This Winter has been awful for backpacking in the Ozarks. The best we've had are a few two day stretches when it wasn't downright nasty out.

Right now it looks like next week might have potential, but the long range forecast has been worthless lately so it's hard to make a plan.

If the weather does break I might head out into the Mark Twain NF and ramble along some creekbeds for a couple days. I can't hardly stand being cooped up any longer.

Here's to a better Spring!!

Bill

Here Here!!!!

The weather has been really great here. No snow, very little rain, quite mild. I could get in lots of hiking except for the fact that work gets in the way. I do walk my dog everyday though. Lots of bighorn sheep on the hills and that is a good sign. I believe spring is here.

Howie

Hey Bill, I am located in Northern Illinois. My Mom lives down in Cabool MO, and a Sister as well. I have been looking at taking a three day weekend this summer and hiking in the Piney Creek area. I have heard some horror stories of people hiking and happening on idiots making methe etc. Is this just rumour or would I be wise to pack a gun for saftey? Ive never hiked MO, but it is beutifull down there.

Kent
methe labs in the woods is a myth. Any bathroom with running water and electricity and lights makes a much better lab. Pot farms are a different story.


Hey it only got to 40 degrees last night instead of 16, I guess its gonna rain finally (we live in a desert). Oh and daffodils and crocus are finally coming up.
Jim

Not much of a El Nino year here in CA, at least where I live. Usually the creek comes up and floods a little. Earliest I have been able to plant stuff in my garden. Usually it has snow still or is too wet, some of my bulbs are up a few inches.

Hi Kent. I grew up in Rockford so you must be close to my old stomping grounds. I know every crack and crevice of Rock Cut State Park

I wouldn't, and don't, pack a gun hiking here. The meth heads have been pretty much hammered out of here and the rumors about them were always bigger than the problem anyway. The scrawny little pale dudes that used it are mostly all in jail, rehabbed, or moved on now.

There are no big pot fields in the NF here so you won't have to worry about stumbling across anyone guarding those either.

It's been a few years since I've been to Piney Creek, but it's nice. I'm on the east side of Branson and the Piney Creek Wilderness is about 45 miles west of me. I used to hike the trail from the Lookout Tower on the north side down to the first creek bed and then bushwhack to the Lake and spend the night down on the shore a lot when I first moved here. Got to know that end pretty well.

I was down there in the winter and I got swooped by a Bald Eagle. It actually flew over me with its wings all spread out making a noise that sounded like a jet engine and it's feet and claws were down like it was ready to attack me. It flew right over top of me then it swooped down and picked up a rock or stick next to the lake shore, turned back around and came right at me and tried to drop it on my head! That was cool!

When I first moved here I went bushwhacking in from the south side one day in the summer and coming out just before sunset there were more spiders with webs strung between the trees at head level than I've ever seen anywhere. I was practically wrapped in silk by the time I got out of there. Man did I ever get chigger bit on that trip.

There's a cave in there somewhere. I looked for it a couple times but never found it. That was before GPS so I was really winging it when I tried.

I don't know of many good places to pitch a tent in Piney Creek. I didn't spend much time on the trails there but as I recall the hills are steep and rocky in there and the bottoms are rocky and filled with brush. There are a few nice spots along the north lake shore, but it's a bushwhack through a lot of rough to get there and they are at the very east edge of the Wilderness. I should really look at a map when I say this. For reference, I'm calling Hwy 76 and the Lookout Tower the North side.

Personally, I like Hercules Glades Wilderness in the Ava District better. It's about twice as big and the main creek (Long Creek) that runs through it is pristine. It's a little further from Cabool I suppose, but there are more features of interest and better places to camp for the night. You can wonder off about anywhere in there and find a nice spot. I don't recall Piney Creek being like that, but I spent most of my time there in the creekbeds, not on the ridges.

Either way, come on down and enjoy yourself. There's lot's of National Forest close to Piney Creek that you can romp around in too. I've barely scratched the dirt in the Cassville District but I know there are some great spots over there.

Bill

Well, like I said, today it rained, and was cold and windy to boot. Tomorrow will be less sucky, but still well below our average high temp, Tuesday will be sweet, but the forecast now says increasing suckiness after that.

I need Sun. I guess I'll have to settle for a day hike on Tuesday and soak up as much as I can.

Bill, I knew you were in for it. What hits me gets to you about 1-2 days later.

It started raining here on Friday night and did so all day Saturday. Sunday morning it turned to snow.

It was bright and sunshiney today so hopefully you'll have that in a couple of days.

I think this weekend we'll put out all the flowers we bought and planted in pots last Thu/Fri. We planted our onions on Friday and covered them up with hay. Hopefully they'll be alright.

Not much good weather here for hiking. Hopefully April will be better!