This past weekend, we headed back to the Buffalo River to see the famed Hemmed-in-Hollow Falls. We had our friend Dan join us. Since there were two cars, we opted to park on at the Compton Trailhead [...]]]> [This post was originally published on June 14, 2011 on "A Hiking We Will Go."]

This past weekend, we headed back to the Buffalo River to see the famed Hemmed-in-Hollow Falls. We had our friend Dan join us. Since there were two cars, we opted to park on at the Compton Trailhead and hike back to the other car at Steel Creek campground, thinking we would avoid the dreadfully steep climb back up to Compton.

To ensure an early start, we camped Friday night at Steel Creek. I went for a walk back up the road into the camp and got to spend some time watching a doe having a little dinner in the field.

After a rather sleepless night due to the raucous and rowdy behavior of other campers in the park, we were up at 4:30 a.m., and decided to grab a bite to eat in Ponca while the tent dried out from the dew condensation. Wet tents are no fun, but the early morning fog makes a pretty picture.

To get to the Compton Trailhead, we went north on Highway 43 from Steel Creek, through Ponca and turned right on County Road 19, which was marked with a sign. Unfortunately, for the next turn, the sign had fallen down and after a couple of failed attempts, we figured out we were supposed to take a right.

About a mile down the dirt road, there is one more right for the trailhead parking. The hike to the falls is only 2.5 miles, but it’s straight down, most of it on stair-stepped rocks.

The hillside had lots of flowers in bloom and some very cooperative butterflies. I was frequently far behind Stuart and Dan.

About a mile in, there is a campsite and a trail that leads behind the campsite to a great overlook. We took the opportunity to stop for a break and enjoy the scenery. There is an expansive view of the valley below and a really neat limestone bluff in the hillside across the valley.

Soon a youth group caught up with us, and we pointed them toward the overlook while we scooted down the trail. A few of them decided not to continue on to the falls, and they missed out! We met up with the rest of their group again at Hemmed-in-Hollow.

About 2 miles in, the trail levels out a bit, and we passed several large and small groups of hikers making their way back from the falls. There is a nice little waterfall and creek area just about quarter-mile before Hemmed-in-Hollow and we stopped and explored the area a bit.

A nice couple that was hiking back told us part of the trail was washed out, but still passable, and the view was worth it. That was all the motivation we needed to start back on the trail. The washed out part of the trail is on the way to the canyon and it is definitely a bit tricky.

Hemmed-in-Hollow was amazing. It was one of the most spectacular sights I’ve seen while hiking so far. Pictures really cannot do it justice. We’d seen pictures and videos, but the real thing is so much more impressive.

Hemmed-in-Hollow is a narrow box canyon with a 209-foot waterfall that has carved a “bowl” in the bottom of the canyon. The canyon is limestone, and the waterfall moves around in the breeze, making where the water fall lands move back and forth across the canyon. We haven’t had much rain in the past week or so, and the water level was lower, but the falls were still running and moving around.

It was starting to warm up and the first order of business was to stand underneath the cascade and cool off. We spent about an hour in the canyon watching the falls and checking out the crawdads chasing tadpoles in one of the pools. We also got to see a water snake that was about 6 inches long swim through the pool and under the rocks.

To avoid the hike back up to the trailhead, we took the lower route to the river and planned to camp out that night along the Old River Trail. The river is about .3 miles from the falls, and it did not take us long to get there.

It was about 12:30, so we stopped and took a dip in a great little swimming spot in the river. The Old River Trail crosses the river 6 times on the way back to Steel Creek, so this made our first river crossing of the trip.

We found some campsites just after crossing the river and made camp and took a little afternoon nap.

After we were rested up, we scouted around and found a nice little sandy beach next to a bluff and noticed the thunderstorm brewing. There was a 20% chance of rain, so we knew there was a possibility we would get wet, but thought that perhaps it would just be a brief afternoon shower.

We were wrong about that. It started raining about 7 p.m. and rained until well into the next morning. The tent did a great job though. I took a picture of the dry spot that remained after packing up the next morning.

It was about 4 miles back to Steel Creek and lots of river crossings, so we headed out.

The rain had turned the Old River Trail into a muddy, mucky mess. Added to that, we decided to NOT change into water socks and slogged through the creek in our boots. In hindsight, this was a mistake.

Initially, most of the trail was over river rocks, but eventually, it turned into more of a really long mud puddle through the woods.

The guys were hiking like their hair was on fire, so they managed to walk right past the old foundation of the Centerpoint School. Fortunately, I was able to snap some pictures so they would know what they missed.

After lots of river crossings and bluff sightings, we wound our way through a wooded area. A deer spotted me taking a bit of a break and stood still long enough for me to take a picture, although you have to really be looking to find it.

By the time we made it back to Steel Creek, we were ready for civilization again.

Hemmed-in-Hollow was totally worth the hike, but I wouldn’t recommend the Old River Trail if there has been any rain. It is level, which is a bonus, but it is also in the river bottom which means it’s the first to get soggy with any precipitation. If you do hike it, take off your boots for the river crossings.

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[This post was originally published on April 10, 2011 on "A Hiking We Will Go."]

This past weekend, we went back [...]]]>

Lost Bridge April 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

[This post was originally published on April 10, 2011 on "A Hiking We Will Go."]

This past weekend, we went back to one of our first hikes, the Lost Bridge trail by Beaver Lake. The weather forecast called for rain in the afternoon, so we made an effort to get started early (okay 9 a.m.) to beat the weather. I blogged about this hike in January, and it ranked as one of our favorites so far. This time did not disappoint either!

The dogwood trees were blooming, and it was very breezy. The wind coming off of the lake made it seem like it wasn’t as warm as it really was. Now that I’ve had the chance to try some more challenging hikes, this one did not seem very difficult at all.

We took the short-cut just before the pond to get home before the storm hit, so we skipped the steepest part of the climb. That may be what has changed my opinion of the difficulty level.

One of our friends commented that my blog would be better if I got some wildlife shots, “like pictures of birds or something.” While that would be great, it’s a lot harder than it sounds, especially with my little point and shoot digital. I’m usually moving too fast to take a picture that isn’t blurry, much less capture a moment of natural splendor.

This time though, we lucked out and passed by a deer that was watching us from under the bluff.

Check out the slide show at the top to see all of the pictures from the trip!

[You can download the official Beaver Lake Hiking Trails brochure here and the official Beaver Lake map here.]

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This past weekend, we opted for some easier hikes.  With cold gray skies overhead and the looming threat of rain, I didn’t want to get too far from my blanket.  I had wanted to check out the Historic Van Winkle [...]]]> [This post was originally published on March 31, 2011 on "A Hiking We Will Go."]

This past weekend, we opted for some easier hikes.  With cold gray skies overhead and the looming threat of rain, I didn’t want to get too far from my blanket.  I had wanted to check out the Historic Van Winkle Trail at Hobbs State Park, near Rogers, Arkansas, since I had watched a segment about the trail on AETN’s Exploring Arkansas. The trail is very easy and is more interesting for its historical information than for its hiking challenge.

Stuart’s comment was “that was a trail for little girls.” However, after the marathon backpacking challenge from a few weeks ago, that was the perfect level for me.

The trail is a half mile long and goes through the historic home and mill sites of the Peter Van Winkle family during and after the Civil War.  The buildings are gone, with only the foundations remaining, but there are several interpretive signs along the trail that give the history of the area and provide pictures.

It’s hard to believe the area was an industrial hub in the 1800’s, providing much of the timber and milling services for the northwest Arkansas area.

The pictures below show what remains of the spring house and the raised garden.  There is also a stream, which I believe is Little Clifty Creek.

After Van Dorn was defeated in the Battle of Pea Ridge, he led his troops to this site to restock supplies.  At the back of the trail was the old roadway that the troops used to travel from Elkhorn Tavern in Pea Ridge to the mill.  It would have been quite a walk!

After finishing the Van Winkle Trail, we still had energy, as did the dogs, Buster and Katie. (Katie was running in circles full speed with the happiness that only a dog can display at being outside!)

After finishing the Van Winkle Trail, we still had energy, as did the dogs Buster and Katie (Katie was running in circles full speed with the happiness that only a dog can display at being outside!).

From the Van Winkle Trail, we took the tunnel under the highway that connected to the Sinking Stream Trail and continued our hike.  This trail is also about a half-mile long and easy to hike.  It follows Little Clifty Creek up one side and down the other, crossing the creek three times via bridges.

We finished the trail quickly and hopped in the car and decided to go to the trailhead on Townsend Ridge Road for the Hidden Diversity Multi-Use Trail.

We didn’t have a good plan for this hike. I thought we were at the other trailhead.  Our original intent was to hike the Bashore Ridge Loop which is 3 miles long and accessible from the Piney Road trailhead after a half-mile spur.

About a half mile in, when we reached a fork in the trail that split into the Little Clifty Creek Loop (9 miles) or the War Eagle Loop (5 miles), I realized that we were still several miles from the Bashore Ridge Loop.

So I learned a lesson about starting from the right trailhead and including the distance from the trail head to the loop in your calculation of total mileage.

We carried on and came to an overlook built by the Boy Scouts that provides a nice view of a beaver habitat.  We saw several beaver dams, but because we are as quiet as a herd of elephants all of the beavers had hidden from view.

We spent a few minutes looking for beavers, then we decided to head back.  A few rain drops had fallen, and nobody wanted to get stuck in the rain.

The redbud trees are just starting to bloom, and I saw one dogwood tree that was beginning to flower.  In a couple of weeks, those should be in full bloom.  We also spied a beehive, which I’d never actually seen before.

It was a nice afternoon. Once we were home, the dogs were very appreciative of a “normal” hike and glad they weren’t sleeping in a tent.  They quickly settled in on the couch for a nap, and we settled in to watch some basketball thing on the television.

[The official website for the Hobbs hiking trails is at this link. The Friends of Hobbs site is here. You can download the Hobbs State Park official trail brochure pdf here.]

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The Buffalo River Trail (BRT) in the Buffalo National River is a 36.5-mile trail that goes from Boxley to Pruitt. The Buffalo National River was established as a National Park in 1972 and is administered by the National Park Service.