OHTA MARCH & APRIL 2004 NEWSLETTER

OZARK HIGHLANDS TRAIL ASSOCIATION
MARCH and APRIL 2004 NEWSLETTER, #210

WARNING: LIVING MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH!

Please note that it is possible for you to get hurt as you go through your daily life, and that includes while hiking. Our volunteer hike leaders are not responsible in any way for your well being. They are not baby sitters, outfitters, or guides - they are merely facilitators who get like-minded folks together to enjoy the woods. You and you alone are responsible for your own safety. If you happen to get hurt in some way while on one of our outings, neither OHTA nor our volunteer leaders are responsible in any way. If you do not agree with and accept this fact of life please stay home!

OUTINGS MAY BE CANCELLED AT ANY TIME DUE TO BAD WEATHER.
Be sure to call your outings leader before the trip to verify!

--- REQUESTS FOR E-MAIL ADDESSES. If you would like to be notified of meetings and outings, or any
other OHTA business (absolutely no SPAM!), send a note to our Membership Chairman Dean LaGrone at
dlagrone@fsbancorp.com and you will be included on the e-mail list.
--- NOTE that our new outings coordinator Pam Rodgers has a new e-mail address: kayak3675@hotmail.com.
--- NOTE that we have a new location and day of the week for the general meetings - SEE NOTICE BELOW!

Save OHTA money, increase the value of your membership, and save trees!
If you read the newsletter online (like you are doing now), and no not require a hard copy to be mailed to you, please drop us an e-mail to let us know you no longer need the hard copy mailed to you. It costs nearly a dollar to process and mail each newsletter to you, so look at how much you will be saving OHTA! Plus, you will be saving valuable trees by not having to waste so much paper. Thanks! (e-mail to: TimErnst@TimErnst.com)

DAYHIKES

March 13. BUSHWHACK DAYHIKE into the Hurricane Creek Wilderness Area. (this is an Ozark Society hike and not an official OHTA hike) This is a difficult bushwhack to the Natural Bridge, waterfalls, bluffs, and Hurricane Creek. Great scenery, but not for the faint of heart or for novice hikers (no trail). No Pets Allowed (Ozark Society rule). Meet Terry Frederick at the corner of Hwy. 16 & 265 at 7:30am. 479-442-3812. Reminder that this is not an OHTA hike.

March 20. DAYHIKE on the new Sylamore Section of the OHT, Brushy Creek Trailhead (aka Birmingham Hollow Trailhead) to Hwy. 341/Push Mountain Road (3rd crossing). Join us for a four-mile easy-medium hike on the first day of Spring. Some nice views of the White River Valley. Bring lunch and water. Meet Wylaine Korbelik at 9am at the Lone Rock Baptist Church on Push Mountain Road/Hwy. 341. 870-499-7315.

April 3. DAYHIKE into ìThe Pen.î This is the famous rock formation named The Penitentiary or ìThe Penî on Whiteley Creek by Neil Compton back in the 1960ís. It is all on private land. Rated medium, some old roads and bushwhacking. Bring rain gear, water and lunch. Meet Bonnie LaGrone at the scenic outlook on Hwy. 74 in Boxley across from Lost Valley at 9am. 479-750-2550.

April 17. BUSHWHACK DAYHIKE Hemmed-Hollow Rim. Rated difficult, this 9.2 mile bushwhack hike will drop down along the rim of Hemmed-In Hollow (extremely dangerous!), then drop down to the river, hike on over to Granny Hendersonís cabin, then return via the Sneeds Creek Trail. Meet at 8:45am at the Compton Trailhead. ÝScott Boggan Ýwill lead. NOT for novice hikers. 501-268-9529.

April 24. BUSHWHACK DAYHIKE into Indian Creek. (this is an Ozark Society hike and not an OHTA hike) Here is another extremely difficult hike, or actually a scramble up some of the most difficult terrain in the Ozarks - not for novice hikers - ONLY EXPERT LEVEL HIKERS who are willing to risk life and limb are allowed to come on this one! No pets (Ozark Society rule). Meet Terry Frederick at the Root School at 8am or at Kyles at 9:30 am. If you have kids you must call Terry in advance for approval. 479-442-3812. Reminder that this is not an OHTA hike.

April 25. EASY DAYHIKE into the Marinoni Scenic Area on the OHT. This will be an nice 5.5 mile hike (round trip) along the OHT into a really neat area with bluffs, giant beech trees, and waterfalls. Bring lunch, water, and a camera. Meet Mary Chodrick at First Care at 8:30am (corner of Hwy. 16 & 265 in Fayetteville) or at the Lick Branch Trailhead at 10am. 479-443-0082.
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OVERNIGHT BACKPACK TRIPS March 6-7. OVERNIGHT FUN HIKE into the Ponca Wilderness Area, Buffalo River. Begin at the Compton Trailhead, hike the trail down to and camp near Jim Bluff on the Buffalo, then out to Center Point Trailhead on Sunday. Side trips into Hemmed-In Hollow, Rocky Bottom (Sneeds Creek) and Big Bluff. Total hike of about 12 miles - rated medium to difficult. Dean LaGrone will lead. Limited to ten hikers. 479-750-2550.

March 13-14. OVERNIGHT FUN HIKE on the New Sylamore Section of OHT. This 12.9 mile medium hike will go from the Spring Creek Trailhead to Triple Turkey Road. Nice views of Spring Creek. Dave Zuconni will lead. Limited to ten hikers. 918-663-9144.

March 27-28. OVERNIGHT FUN HIKE on the Buffalo River Trail. This 21 mile medium hike will take you through the upper part of the Buffalo River area and some great scenery. Drop packs Sunday morning at Ponca and dayhike on to Kyles. Norma Senyard will lead. Limited to ten hikers 479-587-0200.

April 10-11. OVERNIGHT FUN HIKE on the b Buffalo River Trail. Most of this 16.2 mile hike from Kyles to Pruitt will be easy, some steep hills early on. Pam Rodgers will lead. Limited to ten hikers. 479-587-8719.

WORK TRIPS

March 13-21, SPRING BREAK BASE CAMP AT WHITE ROCK MOUNTAIN. We will be using the stone lodge at White Rock Mountain for our base of operations all week (beginning Friday night the 12th). There are bunk beds (bring your sleeping bag and pillow) and showers (bring soap and towel), or you may camp. All food will be provided beginning with breakfast on Saturday the 13th. Breakfast will be served each day from 7:30-8am, and the group will leave the lodge at 8:30am to drive to various work locations along the OHT (up to an hour each way). Carpooling will be required. Tools will be provided. You will need to bring leather work gloves, and a daypack with water and rain gear - sandwich fixinís, fruit, snacks, etc. will be available at the lodge to pack with you. Work will include easy lopping to difficult sidehilling and everything in between. No experience necessary. Come during the week if you can - we will have large numbers of people on the weekends! For more info call the leader Roy Senyard at 479-587-0200 before March 12th (not available after that). No public phone at White Rock - for emergency & messages: 479-369-4128.

MAINTAINER REPORTS DUE JUNE 1st. All maintainers need to get out and not only do their spring maintenance trip soon, but need to have the report sent in to Roy no later than June 1st. Forms are available online. This info is required so that our forest service reports get in on time.

MEETINGS

Please note that we have a new meeting place and day of the week for the main OHTA monthly meetings - actually we are going back to an old meeting place that was so perfect for us. We will meet on the first Sunday of the month (no meetings in July or August) in the Annex building that is in the back of the First Security Bank building on Emma Street 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).

March 7. OHTA GENERAL MEETING in Springdale. (see new meeting location info above) Our program will be given by Christy West with Benton County Search and Rescue. She will bring lots of equipment that they use and describe interesting cases. (* Be sure to see the note below about our special promotion.) And weíll have great refreshments, as always! The meeting begins at 7pm, with refreshments and social time at 6:30pm. Call 870-861-5536 for more info.

April 4. OHTA GENERAL MEETING in Springdale. (see new meeting location info above) Our program will be given by Tim Snell with the Nature Conservancy on their Ozark Cave Program. (* Be sure to see the note below about our special promotion.) And weíll have great refreshments, as always! The meeting begins at 7pm, with refreshments and social time at 6:30pm. Call 870-861-5536 for more info.

* In conjunction with OHTAís emphasis on membership for 2004, the board of directors is asking all OHTA members attending the March and April general meetings to bring a prospective member or two, and then invite them to join the club at the end of the meeting. Membership applications will be available at the meeting and are also available on the web site at www.HikeArkansas.com. Sponsors of three or more new members between now and October 1, 2004 will be treated to a special dinner prepared by the board.

March 4. OHTA MOUNTAIN HOME GROUP MEETING, at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office, 324 W. 7th in Mountain Home, 7pm. The program will be given by Rhea Rylee, biologist for the forest service on ìCaves & Caving Ethics.î Call Wylaine Korbelik at 870-499-7315 for more info.

April 1. OHTA MOUNTAIN HOME GROUP MEETING, at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office, 324 W. 7th in Mountain Home, 7pm. The program will be given by Don Smith on the ìNeed for Leave No Trace and Outdoor Ethics.î Call Wylaine Korbelik at 870-499-7315 for more info.

E-mail OHTA and Tim Ernst