Spring and fall are by far my favorite seasons. I can wear hoodies anytime I want and the weather is perfect for day-long hikes without dying from heat stroke. So with perfect weather on one of my days off, I decided to take a day trip to southern Missouri. With a full tank of gas and blue skies above me, I set off on I-55 south towards Hawn State Park.

Located about 10 miles east of Ste. Genevieve, MO, Hawn State Park offers plenty of open trails for the adventurous hiker. I started out on the Pickle Creek Trail which follows along Pickle Creek for about 1.5 miles before connecting to the Whispering Pines Trail. The first thing that caught my eye was the hundreds of towering pine trees along the trail. I am so used to the deciduous forests of the Midwest that I was completely shocked to see so many pines. They instantly brought back memories of hiking in the mountains of Colorado. It was a refreshing sight in early spring when most of the deciduous trees of the area had yet to sprout fresh leaves.

On this particular day the wind was gusting at around 20 mph, causing the pines to sway and lean in a calming, rhythmic fashion. I found myself stopping to look up every 15 minutes to enjoy the peaceful silence and the watch the trees come to life in the wind.

Once you join the Whispering Pines Trail, the peace and quiet becomes even more evident. The trail meanders away from Pickle Creek and the tranquil sounds of the flowing water into miles of oak and pine forest. There are several “connector” trails that split from the main trail to take you back to the parking lot, or to different sections of the 10-mile loop.

Three hours into hiking I decided to take Connector 3, which brings you back to the main parking lot. This section of the trail passes two primitive camping sites for backcountry camping. If you are looking for a camping site away from others but not too deep into the wild, this would be the perfect spot for you. Unfortunately, I did not see much wildlife along the trail other than the occasional sparrow or blue jay. The multiple occasions of total silence more than made up the lack of wildlife.

After getting my fill of peaceful hiking for the day, I turned my attention to finding a great spot to catch the sunset. About an hour away from Hawn State Park is Taum Sauk Mountain, the tallest point in Missouri. While driving down Highway 21, I began to notice a haze in the air that kept getting thicker the closer to Taum Sauk Mountain that I drove. I was having a hard time figuring out where the haze was coming from until I drove past Pilot Knob. The entire side of the mountain was fully engulfed in a thick white smoke that was surely being fueled by the high winds. As the golden hour approached, the white haze turned to an amber fog as the sun dipped closer to the horizon.

With the setting sun turning the haze into a think fog, I finally arrived at Taum Sauk Mountain where the true summit offers a beautiful view of the surrounding hills and forests. Unfortunately, the summit faces north and makes it very difficult to catch the sunset in the spring. So in order to catch a glimpse of the smoky sunset, I drove a few miles from the summit to a secret spot that I have known about for a few years now.

Hidden at the end of a fork in the road leading to Taum Sauk Mountain is an old Forest Service fire lookout tower built in 1949 to monitor the wilderness of the surrounding area. From the top of the tower you are presented with a panoramic view of the St. Francois Mountains that Taum Sauk is a part of. The only downside is the terrifying five flights of rickety wood and iron stairs that lead to the top of the tower.

I’m not one to consider myself afraid of heights, but on this particular day with 20-30mph winds gusting through the region, my heart was racing and my anxiety worsened with every step of the ascent. The entire tower swayed and creaked with every gust, becoming even more intense above the tree line. As I rounded the corner of the final flight of stairs, I was presented with one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. The smoke from the nearby forest fire softened the intensity of the setting sun turning the smoky haze an eerie crimson color. The colors grew more intense as the last sliver of the sun sank belong the horizon, bringing an end to an incredible day in the wilderness of southern Missouri.