A small band of TrailBlazers trekked down in the Ouachitas on the trail to Missouri Falls.
Here's the scoop from Cindy: The hike started out great. It was sunny but cool and breezy, and the birds were singing. We just had the one crossing that no one was able to cross dry. The water was beautiful but then, I'm partial to the water. We couldn't take pictures to do it justice because of the sunshine. About the time we finished the last crossing, it warmed up and the breeze quit blowing. It was hot for the rest of the hike.
Alina reports: We had a lovely hike this past weekend, total 7 people. Started at Albert Pike and ended at Little Mo. falls. The highlights of the hike were crossing the river 2 times, last crossing very scenic with water rushing over big boulders . We made several relaxing stops. For me the grand finale of the hike was toward the end, where the forest looked like the Amazon jungle with cascading wild magnolias in bloom emitting a sweet fragrance. Billigene is inspirational.
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)
In spite of gray, chilly, windy conditions 29 TrailBlazers and 2 canines opted to come out for our Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Trot at Lee Creek in Van Buren. Fortunately the trail is sheltered, so it wasn’t quite as cold and windy as the CV parking lot! Speedy, our old friend and one-time TrailBlazer, came out of retirement to lead us on his favorite historic trail.
After hiking over to the graveyard of the Bodine family to check out the graves and ruins of their old buildings, we trekked up to the scenic bluff overlooking the reservoir. Continuing down the trail we came to the Civil War graveyard where about 300 African-American Confederate soldiers are buried, a few with actual gravestones but most with small vertical rock markers. After hiking over to the creek with its aquamarine waters we saw several small waterfalls and then trekked up to the crack in the rocks that looks like some of the crevices at Devil’s Den. From the top of the high ridge we were able to see some neat falls in the distance. Hoofing back down the trail we came to a waterlogged section requiring some fancy footwork. All too soon we were back at the parking lot where the sun finally decided to favor us with some bright, if not warm, rays. Déjà vu all over again – Mt. Magazine!
After tomorrow’s hike at White Rock was canceled due to poor conditions and predicted blustery weather, 19 TrailBlazers were happy to opt for Plan B, an afternoon trek at Lee Creek north of Van Buren. Judith was going to lead but had to cancel, so Becky stepped into the breach until Doug showed up. This is a favorite stomping ground of his, so he led the pack.
The weather was ideal, in the 40s, and it probably reached the lower 50s, with no breeze and very welcome sunshine. We headed over to the loop where there are some remnants of the hardy folk who lived and died in these hills above Lee Creek in days of yore. There are still some gravesites here and there as a reminder of the history that was made there.
Next we headed up the loop to the waterfalls that were actually flowing. It is difficult to see them up close and personal, so we had to peek through the brush and foliage at the top of the ridge. We proceeded on to the crack in the rock, somewhat similar to the crevices at Devil’s Den, but not on that grand scale.
We trekked back down to Lee Creek and dithered a bit about crossing it since it had more water than usual; normally it is an easy rock hop. Buffalo Bob and Doug did some boulder-building to make a rock bridge, so the rest of us threw caution to the wind and crossed the creek with no major mishaps. After that we started up the Homestead Loop and a few of us, the ones with bad knees, had our work cut out for us when it was time to slip-slide down the steep trail back to the creek. En route there were some neat overviews of the creek and Lee Creek Reservoir.
It turned out to be a great day, and everyone was so glad to be outdoors.
A hot and sunny day found 29 TrailBlazers up at Lake Lincoln with the goal of circumnavigation of the lake with Captain Linda at the helm. Our last outing here back in February was interesting because it was a balmy day with snow on the ground. On that occasion we thought the first leg of the hike was a steep, long, uphill trek. It must have been the slippery snow that made us think that, because today the uphill start did not seem particularly steep or long!
First we trekked out to the point to have a beautiful panoramic view of the lake. Hiking back to pick up the lower eagle trail, we suddenly felt like we were seeing the same movie twice. It seems that we somehow hiked the same loop at least twice! When Linda was asked if we were lost, she said no because she knew exactly where we were on the map – it was just that we were walking in circles. Y’all could say it was déjà vu all over again!
In the fullness of time we arrived at a shaded creek that seemed like a great lunch spot. Next we picked up the trail again and finally reached a section that was well marked but not well maintained so in need of some TLC. After a while the trail improved and we found ourselves on the other side of the lake where we were treated to magnificent views of the high rocky point where we had explored early in the day. Crossing back over the earthen dam, we found the trail again and finished our hike around the lake.
Surprisingly, in spite of the drought and it being early fall, there was already evidence of touches of autumn color here and there along the trail. Linda brought along some garbage bags, so several people did their best to help keep Lake Lincoln beautiful. It was good to be back on the trail again. Mt. Nebo, here we come next Saturday!
Fourteen TrailBlazers led by Captain Katie made the beautiful drive to Eureka Springs on a picture-perfect day to hike the 3.7-mile trail around Lake Leatherwood, a new hike for us. Initially there was a little confusion finding the trailhead in this 1,600 acre municipal park, but we lucked out because a female leader has no problem with asking for directions!
It was a little breezy as we started, but it soon warmed up. There were lots of geese both in the meadow and on the lake, but we never did catch sight of any feral hogs in spite of dire warnings on the signs. We are pretty good at scaring most wild life away, but we did manage to see several pretty butterflies.
Lake Leatherwood is formed by one of the largest hand-cut native limestone dams in the country. We were quite impressed with this long structure as we crossed the lake and saw the water pouring over the spillway, forming a pretty waterfall. This was a great lunch spot. As we continued on the the trail we saw verbena and daisies. All too soon, this hike was over.
Some people went home after the hike, and the rest of us decided to visit the beautiful glass Thorncrown Chapel nestled in the woods just a short distance away. We continued on into historic Eureka Springs where we ate at Sparky’s and then walked around the old downtown area and browsed through the shops. This turned out to be a really enjoyable day!
Here’s the scoop from field reporter Linda, one of 10 Energizer Bunnies on a 10.4 mile hike:
The morning started out frosty for ten TrailBlazers with Wilson leading us on the Ozark Highlands trail. But it didn’t take long into the hike and we were shedding jackets. The beautiful fall colors were just lovely all along the trail and the big rock boulders in all the ravines were a sight to see. This is one of the best times to be hiking with the trails sprinkled with yellow and red leaves. It was also sprinkled with a ten dollar bill that Danny happened to spot and retrieve.
The walking sticks (insects, not trekking poles!) were out in force today also. Bob was just letting one walk all over him but when two landed on Xue Yan, she was dancing and hollering about them being on her. As it worked out wading shoes were not necessary but unfortunate for Lake Fort Smith because it is very low on the Frog Bayou end. It was a wonderful fall day to be out hiking Arkansas. Many thanks to Dewayne for shuttling us back to Lake Fort Smith.
Did y’all notice that the men outnumber the women two to one? The women usually outnumber the men by three or four to one!
Some other TrailBlazers hiked at Robbers Cave today.