I hiked a bit of the eastern end of the Elk River Trail today with the Hendersons; Wendy was under the weather. I’d hoped to hike at Table Mound, but the overlook was closed, so we drove down to the dam to clamber about on the end of the Elk River Trail.
We’d had a heavy lunch at Brothers Railroad Inn in Independence and the forecast said rain was likely in the mid-afternoon. So when we reached the gravel road from the dam, we took it down to the lake shore, where I found a tree that made a nice bench. We then bushwhacked amidst the driftwood for awhile and followed a deer trail back to the road and walked alongside roadways back to the trailhead with its welcoming blossoms.
It was a short but enjoyable early spring walk, and the Hendersons led me back to Caney along old roads through Elk City and Havana, where we passed by John’s mule, which he will be riding at Robbers Cave next month.
The final stop on our Spring Break 2014 vacation was Mount Nebo, a favorite of mine for its vistas on all sides. I have visited it several times and hiked all of its trails, but I had never stayed overnight up on the mountaintop. This time I rented the Overlook Cabin #61 for Wendy’s first trip to this state park, and it did not disappoint. We made two short hikes along the north and west edges of the mountain during our stay.
At the visitor center we found a convenient stand for a timed photo at the overlook above Lake Dardanelle with Arkansas’ Nuclear One in the background. We then walked the Rim Trail over to Sunset Point. Wendy found a heart rock along the way, and we enjoyed watching and listening to a roadrunner which was hopping about the edge of the bluff, eyeing us warily as we struggled to imitate its call.
In the cabin kitchen I noticed that the refrigerator doors opened inconveniently and was commenting to Wendy on how simple it would be to reverse them as I opened the freezer door. An ice pack I had placed in the freezer door slipped and pulled a support right out of the door, and I clutched at the falling items frantically, making a huge racket and sending her into gales of laughter at Mr. Fix-It’s dilemma.
The last day of our Arkansas vacation was overcast as we made a loop on part of the Summit Park and Rim trails, climbing up to the stone bridge to cross it and reach Lovers’ Leap. We enjoyed our brief stay at Mount Nebo so much that we pledged to return.
Arkansas was a great choice for our Spring Break and I’m sure we’ll both be daydreaming about it for awhile.
The second part of our Spring Break trip in Arkansas was spent at Petit Jean State Park. I’ve hiked all of the trails at the park over multiple visits, but this was the first visit to the park for Wendy as well as for John Henderson. During our stay we would hike above and along Cedar Creek north of Mather Lodge, visit the various overlooks, and make brief hikes to Rock House Cave and the Bear Cave Area.
We had a lunch and two breakfasts at the historic Mather Lodge, which was recently expanded with a new lobby and restaurant which follow the same design as the newer lodge at Mount Magazine. I’m glad that they preserved the adjacent original lobby and dining room of the lodge, with their 80-year-old furnishings.
Near the northeast end of the trail Wendy posed for me beneath a massive tumbled slab, and then we reached the upper bridge leading back across the creek. Here the trail turns back to follow the creek downstream, but a narrow upstream path leads to the cozy and secluded Honeymoon Creek Cabin where Wendy and I stayed during our visit to the park.
We returned to the side creek and then made it back to the lodge, with my fellow hikers saying the rough terrain made it feel like far more than a three mile journey.
After the Hendersons departed Petit Jean for a visit to Van Buren and the drive home, Wendy and I visited the Palisades Overlook on the western edge of the mountain, where we could see Mount Nebo looming in the distance. That would be our beautiful final stop on our Arkansas trip.
Wendy and I spent most of Spring Break 2014 in the Ouachita Mountains and Arkansas River Valley in west central Arkansas. We hunted crystals north of Hot Springs with Betty and John Henderson, who also joined us for a couple of days on Petit Jean Mountain. Our parties then separated, with Wendy and I enjoying a stay atop Mount Nebo.
Coleman Crystal Mine
Both of our parties spent a couple of nights in Hot Springs so that we could spend a day digging for crystals at Ron Coleman’s mine north of town. Betty had loved hunting for crystals there on previous occasions, having been introduced to the mine by our friends Lynne and Jim Shaw. Previously I managed to substitute day hikes for that activity, but this time Wendy and I were lured in, scratching through mounds of dirt and rock in search of gleaming quartz crystals.
I’ve now taken Wendy on several hikes to enjoy the trails at Elk City Lake, an hour’s drive north in Kansas. Together we have hiked both the north and south ends of the Table Mound Trail as well as the east and west ends of the Elk River Trail. So on a warm February afternoon we opted to hike the Timber Ridge Trail between Card Creek and the western shore of the lake.
Timber Ridge Trail (click image for slideshow)
I first hiked that trail four years ago, revisited it two years ago, and now the 2.5 mile route has become somewhat faded and overgrown. The fading blue tree blazes are crucial for locating the leaf-obscured path, so we were glad to hear from the Card Creek Recreation Area host that he will have some Boy Scouts working this spring to clear and re-blaze the trail. All of the trails at Elk City have rugged areas, and this trail is gentle up top but rugged on its lower sections.
A scattering of what at first looked like ice-covered stones led us to investigate, discovering the remnants of what I suppose was a glazed terra cotta basin that was completely coated in glass. Later the camp host speculated it might be a remnant from an old glass factory in the region; before World War I the natural gas supplies in the area led to a number of glass factories, which eventually folded due to a shortage of suitable sand.
Glassy remains
Our dawdling stretched out the hike enough so that Brothers Railroad Inn in downtown Independence would be open for a tasty Italian dinner. I enjoyed my baked meat ravioli, but Wendy’s chicken parmigiana was atypical and she’ll choose something different the next time we’re in town to hike more trails; there are still a few sections of trail at Elk City she has yet to experience.
