Wandering Through Boxley Valley
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December 11. 2015 - 71 degrees outside. We have had an extremely warm month here in the Ozarks. Temperatures this week have been 20 degrees above normal, My friend David and I wanted to get out and enjoy this weather so we decided to just hike around Boxley Valley, make it down to the river and see what it looked like.
We started our trip at the Boxley trail head of the Buffalo River Trail. We parked there and walked past the remains of the old Whiteley Springs school, past the old spring house and down the road. Whiteley Springs is right on the road. It is a popular place for local folks to get fresh, clean water when their well or spring goes dry in the summer. We went past the old barn and around the gate that blocks the road. |
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Our plan was to walk the road down to the river but it dead ended at the bamboo which divided the fields, so we walked down the edge to the river. We had to push our way through the bamboo and then scramble down to the river. It was fairly difficult for us, as the spring flood had left quite a bit of debris around. It was nice to be by the river again. The sounds that the river makes when flowing past you is very relaxing. We stopped to have a rest and a drink. After struggling to make our way along the river bank we decided to climb back into the fields and try and make it to a bluff David had seen. We walked through 2 very long fields but finally made it to that spot. It was the bluff at the Old Boxley swimming hole which I knew well. We spent quite a bit of time here, noting the changes since the spring floods. It was a glorious afternoon. The sun was out and the temperature was unseasonably warm. If we had brought our swimming trunks we could have gone swimming. When we were ready we headed back to the truck and home.
