Little Missouri Trail & Tall Peak

Nothing takes the edge off the daily grind like spending time in the woods, which is why I decided at the last minute to take Friday off and head back to Arkansas. I got up at 3, left before 4 and 200 miles later at 8:45, was heading across the upper Little Missouri Trail where it meets the Athens Big Fork. It was 33*, but was forecast to climb to the mid 60's.

I decided to try out my new water crossing shoes. They're AquaSprints and they worked perfectly; easy to get off and on, a sole thick enough to be comfortable with good traction, and they were $3 and weigh about 2 ounces. I am not a gram weenie, I am not a gram weenie, ok I am, but I have to be, I'm getting old :) I carry a small square of quick dry camp towel to dry my feet, put shoes and socks back on, slip the shoes and towel back into the side pouch of my pack, and carry on.

The weather and the scenery was beautiful and I stopped a number of times just to listen to the river, or the quiet, or the trees, or the birds. The river, while narrow up this far, is clear and beautiful, and I could sit beside it for hours.

There are several campsites along this section and one in particular caught my eye, as someone had set a large flat rock atop an tree stump to make a lovely table.
I hiked through the rec area to the falls, then back to a picnic table next to the river to have lunch. I did not see or hear another soul the entire day.

Driving back down the road to the falls rec area, my path was blocked by a beautiful rat snake sunning itself in the middle of the road. I got out of the car and had to gently prod it with my hiking pole to get it to move off the road. I love snakes and spent a few minutes photographing it.

I stopped at the falls to get a few pics as I didn't take the camera on this hike, and headed back to Dierks Lake and a night at Tom and Janet's campground. I enjoyed a nice chat with them then excused myself to go try out the hot showers Tom had promised...ahh, was he right!! I hope they never get the idea to put a timer on it! After reading a few paragraphs I was out for the night. My only regret was that it was dark when I finished my shower and I left before light so I didn't get to really take in the campground which sits on the Saline River just below the dam.

Day 2 and a peek at Tall Peak
The last time I did this hike the mountains were shrouded in fog, so there were no views of distant peaks. It's nice to hike in different kinds of weather and get a different perspective. It was 8:00 and 44* when I started up the trail. The campground is closed for the season so I began across the bridge from the last river crossing.

Hiking in the Ouachita's means hiking over rocks, Arkansas Novaculite to be precise, "razor stone" in latin. The rock was chipped for arrowheads and is a source for whetstones. For a solo hiker this means paying very close attention to where you step, especially with drifts of fall leaves layering the ground. It does present a wonderful lesson in geology though, and it's fascinating what you see along the way. Since you have to have your eyes on the ground it's nice to have something cool to look at!

As I made my way up the trail the vistas that were hidden before were now popping up everywhere. One thing that shocked me was horse manure on the trail...I can't believe someone would risk injury of an animal to go up this trail, especially toward the end. Even with a mule I wouldn't attempt it. But that's just me.

Hiking back down I stopped to have lunch at an outcrop, taking in the views and watching in awe as leaves floated up and down, caught on the thermals. It was like a watching a bird.

After relaxing and literally staring out into space, I continued down the mountain and back to the car, to make the drive home. As I drove past the campground I watched as a flock of wild turkeys made there way through the woods.

As I drove home, I was already planning where to hike next when I make it back to Arkansas. I think the Buckeye/Caney Loop is next on the docket :)

link to photos http://picasaweb.google.com/liveoutsidelady/LittleMissouriTrailTallPeak?feat=directlink