I just found out about this today from Jeremiah Stringer Hikes Youtube channel. I'm pretty excited about this, we could definitely use another long loop because there aren't very many in the state. Article says completion by 2022, seems like they've raised over half the projected amount of money needed so that's a good sign.
On April 12 and 13, there will be a non-organized non-event at the Manistee River Loop. You are invited to join by hiking the loop, camping overnight and playing along with a silly game of secret passwords.
This is a non-organized event. There is no leader. Participants are asked to take action to engage and meet other hikers by means of a secret password that only the reddit elite know.
The secret password query is as follows: Ask other hikers: "How is it going?", "Everything Good?", "Hows things?", "How are you doing?", or some similar greeting.
The secret password answer for participants is "Just Fine".
Now that you know the secret password, you are a valued member of the inner circle of Michigan reddit hikers. Others will seek your company to learn about your weightless gear and mad hiking skillz.
If the secret password is returned correctly, you might trade trail names and introduce yourselves. There is no need to give out your super secret reddit username. If the other hiker does not seem to be an axe murderer, you might consider hiking with them or sitting around the fire with them telling tall tales. You might bring along some snacks or other trail magic to share.
There is no specific gathering place, however, you might find a number of reddit hikers camped just south/west of Eddington Creek. There is a large flat area there. Eddington Creek is near the north end of the loop, on the west side of the river. It is the only source of water on the west side of the river (North Country Trail side). This is dispersed camping, there are no services, no toilets, no showers, no trash collection, no picnic tables, no faucets available. Walk in only. Treat or filter water from Eddington Creek.
Be kind, be friendly, smile a lot and enjoy the beautiful Manistee River Trail. Leave No Trace.
Having a week of spring break, I thought it was time I stopped the winter regime of over eating and under exercising and became a little more active......
Day 1 (3/25/18) Monday
Left home in Indy about 6:30 am in the dark and pouring rain. Scooted round the 465 before heading south on the 65. The light gradually grew and the rain slowed until I got to Delaney Creek about 8:30. I had arranged to be picked up at 9:00 am (thx Kimberly Sue Dickerson) so had time to change into my hiking gear and read a little before my lift turned up.
It was wet and cloudy at Delaney Creek and so could not see much, but I could hear a bunch of turkeys gobbling away and watch the geese on the water.
It stayed dismal and cloudy on the trip down to Deam Lake, where I was dropped off at the Buzzard’s Roost carpark. I extended my poles, “saddled up” and set off around 10 am.
The weather stayed damp and cloudy all day. For the first hour or two it spat and drizzled, but never rained hard. It was supposed to be only partly cloudy in the afternoon but stayed thick all day. It did brighten at times but would then darken and a few spits come down.
The footing was treacherous: wet leaves on slick mud underneath. I was really glad I had my poles, without them I would have fallen quite a lot and had real trouble going up and down the step bits. At one point I was crossing a stream on a log when it rolled. My foot went into the mud and my shoe came off as I was pulling my foot out. I managed to retrieve it without getting completely covered in mud!
Crossing the road before Round Knob (Bartle Knob Rd?) I met a couple of young’ish chaps who had set out on their first overnighter. Rather overloaded, and one had an injury, they were waiting to be picked up.
By about 4:30 I reached the end of the ridge just before the trail drops down to cross State Rd 160. This was at about MM 11.5. I had been aiming for here for the first night. In the guidebook there was an established camp site with a view. There was a view, but the site was a slight widening of the trail – not very appealing. As it had darkened up and was started to spit, I went along a nearby track for a bit until I found a suitable spot. Not the best but it did have a nice display of daffs.
Put up tent. 2) Hot coffee + whisky. 3) Dinner 4) Read 5) hot chocolate 6) into tent and read 7) Sleep.
The BRS and Titan Kettle is very susceptible to wind. Maybe not a problem on a short trip like this but would use too much extra fuel on a longer trip. Ass pad wonderful! Water filter (Sawyer Squeeze) slow. Usual problem after having dried out after first use months ago.
Day 2 (3/26/18) Tuesday
Sunny with blue skies this am. A touch of frost but not much up here on the ridge (even so I had slept with the water filter, gas canister and phone in the sleeping bag with me). I had been serenaded by a pack of Coyotes at one point last night. Did not sound to be far away.
Headed off about 7:30. Rather cold hands in the breeze and the trail immediately dropped down very steeply to the road. About half way down I found a container of Trail Magic. I signed in and took a bar. Missed the start of the track back up from the road so had a bit of bush-whacking until I found it, then very steep back up hill again. Just at the top I came across a great camp site – typical, there is always a better campsite just along from the one you stop at (and I would have got the up and down over with last night!).
Anyway, the next section was pretty good. Sunny morning, leaves drying out on top (still slick mud underneath), some views through the trees and some nice ridge walking. Missed MM 13 as I was on the road not the trail that here runs parallel and only a few yards apart for a mile.
The day went well – although so much up and down on the slick and slippery trail. After the New Chapel Trailhead, there was a good 2 – 3 miles following a track. Sounds good, except the track was sunk down a bit and was very muddy, slick and full of leaves. You could not really go parallel to it due to the masses of green brier things.
Around MM 22 and the upper reaches of the North Branch Big Ox Creek, had a long lunch and water filter. Setting off I met a guy coming south down the trail. He had a lot of the same gear as I did so we chatted. As we were, another guy + dog I had passed a bit earlier caught up so the only two people I saw all day were all together on the trail. I passed the guy with his dog a bit later as they were having a rest and carried on. I passed the Leota trailhead, and about 4:30 (~MM26), my legs losing some spring, I stopped to cook dinner then snoozed for a bit. I set off again about 5:30. I didn’t think I would get to Elk Creek, but wanted a few more miles today.
I ended up camping around MM 29. The bottom of the valley near a pond – spring peepers very loud. Ground soft and accommodating. As I had eaten already, I just had hot drinks and read a bit before going to bed around 8:30.
Day 3 (3/27/18) Wednesday
Another slight frost. Coffee, pemmican bar and off by 8 am – right past a truly enormous burr on a tree. As per usual a much better campsite on top of a knob a mile or so further down the trail.
Legs have been fine each morning despite the ups and downs and slick footing, although I feel they are on the edge of stiffness – certainly moving around in the tent is not as easy as it should be. I will definitely have to cycle a lot before going to Colorado in the summer – and lose weight so I can bend in the middle more!
I have been finding a few spots where the map does not accurately show the trail. Has the trail moved a bit?
There are been some serious ups and downs today (what a surprise!) with the usual “WTF’s” from me as I see where we have actually been – the most extreme being: going along a flat valley bottom (between MM’s 21 & 22?), the trail suddenly turns up hill for 100 or so feet. At this point it circles a tree and immediately heads back down. Standing by the tree you can see the blazes on either side. The trail gets back down to the valley floor a hundred yards or so further up the valley from where it headed up. Why?
Had a nice stop about 10:30 am for snack and water, then carried on till about 3 pm for a longer stop. Nice and warm and sunny by the stream just past MM 40. Saw a crayfish working the bottom of the stream for food.
After about an hour I roused myself for the last section. Here I had my own plans. Just after MM 42, after having climbed back up a bit, the trail splits. To the left the trail goes gently down for 2 – 3 miles to the Spurgeon Hollow TH (~600’). Here it turns north, climbs back up to nearly 900 feet then quickly drops back down to the Delaney Park TH (~600’). If one had turns right at the split, you could go for another 7.5 miles round a northern loop to Delaney TH. Or after 2.5 miles you could take a middle line to Delany. Basically (ignoring the far N loop) the options were: South– Gently down/Up/Down/Level. North: Up a bit/Level/Down/Up/level/Down/Level.
BUT, I saw a third way that would be Up a bit/level/level/ Down/level.
The way to the right, heading north climbs up from ~800’ at the fork to 900’. Here it joins a wide gravel logging road that runs along a ridge heading west. After a mile or so the trail turns north again and drops down off the ridge. At this point the logging road is still wide, even if it is now muddy and not graveled. I surmised that the logging road would continue along the ridge to the end where I would meet up with the southern loop climbing up and over between Spurgeon Hollow and Delany TH’s. I carried on and indeed after another mile or more I did meet the southern trail. This meant I finished off with a lovely 2+ mile ridge walk – probably the longest such section for the entire trail.
I got back to Delany TH about 6 pm and met a group of three who were just starting out south. I hope the weather didn’t get as wet and stormy as the forecast.
Back to the car, change and head back home. Stopped at a Waffle Ho in Columbus and got home about 9 pm. By this time my knees HAD seized up! Time for a hot bath.
For some reason I decided to hike the entirety of the Adventure Hiking Trail in southern Indiana in 1 day. And, I did, without consequence, except that I'm walking a bit goofy today.
Had business in Kankakee, IL the night before. Drove out to O'Bannon Woods afterwards. Ate Wendy's new Loaded Nacho Cheeseburger, because fuck it, I'm burning it all off tomorrow anyhow (well, except for the resulting arterial plaque, that shit probably ain't never leaving my system). Had them substitute the spicy, crispy chicken patty for the beef. Spent the night in my car at the Rock Creek TH off Rt 462. Read most of The Complete Maus using the headlamp I thought I was going to need to finish up the next day's hike. Wrapped myself in a Warbonnet quilt. Floated off to sleep.
At daybreak I drove over to the bathrooms at the RV campground. Used the facilities, and stole some toilet paper (didn't need it). From there I checked in with the ranger, then parked at marker 309, also off 462. For this trip I used a NF daypack, 3 liter camelbak, 1 liter smartwater bottle, brought a LHG rainjacket (it drizzled on and off, but the tree canopy proved to be a good enough umbrella), a battery pack, cable and headlamp. The only food that was brought was a half-full jar of peanut butter, a block of cheese, and a couple of granola bars. I wore a merino tee , a hooded peloton 97, an old pair of Prana Zions, my favorite running socks and the shoes my feet love the most these days, Runventure 4s.
Carrying or caching water is imperative, since there are few natural water resources that you would want to purify at this time of year. Even if you plan for a longer trip than I, in which you take your time, take in the scenery, and walk down to the rivers, I highly doubt it would be suggested to purify water from either the Ohio or Blue Rivers unless it was an emergency. The few sources of water I might purify were slight. Standing water near the spur trail to the Iron Bridge. A trickle of a creek counterclockwise before the logging re-route, a natural spring either in between Old Forest Rd and 462, or between Indian Shelter and Old Forest Rd (I can look this up if asked). The inability to carry less water by intentions of purifying, leaves a mess of empty water vessels everywhere, and not only at road junctures. I opted to carry 4 liters. 1L was in a smartwater bottle so I could mix in some Zipfizz.
The terrain will be familiar to anyone with a little experience hiking southern Indiana forests. Tall deciduous trees, leaf-covered, rooty paths. Occasional rock underfoot. Many dry stream beds to cross. Personally, I much prefer Indiana forests pre and post tick season. The ranger said she has already had a few on her this year, which prompted me to take a small bottle of repellent that was already in my car, but I didn't see any. Pre and post tick season also means there are less leaves obstructing distant scenery, and more to see out on. In general, on trails such as the Knobstone, there are seldom features to anticipate, except for a favorite hollow or ridge, and the experience is more of that enclosed forest hiking. But, a fair amount of the AHT offered river views, which gave my hike a less sheltered feeling, and more to look forward to.
Like the Knobstone, the AHT has plenty of climbs and dives, without the use of switchbacks. However, we are at least infrequently granted mercy with a few switchbacks. On such a cool, moist day, this at least reminded me to consistently hydrate. In a few places the trail gets a bit messy where it overlaps with singletrack. Overall, I felt it is a well maintained trail (except for the amount of empty water vessels).
I was able to keep about a 2.8 mph clip. It was a Friday, and I only crossed paths with 6 others who were also hiking the AHT. 2 duos were going clockwise, and 1 duo counterclockwise. There are many shelters, both for picnic-ing or overnight-ing, which were decently maintained, and offered a nice place to air out my feet as I snacked. With the extra sunlight, I was able to finish the hike around 7pm without needing to use the headlamp, allowing me to stuff my face in nearby Corydon. A supplier of mine recommended eating at The Overlook, but it closes early, especially for a Friday (I think it is Amish owned).
We'll use this post to get our dates figured out and coordinate this hike.
Here's a sign up sheet for those that are interested in joining. Please fill in the two weekends that you would prefer. I am guessing that the later we go the drier it will be.
Since this will be a point to point hike we'll leave most of the cars at the finishing point and shuttle folks to the starting trailhead. That's why I'm asking how many people you can fit in your car.
I don't have a GPX file for this trip but I could put one together in the next week.
I hope to see you on trail.
Edit: It looks like the weekend of May 20th through 22nd is the favored weekend. For those that preferred a different weekend can you still make it on the 20th through the 22nd?
The longest drive for any of us looks to be about 8 hours from around Indianapolis. Is it reasonable to try to meet at the finishing point near the Spearhead Point campground in the Mondeaux Flowage around 2:00 pm on the 20th? We'll leave most of the cars there and shuttle a couple of cars to the start of the hike. It would be great if we could get hiking by 3:00 pm.
There is a parking area just past the entrance to the Spearhead Point Campground on Highway 106, also known as Campers Rd. This would be the place where we would leave most of the cars. Google Maps doesn't do a very good job getting you to the parking lot, so here are my directions. From Medford WI take Highway 13 north and then turn west on highway M. Turn right on County Road E also known as Mondeaux Dr. Turn right on Park Road also known as 1563. You'll pass a glacial spring on your left and soon hit a T in the road. Go left at the tee, this is Highway 106/Campers Road. Look for a parking area on your right. If you reach the Mondeaux Dam Lodge you've gone too far. I'll try and be there a little bit early, look for a dark blue Subaru Outback.
I'll try and finish a GPX file in the next day or two.
Itinerary: This needs to be discussed but ideally we would meet some time on Friday, hike a few miles in- camp, hike as far as we want on Saturday-camp, finish Sunday AM. We can hash this out in the comments.
Thoughts: While I may have put this together, there is no 'lead person' on this trip once we are out there. I assume everyone has some understanding on how to conduct themselves and how to be self-sufficient when on trail. That said, I do very much enjoy hiking with people (i actually low-key hate solo hiking)! If you don't and you still wanna be in on the trip, cool! No one has to stick with a group and no one has to keep up with anyone's pace. I've done enough group trips in my life to know how these things usually play out. If you wanna just meet up at camp at the end of the day, cool! I really don't give a hoot.
Here is a map that we can add our locations to. Obviously if you don't want to add yourself we understand, but I think at least the closest largish city would be helpful for trip organizing. Basically it is good to know where people are so we can determine ideal places for trips to reduce drive time for people..
Also if you just want to organize a meet up so you can hang out and get to know other peeps who live near by/make friends feel free to use this.
I am planning to hike the Maah Daah Hey Trail in western North Dakota (Medora is the closest town) starting Memorial Day weekend and looking for potential hiking partners. I have been to the area but never hiked this trail. It is 144 miles through the ND badlands with long dry stretches and lots of rattle snakes 🐍 . The shuttle could cost up to $500 and can be split by up to 4 people. I might see if I can get us a ride on one end or the other to save half. If this excites you and the pace/mileage (see below) is in your range let me know, I would love to discuss it further.
Details:
Hiking 144 miles ~17,500 ft gain I plan to average around 20 miles and 2,500 ft per day. 7 or 8 days depending on the timing with the shuttle. We can resupply around mile 45 in Medora so probably 5 day max food carry. Water seems to be the biggest challenge. It might be a matter of stringing together 20 mile dry stretches between campgrounds.
Travel I will be driving from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. You could fly into Bismarck (closest) or Fargo or Sioux Falls which might have cheaper flights and I can pick you up. The trip will probably end up being 10 days total with travel. I can be flexible within a few days on either side but it needs to be the week of Memorial Day
Me I am 33. My pronouns are he/him/his. I am married with two small children. Please don't murder me. Creepers, con-artists, and Nickelback fans need not apply.
Sorry, but I'm not much in the way of trip reports. But here is a little information for any one who is thinking about hiking the Knobstone Trail soon.
Before leaving, a ranger from Starve Hollow put me in touch with a volunteer trail worker. He told me the creeks are flowing. It's partially muddy. And there was little to no bug pressure, including ticks.
I planned on hiking south from Spurgeon Hollow. This plan was motivated by the All Trails app that said it was only 42 miles long. I didn't quite believe that to be the case, so I had Gaia recording my hike. From the jump, I knew All Trails was probably wrong, since the first miles marker I passed was labeled 44. Even though I got a bit spacey on Saturday afternoon, missing a blaze, I only hiked maybe a quarter mile off the path before realizing I needed to go back. Meaning, even if I only went that far, then All Trails is still off by at least 2 miles. Gaia recorded the hike at 44.6 miles. Minus the .5 mile I strayed, but add in less than the .5 mile in shortcuts I took, Gaia is probably accurate at 44.6 miles between Spurgeon Hollow and Deam Lake.
Got to Spurgeon around 11:30 pm on Friday. The ranger from Starve Hollow said no camping was allowed, but no one was going to be checking on me. Slept in my car anyways. Started about 7:30am Saturday morning, hiking until 8:30pm. Set up camp at the hollow between miles 14 and 15, where the stream bends. There was a nice little, flat isle with a fire ring. However, in the morning I saw that the area was a bit trashy, with bottles and cans and wrappers and unburied business.
Energy was low on Sunday. Took more breaks in order to great through the slog. The one luxury item I brought was a small can of Off Deep Woods, Lyme disease being my #1 fear out there. Used it incessantly up until the last 5 miles, when I handed it off to a couple I met from Louisville. Afterwords, this is when I realized, yes there are ticks, needing to flick a few off of my arms.
On Saturday I only saw maybe 8 people total over 30 miles. This was surpassed early on Sunday. The closer Deam got, the more people, and groups of people there were. If you're not looking to contend with traffic, I would suggest going south on this trail.
A man named Jeff shuttled me from Deam Lake to Spurgeon Hollow on Sunday afternoon. It was a pleasant ride. He charged $60.
The volunteer trail worker's report was pretty accurate. The creeks were flowing. The trail was only a little muddy, and there was little to no bug pressure most of the time. But I was using deet, and did start to notice ticks the last 5 miles to Deam Lake. Saturday's 30 miles were pleasant, but the heat really set in on Sunday, and I was pretty close to calling it quits at a few points. That's what I get for shoving this trail into such a small window.
I was bummed that I wasn't able to make the Valentine's weekend trip. I would like to get out this spring before the bugs and I was wondering if any of you would be interested in a weekend backpacking trip to the North Country. I'm thinking of a couple of segments of the Ice Age Trail in Taylor County Wisconsin, or possibly a trip to the Porcupine Mountains in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Late April or early May are ideal times to go since the flying insects won't be out yet. There will be ticks so you will want to treat your clothing with permethrin.
This is a 21-page PDF with lots of good info but the maps are on page 5 6 and 7 (maps 21f, 22f and 23f). If we started at the Highway 64 Trailhead on page 21F, headed east and finished just past the Spearhead Point campground on map 23F, we would have about 36 miles of hiking. This part of the Ice Age Trail is in the Chequamegon National Forest so we can camp anywhere we want. The trailhead is about 15 miles west of Medford Wisconsin on Highway 64.
Here's a couple of links to the Porcupine Mountains.
The Porkies are part of the Michigan State Park system so there are permits and fees for daily use of the park. There could still be considerable snow in late April and early May. If there's snow on the ground you are allowed to disperse camp, if the snow is gone you camp in designated campsites.
If you are interested, reply to this post and I will get a sign up sheet and some logistics started.
The upper midwest doesn't have the big hills or the grand vistas that other parts of the U.S. have. Our wild areas are on a smaller scale and are much more subtle. This video tries to show some of those subtle things on a backpacking trip from October 3rd through the 7th 2020.
Hey. I'm going to be heading up to a beautiful section of the Ice Age Trail in Taylor County Wisconsin on October 14th. I'm planning to do an out and back of about 60 mi. Two partial days on Friday the 14th and Monday the 17th and two full days on the 15th and 16th. If you'd like to join me, comment below.
I wore my frogg togg UL2 jacket (size small, 5.47oz) over my Kuiu peloton 97 hooded mid layer (size medium, 5oz) while in line to vote today for 2.5 hours. The temperature was 45°F while winds of 12mph NNE made it feel much colder. I think this is a comfortable arrangement for these temperatures (mostly standing around) and consider it dialed in and vetted. I would have no problem taking this to just above freezing while on the move. Perhaps this is a good time for you to test your new cold weather gear as well. Get out there and vote.
I noticed there hasn't been much activity in this sub recently, not really hiking season in the Midwest currently I guess, but has anybody else started to plan hikes for the 2020 season? Let's hear some trip plans, and also if you're looking for anybody to meet up with on future hikes so we can get some group hikes going.
Personally just getting into the starting stages of planning a trip back to the Smokies in late May, but besides that probably try to get back to red River gorge, and some of my other favorite local spots as soon as it gets warm again. Then this summer my wife and I will be heading to Colorado a few times to look for a place to stay before moving in fall so we'll definitely get into some backpacking while we're there too.
I wanted to make this trip report (/ trip outline?) because I’ve talked to a number of people, on Reddit and other platforms, about good beginner friendly trails in the Indiana area. This definitely isn’t a destination hike. If you happen to be in the area, want a quick night or two out, or want to introduce friends/family to backpacking this is a pretty good option in my mind. I personally did this loop a couple of weekends ago because I’ve been taking time off for an ankle injury and wanted to get out and see what I was capable of on a gentle hike.
This loop is centered around the Charles C Deam wilderness section of the Hoosier National Forest by Lake Monroe / Bloomington, Indiana. This can be a pretty popular location, but in my experience most of the people are concentrated to a tiny section of the trail (the peninsula trail). I think it’s best done in Spring / Fall / Winter, but I’ve also done it in the summer with a swim break at the end of the day.
Day 1 15-20 miles:
Park at Blackwell horse camp. It’s a giant field that you can park / camp anywhere in. It will also be the start and end points for this loop. Heading out the trail on the east side of the camp, you quickly lose most of the crowds. For some reason most people don’t venture south of the road that bisects the forest. You go through some mild hills and creeks and pass a small pond. Typical midwestern forest stuff. Eventually you will come across a lookout tower, that has a pretty nice view of the forest. Then it carries on to the far eastern section of the forest. This is probably the nicest section because it gets off the shared horse trail, and it hiking only. Ideally, I like to find a spot to camp down by a stream, before you climb back up to the peninsula area. That way I can avoid most of the people. Also for some reason, every time I camp close to the lake a boat likes to rollup on me in the night and shine a light in my tent? I don’t camp there anymore.
Day 2 10-15 miles:
I usually have about 10-15 miles left for the second day. I like to get up and on the trail before all of the bushcrafters wake up. That way I can sneer at them for being lazy as I cruise by. There is supposedly a cave in the western half of the forest, close to the lake. I’ve never found it though. I like this part of the forest as well, since most of it is low marshy creeks. But it’s also the part that is the worst marked and maintained. There are a few places I always have to pull my phone out and follow gaia to get back on track. Usually I can make it back to the far of blackwell horse camp before 11-12. Which is nice, because I also get to sneer at all of the horse campers for just rolling out of their RV’s for the day.
If you’re in the area, you probably already know about this forest. But for some reason, nobody realizes you can hike more than 5 miles to the peninsula / lake. With all of the intersecting trails, it’s pretty easy to make this loop shorter or a little longer and have a somewhat secluded experience.
Would you guys be willing to get a doc together with some info on backpackable trails in the Midwest? I know we don't have the most abundant offerings, so I feel like putting together an at-a-glance menu/map/etc of trails could be really useful and a nice contribution by this community. Thoughts?
On Nov 10th, u/wevebeentired, u/vivaelteclado and myself gathered at the highway 21 trailhead for the Taum Sauk section of the Ozark Trail. We left two cars and took one car to the highway A trailhead and started hiking from West to East.
We had great weather for this trip, daytime highs in the upper 50s or low 60s and nighttime lows in the mid 30s. No rain. One thing we quickly discovered on this trail was the tread, it was challenging. Lots and lots of rocks of various sizes and many of them were not anchored to the ground very well so they moved as you stepped on them. To add to the challenge we had a thick covering of newly fallen leaves, so seeing the rocks was a challenge. Most of us move between two and three miles per hour on easy tread, our speed was below 2 miles an hour for this trail due to the rocks and the leaves and the unstable footing. You had to watch almost every step on this trail.
Day 1: highway A trailhead to Goggins Mountain Trail intersection. 9 mi. We were quickly introduced to the frequent ups and downs and the unstable footing of this trail. We also quickly discovered the beauty of the trail and the great views from the glades. We were unsure of the water supply on this section of the trail so we hiked out with two or three liters each. Fortunately at mile marker 6 what was listed as a spring behind a "house" had great water and we were able to get enough for our dry camp for the evening. The "house" is being generous, it was more of a falling down horizontal shed, but the spring itself was flowing strongly and was a beautiful classic mountain spring, popping right out of the rocks. Our campsite for the night was behind a glade and we had beautiful views of the sunset and the Milky Way that evening.
Day 2: Goggins Mt trail camp to Taum Sauk Creek camp. 17.5 mi. Up at 6:00, on trail by 7:00. A cold start to the morning. The first part of the day spent in the Johnsons Shut Ins State Park. Most of the trail was well-blazed but some important intersections were not marked at all. The turn to cross the Black River had no marking whatsoever. We overshot it and had to check our GPS to backtrack and find the crossing location. The Black River Valley was beautiful and the crossing was slippery and cold. After the Black River crossing we eventually hit the Scour which is the site of flash floods from a reservoir up the mountain which occasionally overflows and scours the valley. You could see the strength of the water cascading down the mountain and scouring everything in its path. We grabbed some water and stopped on the hillside for a nice sunny lunch. The rest of the afternoon was beautiful hillsides and lovely views across the rolling valleys. We pulled into camp along the Taum Sauk Creek right at sunset.
Day 3: Taum Sauk creek camp to highway 21 trailhead. 8 mi. All of us had long drives to get home this afternoon/evening so we were eager to get back to the cars by noon. We were up at 5:30 and on trail by 6:30. This section had some huge rock outcroppings including the Devil's Tollgate and the Mina Sauk waterfall which unfortunately was dry. My right knee was killing me today and we opted to take a brief road walk between the Ketcherside fire tower (just past mm 30) and the Russell trailhead. The other two continued on trail and I road walked back to the highway 21 trailhead.
This was a great trail with a good challenge and wonderful views across the Ozark Valleys. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good weekend trail.
