The Trail Less Traveled - The Hamburg Trail

The Trail Less Traveled - The Hamburg Trail

I had some business in Augusta, Missouri this morning, so I threw my Dahon folding bike into the back of our Honda Element and headed out Highway 94. At Defiance, I got on the Katy Trail intending to get a few miles in on this beautiful morning. About 2 miles north of Defiance, I came upon the Hamburg Trail. I thought it looked like something worth exploring, so I turned west off the Katy Trail and started up the gradual incline. Because it is less traveled than the Katy Trail, the trail surface was rough in spots. Most of it consists of an old service road and there are occasional ruts and loose gravel. In the shaded low-lying areas, there are still some soft wet spots in the trail. I probably gave my folding bike more punishment than it was designed to handle, but it did well. I am always impressed with the performance of the Schwalbe HS 338 Big Apple tires. They handle great on almost any surface.

The Hamburg Trail is an 8 mile side trail that leads from the Katy Trail to the Interpretive Center. This trail runs through the Weldon Spring site to the wildlife-rich August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area.

A few miles down the trail, I came upon the Weldon Spring Site.  Managed by the U.S. Department of Energy, this sites has a Disposal Cell that contains 1.48 million cubic yards of low-level radioactive waste and chemical waste. From 1941-1945, as part of the World War II defense effort, the U.S. Army produced explosives at Weldon Spring Ordnance Works. In 1955, the Army transferred approximately 200 acres of site property to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) for construction of the Weldon Spring Uranium Feed Materials Plant. The plant processed uranium ore concentrates and a small amount of thorium between 1957 and 1966. In 1985, the site custody was transferred to the Department of Energy (DEO) to conduct a major operation that would clean up the contamination left from the site's prior activities. Hence, the Disposal Cell. Known by some locals as the radioactive tomb.

According to the information that I gathered at the site, the viewing platform on the top of the Weldon Spring disposal cell is the highest accessible point in St. Charles County. The pictures and video do not do justice to the magnificent view!

This a view of the disposal cell from Google Earth - It is even larger than it appears from the ground.

View of the cell from the Hamburg Trail

My GPS indicated that it is just about 1/8 of a mile walk from the bike rack at the bottom of the cell to the observation platform at the top. There are 48 large steps to the top and then a continued incline to the observation platform.

48 large steps to the top of the Disposal Cell

  I had the privilege of climbing to the top twice this morning, because when I came down the first time, I realized I had left my sunglasses on a bench at the top.

Back up the steps to retrieve my sunglasses.

You can learn more about this fascinating, historic site HERE.

 Since I had already spent more time on the trail than I had planned, I made my way back to Defiance after a quick stop at the Weldon Spring Trailhead.

Turning around at Weldon Spring

Sometimes the trail less traveled reveals unexpected surprises!

Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 2 Samuel 7:21