WELCOME BACK FROM SUMMER! We have a lot of fun things to do this fall hiking season, and hope that you will be able to join us. Please note that we now have a new home for our monthly meetings, and a new day of the month-we will meet on the first Wednesday of each month, 7pm, at the Jones Center in Springdale. All outings and meetings are open to the public, and there is never a charge. If you want to join a backpack trip, most are limited to ten hikers, and you will need to call the leader to sign up. No need to sign up for dayhikes, unless you just want more info, then feel free to contact the leader. Please see the note above, then come on out and enjoy!

OHTA GENERAL MEETING, September 3, 7pm, Jones Center in Springdale. This will be our new home for meetings, at the Memphis Room (#228), which is in the northeast wing of the complex. The Jones Center is located at the corner of Emma Ave. and Hwy. 265 (right across from the rodeo grounds and the airport runway). Our program will be "Traveling and Mountaineering in the Cordillera Blanca - a month-long trip of climbing and mountaineering in Peru," presented by Rick Spicer and Steve Miller. We'll have some great refreshments as always. If you need directions, you can call the Jones Center at 479-756-8090, visit www.jonesnet.org, or just ask anyone.

DAYHIKE AT DEVIL'S DEN STATE PARK, September 6. OK, get ready for this description: Meet at the suspension bridge in the picnic area at 9:30am. The hike will include the Lake Trail to the Yellow Rock Trail to old Hwy. 170 horse trail to Hwy. 170 proper; then back onto the horse trail; then down through Campground E and the Woody Plant Trail to the Lake Trail; and back to the suspension bridge. This medium-rated hike of about five miles will be led by John Crochet. Give him a call at 479-839-8565 for more details. Bring lots of water!

MAINTENANCE WORK TRIP ON THE OHT, September 20. There will be plenty to do to clean up a section of the OHT after a long summer with lots of rain and storms. For the details on where and when, call Roy Senyard at 479-587-0200. No experience is necessary, but you will need to bring a daypack with water, lunch, and gloves, and be ready to produce a little sweat!

OVERNIGHT FUN HIKE ON OHT, White Rock to Fane Creek, September 27-28. This 13.5 medium-rated hike will begin at the incredible White Rock Mountain, visit scenic Spirits Creek, and run along the historical railroad bed. Bobby Shepperd will lead. Give him a call to sign up at 479-442-5770. This hike is limited to ten hikers.

OHTA GENERAL MEETING, October 1, 7pm, Jones Center in Springdale. We will meet in the Memphis Room (#228), which is in the northeast wing of the Jones Center, which is located at the corner of Emma Ave. and Hwy. 265. Our program will be given by Wesley Massey, Associate Director of Philanthropy for The Nature Conservancy, Ozark Highlands Office and titled "Identifying and Saving the Last Great Places in Arkansas - how we choose, how we identify nature preserves, and the tools and
methods we use to save the last great places in Arkansas." We'll have some great refreshments as always. If you need directions, you can call the Jones Center at 479-756-8090, visit www.jonesnet.org, or just ask anyone.

DAYHIKE ON OUACHITA TRAIL, FR#94 to Lake Sylvia, October 4. Start this medium-rated hike off by climbing Flatside Pinnacle - one of the best viewpoints in all of the Ouachitas - then continue on past North Fork Pinnacle and on to Lake Sylvia for a total hike of 8.2 miles. Meet the leader, Kerry Coe, at the Lake Sylvia Trailhead at 9am. Give him a call at 318-688-1162 for more details.

OVERNIGHT FUN HIKE ON BUFFALO RIVER TRAIL, Ponca to Erbie, October 11-12. You'll see some of the best the Buffalo has to offer on this medium/difficult-rated hike of 17.4 miles, much of it through the scenic Ponca Wilderness Area. Brad Davenport will lead. Give him a call at 479-996-4649 to sign up. Limited to ten hikers.

MAINTENANCE WORK TRIP ON OHT, October 11. Meet at the Cherry Bend Trailhead at 8:30am (or at the Pack Rat at 7:20 to carpool). Roy Senyard will lead a trip to clean up the trail leading up to Hare Mountain before the big gathering the following weekend. Bring gloves, and a daypack with lunch and water. Tools will be provided, but call Roy to let him know you will be coming - 479-587-0200 (or e-mail him).

HARE MOUNTAIN HIKE-IN AND OHTA'S 22nd BIRTHDAY PARTY, October 18-19. Many of the oak trees will be dead but our spirits will be high as we celebrate the past 22 years during our annual party at the high point on the Ozark Highlands Trail. We will have our famous pot luck dinner around the campfire at 6pm, followed by a short meeting, otherwise there are no other planned activities. There is plenty of camping space, but no water, so be sure to bring plenty (plus some goodies to share with the group). If you don't want to hike in on your own, meet at the Pack Rat Outdoor Center in Fayetteville at 1pm to caravan to one of the trailheads (for an uphill hike of less than two miles). Give us a call for more info at 870-861-5536.

OVERNIGHT FUN HIKE ON OHT, FR#1474 to Ozone, October 25-26. Cross your fingers for lots of rain the week before and you will see some great waterfalls on this hike, plus lots of other neat stuff. Bob and Dawna Robinson will lead this difficult-rated 20.0 mile hike (the terrain is medium, the length gives it a difficult rating). Give them a call at 479-793-6319 to sign up. Limited to ten hikers.

RED OAK BORER DAMAGE WILL CLOSE PARTS OF OHT. Red oak trees are dying by the thousands in the Ozarks, including entire hillsides of trees. This widespread damage, and forest service plans to deal with it, will cause at least two sections of the OHT to be closed/re-routed in the near future. One section (Fairview Campground to CR#33) will be temporarily re-routed along highways and county roads, then re-opened once again after localized timber activities are completed. And another section (in the Waterfall Hollow area) will be permanently re-routed to take it off of an old road that is going to be re-opened to vehicle traffic. Weíll post the details here when the times come, and also on the web page as we get them (www.HikeArkansas.com). Be careful when hiking any part of the OHTóespecially in windy conditionsóand watch where you pitch your tent!
 

MTN. HOME GROUP EVENTS

No meeting will be held in September.

SYLAMORE SECTION MAINTAINERS GET TOGETHER, September 13, Blanchard Springs Campground. We are calling for all maintainers and others interested in doing trail maintenance on this newest section of the OHT to come meet, camp, eat, get out on your section, and get a little bit of training done. There is a ton of work to do on the new section, and this will help us all get organized and familiar with the tools and specifications necessary to maintain the OHT. All tools will be provided by OHTA. Give Bobby Price a call at 501-728-3021 for all of the details!

MONTHLY MEETING, Thursday October 2nd, 7pm at the Corps of Engineers Office, 324 W. 7th St. Jerry Wilcoxen will give a presentation titled "A View from the Trail - Arkansas Wonders Up Close and Personal." Jerry is a great photographer so this will be an excellent show. Call Wylaine Korbelik at 870-499-7315 for more information.