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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.
OVERNIGHT HIKES
September 15 & 16, OVERNIGHT CAR CAMPING/HIKE at Roaring River State Park in Cassville, MO. The park is 50 miles north of Fayetteville on Hwy 112 in MO. We’ll camp in the primitive campground Friday and hike the trails and sample the premier trout fishing in the park on Saturday. Call Bobby Shepperd at 479–442–5770 for more info.
October 7 & 8, OVERNIGHT FUN HIKE along the Buffalo River on the Old River Trail from Kyles to Ozark, about 13.5 miles. The trail crosses the river numerous times so folks should wear or bring suitable footwear for the crossings. Plans are to camp on a gravel bar half-way thru the hike. Call Brad Davenport at 479–996–4649 for more information and to confirm.
October 28 & 29, HARE MOUNTAIN HIKE-IN AND 25th OHTA BIRTHDAY PARTY. It was 25 years ago when a group of us got together and decided to save the Ozark Highlands Trail from ruin, and OHTA was born. We’ll have a pot luck dinner around the campfire up on Hare Mountain at 6pm (GROUP PHOTO AT 5:45!) with a short meeting to follow. Get there any way you can and stay as long as you like (hikers will arrive during the day Saturday, and most will spend the night and hike out Sunday morning). Bring plenty of water, and something to share with the group for dinner. Also note that QUIET time will begin at 10pm please. TO REACH HARE MOUNTAIN, you can hike from three different trailheads: #1) from Cherry Bend Trailhead on Hwy. 23 (5.8 mile hike one way); #2) from Fly Gap Trailhead on FR#1503 (2.3 mile hike one way); or #3) from Hare Mountain/Morgan Fields Trailhead on FR#1504 (1.7 mile hike one way). All of these routes are detalied in the OHT guidebook. (SEE the October 14th trail maintenance listing below to help clear out the trail before this hi8ke!) E-mail Tim Ernst for more information about the hike-in. We hope to see you there!
DIRECTIONS TO HARE MOUNTAIN: Take Hwy. 16 east out of Fayetteville through Elkins, then TURN RIGHT onto Hwy. 23 south at Brashears (no town, just the road intersection) - if you get to St. Paul you missed the turn and need to turn around and go back a couple of miles. Stay on Hwy. 23 south for several miles until you come to a forest road that TURNS LEFT off of the highway - this is forest road #1503 but also has a street sign that says "Fly Gap Road East" - it is a rough gravel road. Follow this road for several miles (and you will pass the Fly Gap Trailhead on the left but there is only room to park three or four cars) until you come to a "T" intersection - TURN RIGHT onto forest road #1504 and you will find the Hare Mountain Trailhead (also called "Morgan Fields") about 100 yards on the left - there should be many cars parked there. There is a blue-blazed spur trail that heads out of the back of this trailhead that goes down the hill for 200 feet and intersects with the main OHT - TURN LEFT onto the main Ozark Highlands Trail which is blazed white. It is best if you have a copy of the OHT guidebook for directions from this point on, but it is 1.7 miles along the trail to the top of Hare Mountain from the trailhead (when you get to the top TURN RIGHT onto a blue-blazed spur trail that goes about 100 yards to the campsite).
DAYHIKES
September 9, DAYHIKE to the “Nars” and Skull Bluff on the Buffalo River. Access to these famous rock formations is easy this time of the year (since we can drive across the river to reach them). We will scramble up to the top of The Nars for a wonderful view, then climb down a short cliff to the river where we’ll make a half-mile swim/hike to Skull Bluff. We will swim and explore this great hole of water for a couple of hours, then return via the same route, up and over The Nars. E-mail Tim Ernst to sign up and for more details. Limited parking available. (These locations are featured in Tim's new Arkansas Nature Lover's Guidebook, and is the first of a series of hikes this year to visit locations in the book.)
The view from on top of The "Nars"
September 23, DAYHIKE on the Cecil Cove Loop Trail. Meet at 9:00am at the Cecil Cove trailhead, which is located across the Buffalo River from Erbie Campground, and just across the road from the old Erbie Church. Call Norma Senyard at 479–587–0200 for more info.
TRAIL MAINTENANCE
September 30, TRAIL MAINTENANCE. We will do trail maintenance from Dockerys Gap to White Rock. Meet at Dockerys Gap trailhead at 8:00am. Plan on a long day since the trail is very overgrown in this area. No experience required. Bring water, work gloves and lunch. Tools provided. Call Roy Senyard at 479–587–0200 for more info.
October 14, TRAIL MAINTENANCE from Cherry Bend to Hare Mtn. Trailhead (Morgan Fields Trailhead). Meet at Cherry Bend Trailhead at 8:00am. Another section that needs a lot of work. No experience required. Bring water, work gloves and lunch. Tools provided. Call Roy Senyard at 479–587–0200 for more information.
DOWNLOAD a maintenance report form here and mail to Roy's new address: Roy Senyard, 1180 N. Montview Dr., Fayetteville, AR 72701.
CLUB MEETINGS
There will be no general meeting in September or in November, but we will meet at our normal time and place in October (see below) and on December 10th (Christmas party, officer elections, new slide programs - Buffalo River Dreams and Arkansas Nature Lover's Guide by Tim Ernst).
October 8, OHTA GENERAL MEETING in Springdale. CLICK HERE for directions to the meeting location. Our program this month will be given by Luther Hungate of the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. Title of Presentation: The Elk of Arkansas. We’ll start off with refreshments and social time at 7pm, with the meeting to follow at 7:30. E-mail OHTA for info.
October 7, BEGINNER’S WORKSHOP FOR NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS. Learn how to set up and use your digital camera to take great photos along the trail with nature photographer Tim Ernst. This all-day class will be especially helpful to point-and-shoot camera users, but anyone who wants to learn the basics is welcome. The class will be held at the beautiful Rockefeller Convention Center high atop Petit Jean Mountain, and a gourmet lunch will be served. The cost is $75 per person. For details go to Tim’s workshops page or call 800–838–4453.
OHTA HISTORICAL PHOTOS:
OHTA members at the end of our very first overnight hike in the fall of 1981, which went from Ozone Campbround to FR#1003, camping at Cedar Creek. We had a TON of rain. Standing, from left to right: Scott Crook, Carolyn Crook, Ken Smith, Gary Wimberly, (Trailhead Sign), Alan Erb, Tim Ernst, Wade Colwell, (unknown hiker), Richard Stauffacher, Terry Ernst, Carl "The Wildman" Ownbey; Kneeling left to right: Mrs. Wade Colwell (his first wife, not the current one!), W.P. Neeley. Photo by Tim Ernst
And here is a group photo of our first OHTA work trip - constructing the trail up towards Hare Mountain. Left to right: Mike Waggoner, Terry Ernst, unknown volunteer, Ken Smith, unknown volunteer, unknown volunteer, unknown volunteer, unknown volunteer, Dot Neeley, Carl "The Wildman" Ownbey, W.P. Neeley, Mim Wynne, Luke Collins, Tony Collins. Photo by Tim Ernst
OHTA 2006 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
CLICK HERE to view/print a pdf version of this newsletter
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