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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.
BEWARE - your forest service has been burning the Ozark Highlands Trail and you might enounter this on your hike! Perhaps this is one reason why we have so many float trips on the schedule instead of hikes - so far they have not been able to burn down the river, (at least not yet).
OVERNIGHT OUTINGS
May 5-6 Float Trip/Hike on the upper section of the Buffalo River from Ponca to Kyle’s with a hike up to Hemmed in Hollow pending water levels. Contact Pam Ellwood at 479-750-0734 home or 479-544-5105 cell.
May 12-13 Overnight Backpack Hike from Flatside Pinnacle to Hwy 7 on the Ouachita Trail through the Flatside Wilderness. . The distance is 19.0 miles. Plans are to meet at the Hwy 7 Trailhead at 9:00 a.m. For more information and to reserve your spot call Bob and Dawna Robinson at 479-783-6319.
May 19-20 Overnight float on the Buffalo River from Ponca to Pruitt. Or, Steel Creek to Pruitt for the folks who rent boats. Those with boats that start at Ponca will stop at Steel Creek to regroup with renters. If the water is too low for Ponca to Pruitt, we will decide on a new section in the days just before the float. All interested should contact Norma Senyard at 479-587-0200.
May 26-27 Overnight Car Camping/Hiking at The Crater of Diamonds State park in Murfreesboro, AR. This 37 acre park yields “free” diamonds for those who find them. Many large gems are unearthed each year in the park. Plans are to do some hiking on the parks trails, some fishing in the Missouri River that runs through the park, watch wildlife from the observation blind and dig for Diamonds. Cost is $6.50 to dig and $17.00 to camp. Please email Bobby Shepperd for more details and to reserve your spot.
June 9-10. Overnight Float Trip from Woolum to Tyler Bend. Approximately 16 miles. Limited to 10 people. Please contact Dean LeGrone for more information and reserve your spot.
June 16-17 Overnight Backpack trip from Fairview to Big Piney (east to west) on the Ozark Highlands Trail. Plans are to camp at Hurricane Creek east crossing for some swimming. Please call Norma Senyard at 479-587-0200 for details.
June 22nd-24th, 3-DAY/2-NIGHT FLOAT TRIP ON THE LOWER BUFFALO RIVER. Plan are to float the final 24.4-mile stretch from Rush Landing to Buffalo City through most scenic majority of the Lower Buffalo Wilderness. Three days will be more conducive for a relaxing trip and allow us to enjoy the backcountry. Camping both nights on gravel bars along the way. Contact Wade Baker at 479-220-0620.
DAYHIKES
June 2. DAY HIKE TO PEDISTAL ROCKS AND KINGS BLUFF WITH OPTIONAL OVERNIGHT ON FALLING WATER CREEK. If you haven’t seen these trails you may want to bring your camera. Excellent rock formations and a waterfall second only to Hemmed in Hollow. Both trails together make four miles. Difficulty is moderate. This one has high cliffs and could be dangerous for pets or small children. For those who want to camp in the evening, I have a primitive camp site (private property) on Falling Water Creek where there is much more to explore. The walk in is only about 1/4 mile so you could bring a steak or otherwise travel a little heavier than for backpacking. Limited to 10 campers. We've got a fire pit, tent space, two tables and a swimming hole if the water's warm enough. For details, directions and meeting times, contact Charles Ellis at 870-294-5252.
MAINTENANCE
There are not maintenance hikes scheduled for May or June.
Contact Roy Senyard for more information about any maintenance issues.
CLUB MEETINGS
No meeting in May.
JUNE 10THh, OHTA GENERAL MEETING and POT LUCK DINNER 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). Our program this month will be given by Tanner Beam entitled “From the South to the South: Travels in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.” We’ll start off with a POT LUCK DINNER and social time at 7pm, with the meeting to follow at 7:30. Please bring a tasty dish to share with the group, and your own table service. Drinks will be provided. Contact OHTA for information.
NEW GUIDEBOOK AVAILABLE for Lower Buffalo Wilderness connection to OHT. Our very own Duane Woltjen, who knows this remote, rugged, and scenic area better than anyone, has compiled a guidebook that details a cross-country route through the Lower Buffalo Wilderness Area that will connect Hwy. 14 with the current Spring Creek Trailhead of the Sylamore Section of the OHT. Duane has included GPS waypoints all along the way, plus a hiking description that you will be able to follow to find your way from one point to the next. And there are full-color topo maps included with the GPS waypoints and cross-country route indicated. At the moment the National Park Service at Buffalo National River is not going to allow a hiking trail to be constructed through this area, but if enough folks will get Duane’s great new book and make the hike several times, the hope is that a route that hikers can follow will become evident. Duane has donated 1,000 copies and all rights to this book to OHTA, so every cent that is spent on the book will go right into our volunteer trail efforts. You can purchase a copy of this new guidebook at the Pack Rat Outdoor Center in Fayetteville (soon to be in other dealers too), or online at: store.Cloudland.net, or by calling 800-838-HIKE (4453). THANKS Duane!
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
NEW OHT GUIDEBOOK AVAILABLE - EDITION #5 w/GPS | ||||||||
This site is courtesy of ArkansasUSA | ||||||||
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