OK > Ouachita Mtns > Nov 6-7

[Stogie Bum]

Hi all,

Thought I'd share some pics of our outing last weekend. The original group was to include Hambone and Ogtheking, but they had scheduling issues that kept them from making the trip. So, I did some looking and we changed the original route to a loop that began at the state park. We planned a loop that went north on Old Military Road to Boardstand Trail, go south to the Ouachita mtn trail and take it back east to the state park. would have been about 22 miles and was to be 3 days/2 nights.

Friday started great. Got there at 10am, registered, etc, etc and off we went. Temp was in the 50s/low 60s - perfect for a walk in the woods. We thought that we'd make it 5 miles or so, make camp, and then get a full day in on Saturday. Along the way we stopped and took the obligatory scenic pictures. You can see that the leaves were just starting to get some color to them. There were a few interesting "tree formations" along the trail, so I included one here.

We got a full 7.5 miles and ended up making the Boardstand trail and crossing FR6555 before making camp. My daughter (who doesnt have trail name yet) did a fine job of setting up her her hammock and tarp. We gathered some wood, made a nice fire, cooked dinner and then the wind started to really blow! Rocked our stuff all night long.

Next morning my knee decided that it wasnt happy. I supposed I strained it or something during one of the climbs. We were just at the point were we were going to head down into the next valley, and rather then get caught down there with a really sore knee I made the call to head back to the park. Lucky for us, FR6555 would take us 4 miles back toward the park and I would get to miss all the stress of the trail. We still had to traverse 2 miles of uphill climb to get to the rest area on the scenic drive, and my knee counted every step of the way.

Hope you enjoy the pics. Even though my knee acted up, I wouldn't have traded this trip for anything. We're already talking about getting a ride to Boardstand Trail and picking up where we left off.

[Meerkat]

Nice trip report. Hope to do some hiking in that area, most of my outings are canoe based

[Stogie Bum]

that sounds like fun. Wife and I started Kayaking this year and are trying to find a nice out and back kayak/hammock outing next year. Any suggestions?

[2ply]

Even though y'all had to cut your trip a little short it looked like a good time.

[OgtheKing]

Hey Stogie Bum, that looks like a good hike. That pine tree is scary though. Glad y'all were still able to get a hike in.
I completely understand about hiking with a bad knee, I got lucky with my hike. Everything worked great, I've started taking two Tylenol pm's before turning in. It helps me rest better (I think) and with the pain the next day. Hate it cut your trip short, hopefully it's feeling better now.
I talked to Hambone two weeks ago at a gathering and he was looking forward to section one almost as much as I was. Maybe we can try again after the holidays.

[Stogie Bum]

count me in.

[oldgringo]

Nice! So it was just father/daughter? Not a bad thing, at all.

How's the knee?

[Stogie Bum]

Recovering nicely, thanks.

Both my daughter and I have a new-found respect for the "gram weenies" as a result of this trip. While most of the weight was water, I was still packing in 40 lbs, and really didnt have any creature comforts in the bag. Just had the basics, but now know that I need to work on shaving some pounds. figure i can work on cook kit, and couple of other small items at first.

[Hambone]

Glad yall could get out, it looked beautiful! I hated that I missed out on this hike! And on such a perfect weekend weather-wise. I salvaged a little bit of it by taking the family to Robber's Cave that Saturday.

I am looking forward to getting another trip in the works, as of yet I haven't had a real trip into the woods this season.