for the flight and that the photo would turn out as planned.

Undeterred by the heat that morning, a series of runners conquered the obstacle. Some focused their efforts exclusively on the hill, while others - who had been running on the paths surrounding the park - made the incline a part of their workouts.

I revisited the sled hill for an aerial photo recently, and as was the case previously, a person was there for a midday workout.

At altitudes of more than 100 feet, people in photos taken with drones are barely discernible. Still, it was interesting that both the stairs and the grassy path of the sled hill were being used in alternating fashion.

In visual terms, my composition was based mainly on the way the lines of the paths converged at the top, the way the surrounding fence forms a semicircle around the hill, and how the grassy area extends toward the bottom in almost a pyramid shape.

It's nice to see that a sled hill can be used year-round by people staying in shape, rather being limited to winter activities.