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All of our outings are always free and EVERYONE is welcome - membership is not required! Contact the outings leader by phone or e-mail to register and for more information. Our volunteer leaders are not responsible in any way for the safety of participants.
DAYHIKES
September 23rd, DAYHIKES to Sams Throne and Cave Creek Bluffs. Come celebrate the first day of fall by exploring two major bluff areas of the Ozarks. We’ll meet at the Sams Throne Trailhead at 9am and hike the loop trail below the bluffs, a total of about 2.75 miles. Then we’ll visit the nearby Cave Creek Bluff area where we will do a bushwhack hike below the bluff of about a mile—more or less depending on how adventurous you want to be! The hiking is rated medium, but is not recommended for kids or anyone uncomfortable with off-trail scrambling due to the hazardous bluffs and rocky conditions. Limited to ten hikers, and you need to e-mail Tim Ernst to sign up, for directions, and for more info.
October 27th DAYHIKE on the OHT from Dockerys Gap west to the new beginning trailhead for the OHT located at the new Lake Fort Smith State Park. Park Interpreter, Jay Schneider, will be along for the hike to share information about the new trail route and state park. Meet at 8:00am at the entrance to the new Lake Fort Smith State Park just south of Artist Point on Hwy 71. We’ll shuttle to Dockerys Gap and hike back to Lake Ft. Smith State Park. Hike length is approximately 10.4 miles (Please note that most of this route will be bushwhacking—the trail has not been constructed yet, plus there may be a wet creek crossing.) Contact hike leader Jim Warnock at 479-632-2939 or 479–651–2914 for more information and to confirm.
OVERNIGHT HIKES
September 29th & 30th OVERNIGHT FUN HIKE on the Lost Bridge Trail. We’ll spend the night at the Hiker’s Camp which is about halfway around this 5-mile loop. Rated an easy to medium backpack; great for beginners. Meet at the IHOP in Rogers at 8am for coffee and/or breakfast, or meet at the trailhead at 9:30am. Trip limited to ten hikers. Call Wade Baker at 479–220–0620 to sign up.
October 6th & 7th OVERNIGHT FUN HIKE along the Buffalo River on the Old River Trail from Kyle’s to Ozark, about 13.5 miles. The trail crosses the river numerous times so please bring suitable footwear for the crossings. We’ll camp on a gravel bar about half-way thru the hike. Call Brad Davenport at 479–996–4649 for more information and to confirm. Limited to ten hikers.
October 13th & 14th OVERNIGHT FUN HIKE on the east end of the OHT. We’ll hike from Fairview campground to Richland Creek Campground, about 19 miles, and there are several water crossings so plan accordingly. We’ll camp at the historical Moore CCC Campground adjacent to Richland creek. Contact Jimmie Adams at 501–982–6690 for more information and to confirm. Limited to ten hikers.
October 27th & 28th, OVERNIGHT FUN HIKE on the Cecil Cove Loop Trail. We’ll hike the trail clockwise and spend the night near Cecil Creek, which is a little more than 5 miles around this 7.4-mile loop. Rated a medium backpack; great for beginners. Meet at the Ozark Cafe in Jasper at 8am for coffee and/or breakfast, or meet at the trailhead at 9:30am. Trip limited to ten hikers. Call Wade Baker at 479–220–0620 to confirm and for more information.
NOVEMBER 3rd & 4th, HARE MOUNTAIN HIKE-IN and 26th BIRTHDAY PARTY! Can you believe it, we will be 26 years old this year! We’ll have a group photo at 6pm, followed by a campfire pot luck dinner, and then a short business meeting after that. There won’t be a formal led hike so you can hike in from any trailhead and show up anytime. Be sure to bring plenty of water, and a tasty dish to share with the group. Contact Tim Ernst for info.
MAINTENANCE WORK TRIPS ON THE OHT
October 20th Dockery’s Gap to White Rock. Meet at Dockery’s Gap 8am. No experience required. Bring water, work gloves and lunch. We will provide the tools. Call Roy Senyard at 479–587–0200 for more information.
Contact Roy Senyard for more information about any maintenance issues.
CLUB MEETINGS & MISC
OCTOBER 14h, OHTA GENERAL MEETING in Springdale. To get to the meeting site, from Hwy. 71 B in Springdale turn EAST on Emma street, go several blocks, then turn LEFT/NORTH onto N. Main Street, then pull into the parking lot on the right behind the building (across from Shiloh Museum—here is a map). Refreshments will be served starting at 7pm with the business meeting and program to follow at 7:30. Our program this month will be given by Terry Fredrick entitled “Wild Grand Canyon Raft Adventure.” The public is always invited to attend! Contact OHTA for information.
NEW OHT TRAILHEAD AT LAKE FT. SMITH SOON. The beginning of the OHT at Lake Ft. Smith State Park was closed by the city of Ft. Smith six years ago. It looks like we are finally going to get the trail rebuilt and open for hiking. This new section of the trail will be built this fall and will connect the new state park with the existing OHT location near Jacks Creek at mile 6.2. The city plans to have the trail constructed and open for hiking by the time the new state park opens—hopefully later this year. Once the project is completed and the new park is open, the OHT will officially begin in the parking lot at the new visitor center. The trail will drop down to the lake and follow the lakeshore all the way upstream to a point where the trail will cross Frog Bayou Creek (the city has may build a bridge here in the future but for now it will be a wet crossing much of the year). Once on the other side of the Frog, the trail will follow the shoreline (back in the woods a little ways) until it comes to Jacks Creek, where it will reconnect with the old trail. This new segment of trail will only be about five miles long instead of the original 6.2, but the mile markers will remain the same as they are now—you can subtract a mile from your total distance anytime you begin or end at the state park. Since we don’t know for sure when the city will construct and open the trail (nothing has been done yet as of September 10th), check with the OHTA web page for details before you schedule a hike there.
NEW OHT GUIDEBOOK, WITH GPS! Along with the new trail comes a new edition of the OHT guidebook by Tim Ernst, #5, that was published this past summer. It includes a map and walking description of the new beginning to the OHT at the state park, descriptions of several short reroutes that we’ve made in the past few years, a map and description of the Sylamore Section of the OHT, and a listing of GPS waypoints for all the creek and road crossings along the main section of the OHT from the state park to Woolum. You can purchase them online (links is below), by calling 800–838–HIKE, or at your favorite outdoor store.
NEW OHT GUIDEBOOK AVAILABLE - EDITION #5 w/GPS
OHTA 2007 Officers Tim Ernst, President, 870-861-5536 Keiko Wilke, Treasurer, 479-927-1999 Roy Senyard, Maintenance, 479-587-0200 Norma Senyard, Meeting Programs, 479-587-0200 Bobby Shepperd, Outings, 479-442-5770 Scott Crook, Secretary, 479-521-6340 Dean LaGrone, Membership, 479-750-2550
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