Backpacker Magazine – August 2004

High Points: Charles Mound, Illinois

Access is limited, but well worth the view.

by: Joe Glickman

The Peak: 1,235 feet

Chicago transplants Wayne and Jean Wuebbels are just the third owners of the Holstein-trampled hump where Elijah Charles built his log home in 1827. From the gate at the end of their gravel driveway on Charles Mound Road, the 1.1-mile one-way stroll gains 75 vertical feet. Along the way, you pass within peeping distance of the Wuebbels's abode, which explains why this high point is open only the first full weekends of June, July, August, and September.

The Picture

They built it, so you should come. Of course, we?re talking about the baseball diamond where "Shoeless" Joe Jackson materialized from the corn in Field of Dreams, which is 50 miles west of Charles Mound in Dyersville, IA. Since the film's release in 1989, roughly 55,000 regular Joes, with and without cleats, have circled the bases behind the century-old Lansing family farm. If you forget your bat, ball, or even your coffee mug, you can buy one there (or visit www.fieldofdreamsmoviesite.com). The field is open April through November; admission is free.

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