starved rock state park, illinois

The hike started out fine, nice maintained path.  The pups were smiling.  We turn the corner only to be confronted with literally miles of stairs. Stairs going up. Stairs going sideways. Stairs and stairs and stairs.  We went 125 feet straight up on the first 20 minutes.  The stairs started out made of wood, but by the time we got to Wildcat Canyon, the stairs changed to open metal grates. The pups were scared out of their minds to go up or down these stairs. John carried Marla, I carried Pipes. They were shivering and scared to death.  We went about 1/4 mile in hoping the metal grate stairs would revert back to wood, but no dice. We turned around and hiked the mile and a half back, ever so often scooping up the pups and carrying them along.  We are exhausted lol.  I voted to NEVER go back to this park EVER. Over it!
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