A Hike On Walker Mountain
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The weather here in Arkansas has been somewhat on the hot side, with daily temperatures in the 90's. My friend, Alf Carter and I decided to take a early morning hike on Walker Mountain. We started our hike around 8:30 am and started down the trail, with the objective of finding Arrington Creek. There was an occasional breeze which cooled us off somewhat, and the birds were singing good morning to us, as we moved along the narrow path. I don't believe that many people have walked this trail recently, we saw no footprints and there were spider webs across the trail.
There were many wildflowers growing along the trail. I had a copy of Ozark Wildflowers and we had some fun identifying them. We also saw a very large tree that had been split during a storm many years ago, but continued to live, and it made for an odd looking tree. We decided to take a short break for refreshments. |
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Finally, after about two hours of walking downhill, we came across what we think was Arrington Creek. It was hidden in the lush green forest. We were lucky, it had rained quite a bit over the past few days, and the creek was running. We took some time to explore both up and down the creek. We were quite amazed to see what we thought was a blue mushroom growing on the bank across from us. I took off my shoes and waded into the ice cold water to check it out. Sad to say, it was just a piece of blue paper sitting on a twig.
We spent an hour goofing off down by the creek. We had our lunch and some water and just sat back and enjoyed the solitude. Being away from others, and off in the wilderness is one of the things I really enjoy. You get a chance to appreciate nature. There are no city noises, like cars or sirens or the endless chatter of civilization. Alf gave me the lowdown on how the creek flowed, and where we were in relation to the Buffalo River. It was a fun, relaxing time.
We decided to start the walk uphill before it got too hot out. As we moved back up the trail we came across a rattlesnake resting on the trail. He did not seem interested in moving out of the way, so we went around. This was the first snake Alf and I have seen on our hikes together. Farther along on the trail Alf saw something that caught his eye. He stopped to check it out, and it was an arrowhead, which had been uncovered during the rains.
Since it is illegal to take artifacts out of the park, we decided to put the arrowhead back in the ground. We took the time to dig a hole away from the trail, and bury our find. Perhaps someday, someone will find it again. As the sun peaked high in the sky we could see that the trail was coming to an end and the truck was dead ahead. We said goodbye to the forest and went on home.
This hike was a 4 on the difficulty scale, mostly because it was uphill on the way out. We hiked about 2.5 miles one way. This trail continues all the way to Ponca, for a total hike of 9 miles.
If you like to experience the outdoors, I encourage you to visit the Buffalo National River. During the summer months you will find plenty of places to swim, hike, birdwatch, fish or just sit on the banks and listen to the river whisper in your ear.
We spent an hour goofing off down by the creek. We had our lunch and some water and just sat back and enjoyed the solitude. Being away from others, and off in the wilderness is one of the things I really enjoy. You get a chance to appreciate nature. There are no city noises, like cars or sirens or the endless chatter of civilization. Alf gave me the lowdown on how the creek flowed, and where we were in relation to the Buffalo River. It was a fun, relaxing time.
We decided to start the walk uphill before it got too hot out. As we moved back up the trail we came across a rattlesnake resting on the trail. He did not seem interested in moving out of the way, so we went around. This was the first snake Alf and I have seen on our hikes together. Farther along on the trail Alf saw something that caught his eye. He stopped to check it out, and it was an arrowhead, which had been uncovered during the rains.
Since it is illegal to take artifacts out of the park, we decided to put the arrowhead back in the ground. We took the time to dig a hole away from the trail, and bury our find. Perhaps someday, someone will find it again. As the sun peaked high in the sky we could see that the trail was coming to an end and the truck was dead ahead. We said goodbye to the forest and went on home.
This hike was a 4 on the difficulty scale, mostly because it was uphill on the way out. We hiked about 2.5 miles one way. This trail continues all the way to Ponca, for a total hike of 9 miles.
If you like to experience the outdoors, I encourage you to visit the Buffalo National River. During the summer months you will find plenty of places to swim, hike, birdwatch, fish or just sit on the banks and listen to the river whisper in your ear.