The TrailBlazers Hiking Club is a group based in Fort Smith, Arkansas, dedicated to enjoying the outdoors in the Ozarks and Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. THCFS schedules several hikes a month, some long and some short, some difficult and some more laid-back. Some of us have hiked for years and some just started, but we all enjoy the outdoors. If this describes you and you're in the area, you're welcome in our group!

THCFS hikes are scheduled almost every weekend from fall to spring. Look at the Events section to pick out one that fits your preferences. Slip on some comfortable walking shoes, grab a water bottle and a snack, and come join us for a hike!

Hike Report

2010-05-16 End of Season Picnic
Photo Link: click here

Under very unpredictable weather conditions forty-odd (and/or not-so-odd!) TrailBlazers headed for Devil’s Den, experiencing rain en route. As luck would have it, it stopped when we arrived. Doug and Debbie were the only two to brave the crevices under slick and muddy conditions, with most of us opting to check out the falls on the Devil’s Den Trail.

This area must have experienced torrential rain recently, because tons of water was thundering over the dam, and the trail was not only muddy and soggy, but actually had streams of water on it in places. We saw “falls” in places where we never had seen them before! It was a Tim Ernst kind of day for camera buffs. So many times we have been disappointed by spindly falls with a thin trickle, but that all changed today. We all got sprinkled as we hiked under the big falls. Of course, this meant that we had to watch where we were placing our feet. It wasn’t terribly hot, but the humidity must have been 120%, giving a new meaning to “muggy”! The icebox and Devil’s Den Cave were closed because of the white nose disease that is threatening the bats.

At the pavilion it was immediately obvious who had hiked as opposed to who had arrived later just for the picnic. The latter had that spiffy “bandbox” look, while the rest of us were damp, sweaty, bedraggled and/or having a bad hair day! It started to sprinkle just as they finished cooking the wieners, but we were dry under the pavilion as we chowed down all the great munchies, salads and desserts. It poured while we were eating, and then stopped once again. Yours Truly would like to thank everyone for the lovely card and thoughtful gift from the club. Billigene was also pleased and touched by the beautiful album that some members made for her. Happy trails to you – see you in the fall!

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Thoughts

7/28/2010 10:20:07 AM      Subject: TrailBlazers Newsletter
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