Three dozen TrailBlazers from near and far gathered at the Hawksbill trailhead to follow Becky up to the crag under somewhat dubious weather conditions. Fortunately our crack weather forecasters got it wrong, because the night before they had been predicting bad storms and explaining the safety plan if dangerous storms should happen to hit Razorback Stadium during the game. Skies were overcast with some occasional sun, but we had no rain on either hike. It considerately held off until we were homeward bound. 

The Hawksbill trail goes down for a ways before heading up to the crag. The fall color was not the best we have ever seen, but we were favored with red sumac and maple, golden hickory, some orange maple leaves, and a variety of in-between hues. The views of the valley are always a feast for the eyes. Some of our members were already in the Buffalo area, so we met up with them on top of the hawk’s head; that old bird is holding up well after being stomped by generations of hiking boots! A first for us was a chance encounter with a young couple in wedding attire, featuring the prerequisite hiking boots, having their pictures taken at the top of the trail. Y’all know that Yours Truly doesn’t miss a photo op! 

After lunch we headed over to Lost Valley where for the first time a ranger was directing some people to park in an overflow lot. Fortunately my vehicle was given a dispensation to claim one of the few remaining spaces in the big lot since we were a truckload of geezers or geezers-in-training – membership has its dubious privileges! The area is very dry, so Eden Falls were pretty much non-existent. No matter, the hike is always scenic, the towering bluffs are magnificent, and we were all in good company.