Karkaghne Video

A new video has been added to You Tube highlighting our scorching experience on the Ozark Trail in August 2008. Compilation courtesy of cock hammer. Check it out here.

Illlinois Bound: October 8-11, 2009

The River to River Trail hike will take place October 8th to the 11th and will be roughly 49 miles long, starting at Trigg Tower and ending at Pounds Hollow Lake. We’ll begin on a Thursday night, so everyone who works Mondays thru Fridays will have to take off that Friday (the 9th). Depending on how many people we have going we’ll either shuttle vehicles around or just save time and spend $25 on a shuttle service the River to River Trail Society offers. Hikers will fend for themselves for food (three full days worth). I’ll be offering a few menu selections from the Lipsmackin’ Backpacking book that Paul Caudell introduced on the last trip and was a big, delicious hit. To me this is a tastier, lighter weight, and cost effective solution to trail food. I’ll be dehydrating ingredients and if anyone else coming would like to volunteer their food dehydrators that’s cool. We’ll also coordinate so that not everyone has to carry first aid kits, water filter pumps, repair kits, etc. The Shawnee Forest is a lush wilderness with a variety of steep climbs, rock outcroppings, and open areas with lakes and creeks. The first night we can camp at Trigg Tower, a fire tower with an awesome view, or if we’re feeling ambitious we can hike for an hour to Millstone Lake and camp there, shaving a few miles off our journey. The first day would be fifteen to eighteen miles of hiking and we’ll see Ruby Falls, Petticoat Junction, Eddyville, a cool place called Indian Kitchen and then enter the Lusk Creek Wilderness to see Bowed Creek Crossing and Owl’s Bluff Lookout. We can camp the second night at a place called Secret Canyon. The second day of hiking will be a long mile day, covering about nineteen miles. We’ll pass thru a couple camps, we’ll see an old cemetery and church, and finally end the day camping somewhere around Herod. The third and final day will be the low mile day and the highlight of the trip as we pass the spectacular rock formations at the Garden of the Gods, then to the lookout tower at High Knob Campground, more cool rocks at Rim Rock, and ending at thebeautiful Pounds Hollow Lake where we’ll find our vehicles. I’m still working with the Topo mapping software I bought to make the maps, which will be very cool. In the mean time, here are some pictures! Later, Todd Whaley

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The Ending at High Knob

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Topo Maps Coming Soon!

Council Bluff to Bell Mountain: A Snowy Delight

We finally got all our schedules together and executed a fine weekend in the Ozark Mountains. The evening of February 27th was a mild 38 degrees as we set up camp at our starting point, Council Bluff Lake. Members of this trip were: David Tudor, Isaac Noland, Neil Wiggins, Jeremy Dean, Matt Wagener, Josh Heater, Todd Whaley, and Paul Caudell. We broke camp early the next morning and weighed our packs with a digital fish scale in the parking lot. Pack weights (including food and water) varied wildly with the lightest being Todd’s pack at 17.2 lbs and the heaviest being David’s pack at 43 lbs. We headed off around the lake to meet the connector trail to the Trace Creek Section passing a large group of equestrians along the way. We broke south at the OT junction and tore up the miles, up and over 32 Highway and on towards Ottery Creek. Snow fellthroughout the morning and into the afternoon creating a total accumulation of about ½” to ¾”. Once down in the Ottery Creek Valley, the temperatures began to fall and it was time to cross the creek. First we searched up and down for a decent crossing point. Since we didn’t find anything that would guarantee a dry crossing, we hauled a large log over to a cliff that Heater had chosen. Down went the log which then fell perfectly across Ottery Creek. First man across Todd easily skipped across the log and as his foot hit the other side, the log twisted and immediately floated downstream. Thanks Todd. Next we found a tree that had grown over the creek. I dropped my pack and poles and climbed onto the tree and scooted across the creek to safety. Neil “tossed” my platypus water bottles across but in his excitement, the force of his throw skewered one on a tree. Finally further upstream we found a crossing that would suffice for the rest of the crew. One by one they jumped across until only Jeremy and Jack the dog remained. The choreography couldn’t have been more perfect. On a count of 3 Jack was heaved, legs outstretched, across the Ottery Creek and into the arms of his owner. Now all across we set up camp at the Taum Sauk trailhead on Highway A and settled in to what was going to be a coldnight. We awoke the next morning to temperatures in the low teens. All water bottles were frozen and the cold water from the creek took more denatured alcohol than expected to boil the water for breakfast. We got a late start but headed up Bell Mountain as the morning sun melted the snow on the rhyolite trail. The elevation gain was great and the layers immediately began to come off. Passing through some beautiful vistas looking south, we turned off the Ozark trail and headed North up to the peak of Bell Mountain. Once at the top we broke for lunch and enjoyed the view of the new Taum Sauk Reservoir now fully under construction. A quick decent from the summit and out to the cars at CC Road ended a spectacular experience through the St. Francois Mountains. Thanks to all of those in attendance. Enjoy the great video...compliments of the “cock hammer.” jm

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Topo Maps

Ozark Trail Google Earth Fly-By

Check out the new video from the Ozark Trail website showing all 227.5 miles of continuous trail through Missouri here.

Frost Flowers

There have been many postings of frost flower pictures around the blogosphere lately so I figured I would post ours. This was captured by Jeremy Dean on the Blair Creek Section trip.

Ozark Trail Thru-Hike???

Alright, I have been throwing this idea out to the group over a couple of trips now but 2009 is almost here and I thought I would officially put the idea in writing...thru-hike the entire Ozark Trail in 8 days. Even as I write this I don't know how I could do it, but it would be a great trip to train for and then eventually accomplish. The plan would be to do this mid to late September when the days are still quite long and not too hot (unless Global Warming gets crazy). We could possibly leave on a Friday night and begin the next morning. Saturday to Saturday would give you 8 full hiking days. On to distance (hiking South to North)...using the mileage listed on the OTA website and deducting the mileage that won't be traveled on the Trace Creek (7 miles or so deviate from the main trail and head west to Taum Sauk, we would pick up the Trace after completing the Middle Fork), the trip would be about 225 miles. Divided out over 8 days you get 28 miles per day! Thats crazy, but many people are doing this out west on the PCT & CDT and to the east on the AT. If many other people can do this at elevation, we could surely train and do this 1000 feet above sea level.

Mileage:
South To North Sections and Mileage:
Eleven Point - 30
Between the Rivers - 30
Current River - 30
Blair Creek - 26
Karkaghne - 28.3
Middle Fork - 22.1
Trace Creek - 19
Courtois - 40

Think about it. jm

Maybe Matt Blunt Isn't So Bad Afterall!

I know that over the past few years I haven't really had many nice things to say about our exiting governor Matt Blunt, but it seems that he is trying hard to change my mind in the last days before he leaves office. If you haven't visited the Ozark Trail Association website lately, they have announced that they have received $99,000 in grant money that will be used for various trail building projects throughout the current trail. This includes completion of the Courtois Gap and to help rebuild the section lost due to the Taum Sauk reservoir collapse. The money, the OTA states, will also be used for 18 new miles but as to where they were not specific. Check out the OTA link for more information: http://www.ozarktrail.com/

On another note, there are many trail building activities scheduled in the upcoming months for anyone who would like to go. Almost a year ago, Neil Wiggins, Shawn Bradley and I joined a trail building party that completed .8 miles of the Courtois Gap trail. This experience was by far the best way to experience the Ozark Trail, actually touching the trail with your hands. Check the pics below for some action shots of Shawn tearing it up. Maybe after our hike at the end of January we can get a group together to join the fun. jm

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Topo Map: North Courtois Section OT