Fall Camping And Hiking
Fall Colors In The Ozark Mountains
Some friends and I had planned a camp out and hike the third weekend in October. We had a private campsite available, near where we were going to hike. Our plan was to camp Friday night and make our annual fall hike to Cone Point on Saturday. Then I was going stay and camp alone on Saturday night, and go home Sunday. I have hiked to the top of this mountain many times over the years, but I never tire of it. The views of both Newton County and Boone County are inspiring.
Friday afternoon, I scooted out from work a little early, leaving a "Closed Due To Good Weather" sign on the door of the shop. I arrived at the campsite and grabbed a premium spot, right by the campfire. Later on in the afternoon, my friends Dwayne and David arrived. Each found a very nice spot for their tents. We spent the evening chatting, talking about friends we knew, hikes we had gone on this past year, and tomorrow's hike. It was a very pleasant night, and sitting around our campfire, we only needed short sleeve shirts. About midnight we all headed for our tents.
We started our hike at 11 a.m., from the big rock, a good landmark to shoot for on the way back down. In order to reach the top, we had to climb up five steep benches, and then negotiate a crack in the face of a sixty foot bluff. We finally got to the top at about 12:30 p.m., having taken 1 1/2 hours to get to the top of the mountain.
Once on top, we could walk around, and look at both sides of the mountain. It was very nice on top. The sun was shining, the sky was blue with wispy clouds moving across. There was a nice breeze, which felt good. The temperature rose to near 75 that afternoon, as we wandered back and forth, checking things out.
After spending several hours on the top, and thoroughly exploring all around for good vantage points, we made our way back down the mountain and back to the campsite. We had missed our big rock on the way down, and were lucky to hit an old logging road that I remembered. Otherwise we might have walked all the way to the very bottom of the mountain. This hike took about 5 hours total, and we were pretty beat, even though it was only about 3 or 3.5 miles round trip. We sat around the fire ring and had a few beers while discussing the hike. It was about 7pm when my friends finally headed on back to town. I had the campsite all to myself. As I sat around the fire ring, feeding logs into the fire, the sun set, and the stars came out. The night sounds mingled with the crackle of the fire, the hickory logs sending out a nice scent. After making a supper, I sat watching the fire dance over the logs, wandering in my own thoughts.
After spending several hours on the top, and thoroughly exploring all around for good vantage points, we made our way back down the mountain and back to the campsite. We had missed our big rock on the way down, and were lucky to hit an old logging road that I remembered. Otherwise we might have walked all the way to the very bottom of the mountain. This hike took about 5 hours total, and we were pretty beat, even though it was only about 3 or 3.5 miles round trip. We sat around the fire ring and had a few beers while discussing the hike. It was about 7pm when my friends finally headed on back to town. I had the campsite all to myself. As I sat around the fire ring, feeding logs into the fire, the sun set, and the stars came out. The night sounds mingled with the crackle of the fire, the hickory logs sending out a nice scent. After making a supper, I sat watching the fire dance over the logs, wandering in my own thoughts.
Sunday morning, I woke up completely refreshed. After making some coffee, and putting in a big glug of Irish crème, I decided I would take an early morning walk up to my friends farm, and back. I shouldered my pack and took off down the dirt road. It was around 8:30 a.m. when I started and as I walked, I saw some deer, far away, in a field. The sun was just right, coming up over the top of the hill and in back of me. There was no traffic on the road, and I hiked along, stopping to admire the view from time to time.
Overhead, I could hear some honking, and looking up I saw a flock of geese, in their V formation, heading south. I made it to my friends upper field, where I could get a good look at Newberry Point. After sitting there for an hour, watching the morning slip away, I walked back down the dirt road towards camp. I made it back to camp. I decided to take a cold "shower" to get refreshed, and then make something to eat. After a nice brunch, I packed up the campsite, making sure to leave nothing behind, and drove home.
Fall is one of the great times to be in the Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas. The weather is great for camping and hiking, and now that the leaves are starting to come down, the views are improving. We find fall, winter and spring to be the best times for getting out and seeing the Ozarks. Make plans to visit our neck of the woods, you won't regret it.