Nineteen TrailBlazers left Van Buren on an overcast, windy morning to drive I-40 and Route 7 down to the Ouachitas to Forked Mountain. We traveled part of the way up the mountain on a dusty dirt road to start the hike. Alas, there was no trail to speak of, so this was more of a scramble-bramble bushwhack than a hike - somewhat reminiscent of Pinnacle Mountain. Therefore, Yours Truly cannot award it her foot, ankle or knee-friendly rating as she ended the hike with her own poor knobby knees a-knocking! For her it must be a one-time “been there, done that” experience! Various TrailBlazers pushed, pulled or hauled her over some rough spots. 

It was warm and sunny as we started out on a four-wheeler road that abruptly ended leaving us faced with a tall, rocky wall. Here we started attacking a boulder field and ever-so-carefully pussyfooted our way upward. One hiker abandoned the assault immediately and we lost a few more along the way. Eventually we reached the top where there were great views. After taking photos for bragging rights, we then slipped, tripped, slid, stumbled or bumbled our way down the other side of the mountain. We spent about 2 hours doing this 1-mile round trip trek, but it seemed longer! 

After having something to eat, we drove over to Flatside Pinnacle and did the short, but steep trek up to the aptly-named Vista Point. This was an actual trail so it was much easier and we were soon rewarded with some great views. We had a neat day and several of us treated ourselves to burgers at CJ’s on the way home.