Hike #23 - Redding Loop

This weekend we aimed big, but wisely came up a bit short.  We went camping this weekend with my brother.  We had plans to camp at Redding Recreation Area Friday and Saturday, but thunderstorms Friday night delayed us.  The weather was perfect though on Saturday morning.  Redding Loop takes off directly from the campground.  The loop is somewhere around 6 miles, with a spur to Spy Rock that makes it around 8.  Our goal was to do the whole thing, including Spy Rock.  We figured that we had done almost 8 miles once before, so if we pushed ourselves, we could make it.

From the campground the trail is a level path through pine trees.  Pine needles make a nice cushioned walking surface.  However, this particular leg of the trail seems to be rarely used, and the trail was almost nonexistent in some places.  We eventually crossed highway 215, and there was a parking area for the trail by the road.  Once the trail crossed the highway the trail was much easier to see.  But, it got much steeper.

We did not bring a map of the trail with us, but we were able to get one pulled up on a smartphone with intermittent service.  One thing that we have found helpful is to compare the map to our GPS tracker.  Because our progress line on the GPS matches the trail map exactly, it makes it very easy to tell where you are.

We started hiking around 9 a.m., and soon the kids were hungry.  The pace was slow and the cooperation level was low.  We bargained with them that we would eat at the two mile mark.  Once they had some food, their spirits were much better.  Right after this two mile mark the trail leveled back off and we had the best scenery of the trail.  However, we began to realize that every step we took was another step back to camp.  At the three mile point we knew we had to make a decision. Either keep going forward and try to complete the eight miles, or turn around and be happy with six.  In order to enjoy the rest of the camp trip, we decided to turn around.  Things went much quicker down hill, and we even saw a waterfall spot we had missed on the way up.  (It hasn't rained much lately, so it was only a trickle.)  When we crossed 215 again and realized we still had another mile to go, we were happy we had turned back.  Everyone was very ready to be back at camp during that last mile, although no one more so than the baby who cried from here on.  We had turned around just past the point of everyone wanting to be finished, but not past the point of being miserable.  As I am writing this, the best trail map I can find for this trail, says that the loop plus Spy Rock would have been 10.0 miles exactly.  I am ever more glad we turned back than I was then!

One plus about this trail map I just looked up though is that it had this awesome 3D map that makes this trail look very epic!

Our campground is marked as RS-01 in this image.  We went right at the split at RS-02, and we made it to RS.07 before turning around.  We'll have to save Spy Rock for another day. 

Travel time from home: 1 hour

Today's miles: 6.00

Remaining miles: 19.35!

We should have known better

Pretty sure we have poison ivy.  From Lake Wilson.  Again.

We still had some refills on the prescription from April, so we'll give that a shot.

(Update: Nope.  Two back-to-back doses of prednisone and the poison ivy is worse not better. To the doctor we a-go.)

Hike #22 - Lake Wilson (Part 2)

Whenever we want to add a few miles to our total, but don't have a lot of time, Lake Wilson is our go to spot. As we learned last time we were here, this is an easy but pretty 2.5 miles just down the road.  Again we were surprised at how many people were out using this lake that we had previously thought unknown.  There's not much to add from last time we came.  The first half mile takes you from the parking area on the west side of the lake to the loop on the east side of the lake.  Where the spur meets the loop there is a dry creek bed.  I assume it is flowing after hard rains to feed the lake, but we have only seen it dry.  Today, instead of following the trail, we hiked about a quarter mile up the creek bed and then did a 10 yard bush whack back to the trail.

Other than that the only thin we did differently is make the little guy walk a little more.  He still generally prefers to ride in the backpack, but we need to push him to hike a little more as we approach a fourth birthday.  He did about a mile and half on his own feet, and he enjoyed the big rocks.

Travel time from home: 15 minutes
Today's miles: 2.77
Remaining miles: 25.35

Hike #21 - Lake Sequoyah (Part 2)

You can't beat a five minute drive to the trail when you need to add some miles or kill some time on an afternoon.  This is especially true when it is the last week of summer!  Because it is so close to home, we have come to Lake Sequoyah several times.  Last time we were here I pointed out the improvements to the area such as new trail signs that indicated trails we did not know existed.  Today we decided to give these a try.  What an adventure!

We have hiked both of the trails on the east side of the lake.  Today we wanted to try the west side.  There is a simply out and back trail that follows the shore and includes a fishing pier out into the water.  Back by the parking area trails just meander through some nice trees.  I expect these are mostly made for and by horses.  There is a ranch next to the lake and we passed  groups on horses several times throughout the day.

Now we decided to get adventurous and try the Island Trail.  The map points out that this requires a water crossing.  The White River feeds the lake on one side, and on the other the spillway joins the West Fork of the White River to continue on as the While River.  This is what we had to cross.  It wasn't much more than knee deep on an adult, but slippery rocks and 30 pound kids on your back make it seem more treacherous.

The signs said the Island Trail is marked with blue blazes, but we had a hard time finding either a trail or blazes.  We knew we wanted to see the spillway, so we headed that direction.  We got in some legitimate bush whacking.  Not only did we make it to the spillway, but we also occasionally saw some blue blazes.  We still did not see the trail that these blazes supposedly marked, so the bush whacking continued.  Finally we saw what resembled a trail, and we were able to resume the meandering through nice trees on horse paths.  We again made our way to parts of the river that were less than knee deep and nice for wading across.  We also came to a spot where, thanks to our Runtastic app and Google maps, we were able to see how we could connect back to the earlier trail without a water crossing.  We finally decided that the reason there was no visible trail is that high water at some point had covered the trail with brush and debris.

In the end, we were glad that it had because we felt a renewed sense of wilderness cred after this adventure!  We continue to be amazed that such a beautiful place is right on our doorstep.

Travel time from home: 10 minutes
Today's miles: A hard earned 2.61
Remaining miles: 28.12

Hike #20 - Shaddox Hollow

Today we made our second trip to Hobbs State Park. (Actually after our first Pigeon Roost excursion, mom and dad came back for a backpacking trip sans kiddos, but since that wasn't the whole family, it doesn't make this blog.) Some friends invited us to stay at their house on Beaver Lake for the weekend, and they led us on their favorite Hobbs Trail, Shaddox Hollow.

Shaddox Hollow is a fairly simple 1.75 mile loop.  We took the left fork out of the parking lot.  Just about one mile in we passed a short but steep spur trail that turned out to be the highlight of the trip.  We could see from the main trail that the steep climb to our left led to some exposed rock, but we couldn't tell much about it.  After we scrambled up, we saw a bunch of rocks just made for kids to climb on and a nice overhang with a perfect tunnel cave.  The tunnel is almost a perfect circle about three feet tall and probably twenty feet in.  After that it gets smaller and curves, but we still couldn't see the end.  If someone was brave enough to shimmy in on their belly (we were not), it could go on for quite a while.

The rest of the trail is not terribly unique, but it is very pretty all the way.  This is a very good family hike that can be done in less than an hour even with the extra exploring.

(Big kids like to run ahead and try to beat you back to the car.)

Travel time from home: 45 minutes
Today's miles: 1.84
Remaining miles: 30.73

Hike #19 - Devil's Den (Part 3)

You just can't get enough of Devil's Den.  We started our year of hiking there, and we were back in May.  Today we had some family in town from the DC area, and we met them here for a hike.  There isn't a much better place to meet someone.

We were at least able to throw in a trail we hadn't done before (at least not this year!), the Yellow Rock trail.  Yellow Rock is a 3.5 mile loop trail with two trailheads, each with good parking.  We started from the bridge across Lee Creek, and from this side you get a brief glimpse of the aptly named Yellow Rock. The Yellow Rock is a cliff outcropping that juts out from the rest of the forest.  The sheer drop into the creek valley creates some fantastic views best observed from your belly. You definitely don't want the kids too far away from you here.  It is yet another remarkable spot in this park.  Even before the eponymous rock, there are some remarkable rock formations with several small caves weaving in and out.  There are plenty of places to enjoy being off trail. 

We took a quick dip in Lee Creek with the cousins, and then put in another 2.5 miles on the Devil's Den trail which we have now done a few times. 

Travel time from home: 35 minutes

Today's miles: 5.97

Remaining miles: 32.57

Hike #18 - Tanyard Creek

This is a new favorite spot that we will definitely be back to.  Tanyard Creek Nature Trail winds through woods, neighborhoods, and golf courses in Bella Vista, Arkansas.  Although the place was packed with people all day, there was plenty of water to go around, and we found a nice quite bend to splash around in for hours.

There is a big parking lot with a pavilion and picnic tables, but you are missing out if you hang around there for long.  A paved trail leads away from the parking lot, which greatly concerned our kids who thought this would be another "walk" instead of a hike.

Whether you quickly get off the paved trail into the woods or follow it until it ends, you quickly find water.  Unpaved trails meander across, through, and on either side of the crystal clear water.  However, we did most of our walking in the creek itself.  There is at least one neat cave that you wander into a short way with water flowing through it.

We finally just picked a spot and sat and splashed for an hour or more.  There are more neat spots here than we could check out in one day, including a cable bridge with a warning to be occupied by no more than eight people at once.  One that we did get to see was the waterfall that comes from the Windsor Lake Dam, and it is impressive.  We will definitely be back.


Another highlight of the day is that our three-year-old did the whole 3.75 miles on his own two feet today.  That is a first.  Although it is exciting, it has the potential to drastically slow our pace in the coming months.

Travel time from home: 50 minutes
Today's miles: 3.75
Remaining miles: 38.54