My wife and I have been enjoying the recent weather and have used the opportunity to dayhike some local trails which has been fantastic. Those combined with some searches for geocaches located in wonderful areas has allowed us to hike at least twice a week.
We were fortunate to visit Hole In The Ground Creek Falls.
It was actually a set of waterfalls located down an old ATV trail north of Pencil Bluff. The scenery was outstanding. We spent quite some time enjoying the area and sat down to have lunch beside the upper falls. It was great. Our round trip distance measured by GPS was 3.03 miles.Three days later we ventured into the Poteau Mountain Wilderness to visit Slate Falls. The hike along the old road was easy but we were disappointed that the falls were all but dry. Still getting to see the height of the falls and explore around the remains of the old stone dwelling made the trip more than worth while. Of course we hunted for and found the geocache Slate Falls while we were there.
On March 4th we were delighted to get another chance to go hiking and this time we chose to hike Hole In The Ground Mountain Trail. It's hard to describe how wonderful this trail is. Being located south of Booneville, with a trailhead at Jack Creek Recreational Area and the Dry Creek Wilderness, this trail is a seldom visited jewel in the Ouachita Forest. It isn't for the timid though. The trail can be challenging in places and is rough in others. Sometimes both. We tried to begin our hike from the Jack Creek trailhead but my wife didn't want to have anything to do with crossing the frigid flowing creeks. So we drove to the other trailhead and hiked in from there. One of my favorite parts of the trail are as you summit and cross over Hole In The Ground Mountain. The Pine on the west side of the mountain quickly gives way Black Oak on top and then Cedar as you move down the east side. The transition is so quick it is almost instant. There are also abundant geological formations and views along the way. I strongly encourage anyone who can to visit and enjoy the trail. You won't regret it. We flip flopped and got a total of 5.7 miles in that day and wished we could have done more!!
Monday brought about a doctors appointment in Poteau. That's a long drive and we stopped by Subway to grab some lunch on the way home to celebrate my 25lbs I've lost so far on my diet. We decided, spur of the moment, to hike at Runestone State Park in Heavener. It is kind of shocking how little trail maintenance is done there compared to our state parks. Yet another reason Arkansas is awesome! We hiked for roughly a mile by combining two trails ad enjoyed the views immensely. The picnic pavilions at the park have hang glider shaped roofs which was really neat.
The next morning, Tuesday, after the kids were off to school my wife asked me if I wanted to go for another hike. Oh Yeah! I was ready to go! :-) We decided to combine some geocaching along with our hike. We went to Knoppers Ford Recreational Area and hiked the Sugar Creek Hiking Trail. It was really warm when we started from the
trailhead. The views of Sugar Creek were beautiful and initially the trail was clear and easy. Once you get about 0.5mi from the trailhead the trail gets rougher though. Again from lack of maintenance. Some blowdown had been there so long that the spur around it was more prominent than the trail itself. That notwithstanding, the trail was great. I enjoy hiking on seldom used trails. You never see another soul and have the woods all to yourself. We hunted for four geocaches along the way and enjoyed a picnic when we reached Middle Creek. By looping back we manged to hike 3.6mi in total. We did see three snakes (a ringneck, a kingsnake, and a cottonmouth) along the way. Of course with the warmer weather those little parasitic spawns of evil were out also. I hate ticks! But on the plus side, tick checks can be fun. ;-) We've made plans to hike some more trails in the Brushy Creek Trail Complex this Sunday. We were going to do it Saturday but this cold and rain weather will still be here. Sunday should have temperatures in the 60's so it will be great. We're going to build a campfire in the camping area afterward and roast some hot dogs and marshmallows. I'm bringing our fishing poles to try our luck while we're there. The whole family is really looking forward to it and it should be a fantastic day.
The Ouachita National Forest offers so many things to do and see I don't think anyone could see it all if they spent a lifetime exploring it. I am sure that the attempt itself would be rewarding beyond measure. Arkansas offers so much to do. I feel blessed to live in such a wonderful state and being able to watch my children explore the natural world around them, knowing they will be able to share it with their children.
