We're about a three to six weeks away from hiking season now but it's cooled down and it's been feeling like Autumn with the remnants of Gustov hanging around for the past few days. My neighbor's son-in-law said he's going to spend tonight in the forest behind our house with some of his friends. I think they're jumping the gun a bit but it will be fun to see how they do. If they don't get bit by ticks, chiggers, and snakes, or roll in the poison ivy, they should be fine <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I can't blame them, everyone I know is getting anxious to get out into the forests here. It was hard to be out last season and we've had a lot of violent weather here this year too.

It should be a great hiking season this year though. There are lots of waterfalls still running and springs that have been dry for years are still perking out water. The oaks should be loaded with acorns and the walnuts, hickories, and pecans are loaded with nuts already so the deer will be good and fat. Turkeys will too.

I think I'll start gathering up and dusting off the gear.

Bill

> I think I'll start gathering up and dusting off the gear.

I'm ahead of you. Been going through gear this week and have two long Ouachita trips set up for November, one in December. Can't wait!

Just bought a bunch of stuff from the labor day REI sales myself that I need to give the old trial run. Weather is nice this weekend, but I'm sure the ticks are still rampant, they've been really bad this year.

I spent most of last week camping up at Haw Creek Falls myself (Hwy 7 north of Russellville in Arkansas). Truthfully, I didn't even do much hiking, it was just a camping with the family thing.

I loved camping around that area. Spent time around the Buffalo and Ciecle creek area. And yeah, the ticks have been bad this year. I'm not fond of oppressive heat either. I went through my gear yesterday and am coming up with a few different ideas to lighten my load. If things work out, I plan to offer a neat and cheap lightweight kit for sale in the near future. First some R&D.

Chaz,
Your kit sounds neat. Got any pics?

BF <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

It almost smells like fall in the morning and that's getting me pumped up. My backpacking itch turned into a rash last month and I need some medicine in the form of dirt, sky, trees, creeks...etc.

Ya know, all of us in the area (many that have responded to this thread) ought to get together for a hike sometime this year. Anybody want to hazard throwing out a route and/or date?

I do have a camera but no pics yet. I fiddled with the design a little yesterday. It will consist of some simple ideas I learned about on this site. Monday, I will pick up a few supplies I need to help complete some of it. It will be kind of a grab bag of usefull things. I'll PM you when I have a prototype you can test.

Buffalo river trail, when it cools more and the spiders and tick subside.

I think that's a great idea!

There are lot's of places I'd like to go visit yet. One of my favorite places is the Leatherwood Wilderness. It's pretty rugged though, last time I was there I bushwhacked around for a few days but it was hard to find anyplace to set-up a tent there. I know there are some old road traces that might be better to follow than just bushwhacking around. The first time I went there we set up a base camp across the road from the wilderness and did day hikes to waterfalls listed in Tim Ernst's book. That was a lot of fun.

Moccasin Creek off Hwy 7, just north of Dover has been a place of interest to me too. There's supposed to be a lost silver mine around there somewhere and I've always wanted to find a lost silver mine <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

When's Deer Season start in Arkansas this year?

Bill

Bushwacking is hard and to me, not much fun. I've thought of going somewhere and paning gold for fun.

Well the kids had a great time camping down in the holler out back. In fact they has so much fun they spent another night out there. They may not have run into many ticks right by our private campsite but my neighbor, Randy, took a short hike yesterday morning at the Drury Conservation Area and as soon as he got off the rocky shore of the Lake and into the forest he found a nest of a gajillion really small "seed ticks" and literally had to strip down naked, bag his cloths, scrub down in the lake and spend several more hours doing seek and destroy before he was clean.

On the plus side, I haven't been bit by a chigger in a couple weeks, so they may be about done for the year now.

Bill

Yeah, Chaz, that Leatherwood bushwhack was hard. I made the mistake of going there at the end of October and the brush was still standing tall, dry and stiff. It'd would probably been a lot better to have gone in January or February when the brush has all fallen and turned to mulch. When we went there the first time it was in January and we hiked along the top of a fantastic bluff one evening. I just had to get back there again and go to the bottom and explorer.

In January the creekbeds in the Leatherwood Wilderness are lined with Witch hazel in full bloom. There isn't a sweeter scented spot on the entire planet when that happens.

Bill

Great idea. I'm going to try to get some miles in on the Ozark trail this fall. A group hike would be fun.

The new Sylamore section of the OHT goes through Leatherwood, right? If I'm thinking correctly, it's very rugged but well worth it. Mocassin Spring is amazing in the wet season.

If you're interested in getting together a group hike in the Ozarks or Ouachitas, see the thread in the "Trip Plans" forum.

Cool. PM me your e-mail and i'll send you some pics of my new prototype quilt. Good luck on your trip. Stay safe!

BF <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />