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 have just started, but we all enjoy the outdoors. If this describes you and you're in the area, you're welcome in our group!
Lincoln Lake
Forty TrailBlazers, most recovering from an acute attack of cabin fever, abandoned their storm-induced hibernation and crawled out of the woodwork to head up Highway 59 to Lincoln Lake. We welcomed old friends who haven’t been on the trails with us recently. This 4-mile trek is a new hike for us. It isn’t a difficult hike, but there was still snow in the area, so in places the trail was slippery either from snow, wet leaves, or mud. The weather was incredibly warm and balmy, a nice break from the recent blast of winter.
From the trailhead we trekked up a slippery path until we reached a road leading to the trail. Of course, the people at the back of the pack had slicker conditions as our boots were packing the snow down into ice. At a neat overlook we had a good view of the lake and the unusual patterns in the ice. A few even spotted some eagles on the other side.
Of course, there was some horseplay involving snowballs, snow cones, a tiny snowman, and even a snowball tree. The trail winds up and down and features several views of the lake as well as rocky bluffs sporting huge icicles. Although we tend to scare wildlife away, we did see at least 2 possums and some buzzards (not all of them had feathers – you know who you are)!
Great day to be out and about! (PS – Hanna did not wear her sneakers)
