WeBackpack Trip Reports

Big Bluff

admin@webackpack.com(trekkman) — Sun, 04 May 2008 22:58:34 -0400

Author: trekkman
State: Arkansas
Area: Buffalo River
Days: 2
Miles: 5

This is not a very long hike, but one worth taking.  There are also a lot of other trails to link up with to make this a lot longer trip.  We parked at the Center Point trail head on this hike.  Its the shortest way down to the bluff.  A lot of people make it a day trip but we had some time to kill so we made a couple days of it.  From the trail head the trail remains level with a slight decline.  After about 1/2 mile the trail begins to get steeper and follow the old road that went to a home site called Granny Hendersons.  The trail to Big Bluff is well marked and off the the right.  There is a large intersection with a large fire ring.  This is a great campsite, but there is no water there so be sure to pack in plenty.  The Bluff is not far down the trail from here.  The bluff is around 350 - 400 foot high so its not a great place for small kids.  It does go all the way through and there is another campsite on that end too.  There are a lot of good pictures to be taken from here and some great views. From the trail head to the bluff is only about 2 miles.  Read the rest at WeBackpack.com.

Pathway of Pain

admin@webackpack.com(glowingrock) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:28:48 -0400

Author: glowingrock
State: Minnesota
Area: Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Days: 1
Miles: 39

Pathway of Pain By: Roy Kranz "Are you some kind of sicko that enjoys suffering" "Why would you want to do that" "Is that your idea of a vacation" "What’s wrong with you" Fielding these questions leading up to our trip led me to reflect on the Subaru commercial with Lance Armstrong where he explains that he is "driven by what’s inside" or the Gatorade commercial that asks, "is it in you" I wanted to face the biggest physical and mental challenge of my life and see what I was made of. I found four people willing to either assist or participate in my madness. Our voluntary suffer-fest was on the Coastal Trail in Lake Superior Provincial Park in Ontario, around a three hour drive North from Sault Ste Marie, Canada. At 65 kilometers (39 miles) in length, the trail is rated as a "very difficult" 5 to 7 day backpacking trip. According to park officials, no one had ever hiked it all in one day. We were determined to be the first. The trail climbs and descends steep cliffs and hills as it follows the rugged Western shore of Lake Superior. It also crosses countless beaches of sand and various size rocks, boulders, and driftwood. The beginning of the trail is literally in the middle of nowhere. You can’t just drive to the trailhead. To get there we left the main road and drove 40 minutes down a narrow, pothole-covered dirt road that tunnels through the woods and ends at Lake Superior. We then backpacked around 6 miles into the Northernmost point of the trail which dead ends at the often deserted Chalfant Cove. After setting up camp and downing several boxes of cous cous, we laid down for a few hours of sleep. Three of us awoke at 1 a.m. on Saturday, July 23rd, 2005, scarfed down some instant oatmeal, and started hiking by headlamp into the dark Canadian night. Our support crew, which consisted of Mt. Pleasant criminal defense attorney, William Antrobius, and Mattawan Village Manager, Heath Kaplan woke up several hours later, broke camp and packed out our gear. Then they met us at several predetermined locations where the trail comes out near the highway to resupply us with water, food, and much needed encouragement. Throughout the hike, we each drank gallons of fluids and ate thousands of calories worth of energy bars and power gels. Our toes were blistered and bandaged. Steep ups and downs on the jagged rock wore us out. Every step on the loose rocky beaches sapped our momentum and energy. One particular beach, which held a million pea sized pebbles and stretched on for miles, inspired Isabella County Senior Assistant Prosecutor, Mark Kowalczyk, to utter in despair: "this is like a bad dream!" During a break, when we were purifying water from Lake Superior to drink, a humming bird landed on one of our brightly colored backpacks we had laid down on the rocks. It caused us to smile and motivated us to push on. Periodically, I would shout out "I feel good!" to keep our spirits up. At our first checkpoint with the support crew, fourteen hours into it, Kowalczyk was reluctantly forced to abandon the hike. He had twisted his ankle countless times on the perpetually uneven terrain. Despite a valiant effort, he could not continue. Two of us pushed on, hiking through our second straight night of darkness. Navigation was difficult. Each step felt like someone was pounding my feet with hammers. I almost fell asleep while walking and even suffered from hallucinations. On July 24, 2005, at 5:41 am, Beaverton Elementary school teacher, Brian Rise, and myself, Isabella County Chief Assistant Prosecutor, Roy Kranz, stumbled out of the woods at Agawa Bay campground, the Southernmost point of the trail nearly 28 hours after we started. Victorious but in no condition to celebrate, we were exhausted, nauseated, and in desperate need of showers. After cleaning up, we crawled into the tent. In the fleeting moments before surrendering to sleep, the only question running through my head was "how are we going to top this next year" Read the rest at WeBackpack.com.

Killarney Provincial Park

admin@webackpack.com(glowingrock) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:26:48 -0400

Author: glowingrock
State: Michigan
Area: Ontario, Canada
Days: 6
Miles: 48

Killarney Provincial Park by Roy Kranz "I’m just trying to survive." Bob muttered in obvious pain as he trudged down the trail. This was a far cry from his blissfully ignorant demeanor before the trip. Then, he was sending out emails with an exact hour and minute countdown to the start of the trip. He was so excited that he couldn’t sleep. Now he was disgusted that he had agreed to join us on his first backpacking trip ever. We were deep into the remote Canadian backcountry of Killarney Provincial Park in Northern Ontario. The temperature spiked into the 90s each day. The trail was extremely rugged and much more challenging than expected. The rangers recommend 7-10 days to complete the entire loop trail. However, knowing from past experiences that these recommendations are almost always overly conservative, I planned our trip to last for 4 full days and 2 half day. What a mistake. Who would’ve thought that we would average less than one mile per hour on some of the days Each night, as we hobbled into camp near dusk the race was on to set up camp and eat dinner before the mosquitoes attacked like piranha. The annoying little blood-suckers swarmed in every night as soon as it got dark. We all suffered through various levels of agony during the trip. At the end of each grueling day we pried off our boots to inspect the damage. We marveled at the large blisters and skin tears on our feet dreading the fact that we would have to put the boots back on and do it all over again the next day. My partners in pain were Mark Kowalczyk from Mt. Pleasant and Midlanders Bob Peters and Dennis Maschue. While Dennis and I had extensive experience, Mark had not backpacked and Bob had never even hiked before. The trail we tackled was the La Cloche Silhouette. Of the 46 miles that constitute the trail, about 8 of them are the smooth, well-beaten dirt variety on flat terrain. The rest are root and rock infested with steep inclines and declines that sometimes required using your hands as well as feet to cover them. The trail climbs up one mountain to a spectacular view and them immediately down the other side only to reach the start of yet another climb. A couple parts of the "trail" even consisted of beaver dams with loose crisscrossed sticks that you had to balance across while trying not to fall in the water. By the middle of the trip, we developed a system and fell into a routine. Mark and I hiked together at a fast pace. Bob and Dennis hiked slower and would meet us at a predetermined campsite at the end of each day. Part of the difference in pace was due to a truly nasty fall Dennis had taken at the bottom of a ridiculously steep section we scaled down. Bob, who witnessed the accident, said that Dennis slipped and his chest landed full force on a large pointy rock. Dennis then rolled onto his back and closed his eyes. Bob later admitted, "I thought that he was dead!" On day four, Mark was hiking behind me and shouted, "holy crap, there is a wolf coming right at us!" As I turned around, my view was blocked by Mark. Not being terribly mobile with my 60 pound backpack, I held up my trekking pole ready to stab the beast if it attacked. Suddenly, a large wolf-like creature ran right past us on the trail. Stunned, we cautiously moved ahead to see where it went. Around the next corner we saw it drinking in a small stream. To our relief, we also noticed a bell around its neck and realized it was someone’s dog.   Day five was torture. We followed the trail up and down on an exposed rocky ridge in sweltering heat. Amazingly, after purifying water at a lake off the trail, I led us down the trail the same way we had already come from. While it took Mark and I just under 6 hours to complete (not including the extra hour I bought us retracing our steps), Bob and Dennis stumbled into camp at around the 10 hour mark. Despite the oppressive heat, the injuries, and the severe pain, amazingly everyone kept a positive attitude. Beauty surrounded us. There were many views that took my breath away (or was that the hiking) The wild blueberries that grew all over the place were the sweetest I’ve ever eaten. Also, we were rewarded for our struggles, each night, by a spectacular campsite. Day five’s site was at Proulx Lake. The campsite sat on a raised peninsula which jutted out into the bluish-green lake and was surrounded by exposed white rock cliffs. There was even spot to jump off the rocks into the deep, refreshingly cold water. As always, we had the place to ourselves. It was our last night in the park and we savored it. The next day, the challenge was on. Dennis and Bob had figured out an escape route which would get them out to a lightly traveled road several miles before the end of the trail. They planned to then hitchhike back to the car from there while Mark and I completed the trail. Whoever got to the car first would be able to take a long hot shower at the campground while waiting for the others to arrive. Mark and I set our alarms to get up before sunrise and got a two hour head start on our friends. The amazement factor was at full strength as we reached a famous section called "The Crack." The trail descended several hundred feet very quickly. The first part of The Crack consisted of a fairly easy fifty yard long section that went through a skinny gap in the rock where the walls rose up on both sides. The second part was an exposed cliff-like area that was made up of large boulders ranging from the size of a suitcase to an SUV. The only way to proceed down the slope was to hop from one boulder down to another all the way to the bottom. It was not a place you’d want to lose your balance and fall. At the bottom of the descent we eventually reached the relative safety of the woods. Mark and I then trudged on for a few more hours until we got to the car. After getting showers we found Dennis and Bob sitting by the side of the road at the end of their escape route apparently unable to flag down a ride. Within an hour or so of being off the trail, we were eating fast food and felling better. Everyone already started to forget the struggles we had endured along the way. It is remarkable how quickly only the good things come to mind when remembering an adventure. I guess that is what keeps us coming back for more. To view a short video of this hike, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watchv=DItQGW5rRG0 Read the rest at WeBackpack.com.

Lake2Lake

admin@webackpack.com(glowingrock) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:24:29 -0400

Author: glowingrock
State: Michigan
Area: Upper Penninsula of Michigan
Days: 1
Miles: 53

Lake2Lake By ROY KRANZ Over the last several years I’ve burned through many hiking partners This has left me tempted to file the following ad in some outdoor publications: Married, 34 year old adventurous and nature loving prosecutor seeks hiking partner with the following qualities: Must enjoy a challenge and exemplify the saying "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." Must be able to keep a positive attitude in all situations and not complain excessively. Must, at least on some level, enjoy suffering. Must be willing to hike by headlamp at the beginning and end of the same hike. Oh yeah, and must be able to hike fast, all day long. For the last two years, Mark Kowalczyk thought that he fit the bill. So, when I was planning this year’s challenge, the Lake2Lake, the goal of which was to hike from Lake Michigan to Lake Superior in one day, Mark told me he was in. On a day in early August, we camped near Rapid River. When the alarm went off at 2 a.m., we got ready and headed to the beginning of our hike. After a few ceremonial photos of us dipping our feet into Lake Michigan, Mark and I walked to the start of the Bay De Noc Trail. Hundreds of years ago, Native Americans used this same trail to portage their canoes and supplies between Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Suffering from sleep deprivation, we felt weak from the start. In the first two hours we were startled by a six foot long Western Fox snake, ‘Indiana Jones’ed our way through the unavoidable webs spiders spun across the trail, and dodged lightning strikes that lit the surrounding blackness. Dennis, our support person, planned to meet us along the way to provided water and food. When we got to where we expected the first scheduled checkpoint to be, Dennis was nowhere to be found. Had we somehow missed him We were over 20 miles into the hike, low on food and water and in serious need of a break. To push too far past would be a disaster. Just as panic started to creep in, Dennis appeared on the trail. We were crushed to hear that the checkpoint was four miles ahead. When we finally got there, we peeled off our hiking boots, sat on coolers, guzzled Gatorade, and ate lunch. After a while, Mark noticed a bunch ticks attached to our legs. We quickly went to work trying to remove them with a Swiss Army knife. Once we got them all scraped off we figured it was time to push on. Our feet, legs, and attitudes felt better after the break. Several hours later, we hit our toughest physical obstacle along the trail. A huge section of trees had blown down during a powerful storm and lay strewn across the trail. Being too far in to backtrack, our only option was to climb over and crawl under the fallen trees. Branch stubs hidden by leaves stabbed our shins as we negotiated what looked like a randomly thrown piles of over-sized pickup sticks. We tiptoed over and along the now horizontal tree trunks like gymnasts on a balance beam. At 43 miles in, we stumbled out of the woods and into our last checkpoint at 9 p.m. in serious need of a break. Since stopping meant picking up some more tick companions, we kept moving up until then. With more than nine miles to go, we weren’t feeling particularly motivated to leave the comforts of tick-free parking lot to continue hiking into the impending darkness. However, we had come too far to give up now. As we got back into the woods, we quickly learned that the trail went up and down more during the next 4 miles of trail than in the previous 43 combined. It became brutally comical how there was virtually no flat sections despite the guidebook’s claim that it was: 0 percent steep, 15 percent hilly, and 85 percent moderate or flat. When we finally hit the forest service road, our "home stretch" excitement dwindled quickly as we realized the road was gravel instead of flat, hard-packed dirt. Every step on the unavoidable rocks that covered the road was painful. Our bodies rebelled and wouldn’t accept any food and only an occasional sip of water. As our headlamp batteries died, our spirits dimmed too. Our eyes played tricks on us and we had trouble keeping the ground in front of our feet in focus. Mark and I had not spoken a word to each other in hours. Suddenly in the distance I saw light. Was I hallucinating Thinking it was the end or our journey, I turned to Mark and said "Look! The light at the end of the tunnel." Depression set in when we realized it was just Dennis’ car and heard that it was another mile and a half to the end. Thankfully, Dennis turned around and inched along behind us with his lights on illuminating the trail ahead of us and motivating us to pick up the pace and finish. When we finally stuck our feet in Lake Superior near Au Train, it was almost 1 a.m. on Sunday. We had hiked 53 miles in 21 hours. Too tired to celebrate, we took a couple of photos and headed for the motel. On the drive there, Mark blurted out, "Pull over." We did, and he promptly threw up four times. He was so out of it that the next morning he didn’t remember doing it. A couple days later Mark ended up in the doctor’s office with several infected tick bites. Driving home the day after the hike, we saw a Chevy Suburban next to us with a bumper sticker that said: "Don’t move firewood, it bugs me." Inside the rear windows we could see the vehicle was packed to the ceiling with firewood. The driver even had firewood piled to the ceiling in the front passenger seat. We all started cracking up at the same time. Despite not being the sharpest tool in the shed and obviously having no idea what kind of hike we had slogged through the day before, the guy pretty much hit the nail on the head when he saw us laughing at him and shouted in a perturbed voice: "Bunch a goofballs!" Read the rest at WeBackpack.com.

Timberline Trail, Mt. Hood

admin@webackpack.com(glowingrock) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:21:54 -0400

Author: glowingrock
State: Oregon
Area: Northwestern Oregon
Days: 1
Miles: 41

Timberline Trail: America’s Hardest Dayhike by: Roy Kranz As I stumbled through the darkness that rapidly descended on us, my knee joints ached and lighting bolt pain radiated through my feet with every step. Was I a rehab patient recovering from a debilitating car wreck Was I an 85 year-old living in a nursing home No, I was 28 miles into a voluntary hike. The blisters on my feet were huge, the ibuprofen I popped like M&Ms no longer had any effect on the excruciating pain, and there was no way to quit even if I wanted to. To my dismay, I still had 13 miles to cover. I realized that would take me over six hours and that all of it would be in the dark. As I stopped by a small stream to rest and bandage up my feet, reality started to set in. That is when I reached my low point. We were hiking the Timberline Trail which circumnavigates Mt. Hood in Northwestern Oregon. At 41 miles long and with 12,000 feet of elevation gain and loss, it is rated America’s Hardest Dayhike by Backpacker Magazine. As if that wasn’t challenging enough, a section of the trail was officially closed because a severe winter storm had decimated it. The Mt. Hood National Forest web site said that "the trail is impassible over the Eliot Crossing." It further stated that the route was "impassible" because the "drainage is very unstable and hazardous with long vertical drops." Our journey began at 4:45 a.m. on August 8th at the Timberline Lodge. My hiking companion was my future brother-in-law, Gabe Garcia. Gabe is a towering 65" member of the U.S. Coast Guard and is an animal when it comes to hiking. He typically hikes alone because no one can keep up with him. Despite being considered a strong hiker by most of my friends, I was no exception. Gabe’s backside, off in the distance, became a familiar sight for me. In the weeks leading up to our hike, I managed to contact a pastor from Oregon who was planning a group hike of the Timberline Trail a few days before us. Pastor Tom Farley of Portland, gave us advice, marked the tricky spots with bright orange tape, built log bridges over some of the river crossings, and even left ropes in place for us to use during our trek. Without his help, our chances of success would’ve been substantially diminished. The trail itself was amazing. We were above the clouds the entire day. Stunning views of Mt. Hood and other surrounding mountains greeted us around every corner. The trees, which grew on steep slopes, bent at an unusual angle to grow vertically, and were often covered in a hair-like fungus that gave the place a Lord of the Rings vibe. Beams of sunlight pierced through the trees illuminating the path at our feet and wild flowers blanketed the hillsides around us. The river crossings were an adventure. Many required us to descend with a rope which was tied to a large boulder at the top. The crossing at Eliot Glacier was the crux. It was official closed and off-limits. When we arrived there the place was so fogged in, we couldn’t see more than 50 yards. As the fog began to lift we saw the challenge before us. The entire drainage had been obliterated by a winter storm. Where the trail used to be, there was only a near vertical drop-off perhaps 100 feet high dropping down to the river and a taller wall up the other side. The slopes were covered in sand with rock and boulders, some the size of small cars, loosely stuck in them. While just standing there, we could hear rocks falling off the slope tumbling all the way down to the river. To get struck by one of these projectiles while at the bottom would mean certain death. After much deliberation, we lowered ourselves down the steep wall with a rope. We then scrambled across the river and used the other rope to scale the other side. Unfortunately, the rope ended about 3/4 of the way up. So for the last 35 feet, we had to carefully pick our way up the slope without protection as rocks we stood on slid out from under our feet and disappeared into the abyss below us. I breathed a sigh of relief when we both safely reached the top. As the hours ticked by, the pain in my feet steadily increased to the point where it was hard to tolerate. When I reached my low point, I was searching the map for an escape route to shorten my misery. However, there was no easy way out. So Gabe taped up my feet, gave me some words of encouragement, and we pushed on. At some point in these monster hikes, the challenge evolves from one that is mostly physical to a primarily mental one. At that point I’m exhausted, I’m in agony, and sometimes I’m hallucinating. To succeed, one must ignore the pain and will oneself to finish. The last 6 hours of our hike was miserable. I was exhausted and stumbled along in what felt like slow motion. I couldn’t see more that 20 feet in front of me. I was walking in a small bubble of light illuminated by my headlamp. In several places, a narrow trail cut across a steep slope. One false move and I would have plunged down to unknown depths and injuries. When Gabe and I completed our hike 22 hours after we started, I had mixed emotions. Part of me never wanted to do something like that again. However, an interesting phenomenon occurs when these monster hike are over. The pain fades, the blisters heal, and I start dreaming about doing another one. Read the rest at WeBackpack.com.

Badwater to Telescope Peak

admin@webackpack.com(justinwp) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 14:16:01 -0400

Author: justinwp
State: California
Area: Death Valley National Park
Days: 2
Miles: 20

Death Valley is amazing. On my first trip to the park I was simply blown away by the scenery. The geologic history is simply stunning. Our plan was to hike from Badwater, the lowest point in North America, to Telescope Peak, the highest point in the park; a change of 11,331 feet of elevation in 15 miles. The first 6-7 miles was an easy hike up a canyon wash. It wasnt much of a climb but was definitely a steady uphill. After a little further up the canyon our trail began to disappear and we started looking for places to scramble up the rest of the mountain. Our first choice was to head up a steep scree field to a ridge that looked to be a good line up the mountain. The first part of the climb to the ridge went smoothly but we quickly ended up climbing with all fours. It became so steep and loose that we were crawling on our knees! During a short stop we made to reconsider our safety and route, I noticed what looked like a trail another half a mile up the canyon. After talking with my girlfriend, we decided to head back down to the wash and try this new trail. Standing in our way was the thickest brush I have ever seen in my life. The plants were growing on top of each other and we were literally walking through the tops of small trees. The next morning we found what looked like an old trail heading up the mountain. We followed it for a quarter mile until it just stopped at a cliff. Im not sure if it was a old road to a mine or what but it brought an end to our trip. We decided that we did not have enough time to find another way up. Instead we hiked back to our car and drove to the actual trailhead to Telescope Peak. It was worth the views and we read in the peak register that another couple had tried the same thing and was successful on the third try. <div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.justinwp.com/Pictures/pic_1176433654.jpg" alt="Death Valley National Park" alignment="" border="" hspace="" vspace=""></div> Read the rest at WeBackpack.com.

Denali

admin@webackpack.com(justinwp) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 04:23:29 -0400

Author: justinwp
State: Alaska
Area: Denali National Park
Days: 1
Miles: 8

My girlfriend and I were traveling through Alaska after finishing our work on a trail crew at Kenai Fjords National Park and stopped at Denali National Park for two days. On our first day there, we drove until the gate at milepost 30. Since it was passed the park\s season, private vehicles can drive down the Park Highway. On our way back at around milepost 23 my girlfriend and I decided to start hiking to a peak that we had kind of randomly chosen. The hike was extremely difficult. The tundra grabbed at me on every step and I never knew what was beneath the moss as I placed my boot. It took us nearly 3 hours to get to the really steep parts and the beginning of the snow. We saw several sheep tracks but didn\t spot any wildlife. When we turned around and looked at the view had climbed to, we were awestruck by the magnificence of Denali. It towered above everything else and we were over 50 miles away! Another highlight was our mile walk across a solid snowpack. My girlfriend had never experienced that on a mountain top and I was wishing I had skis. The hike down took considerably less, but was a strain on my body. I was exhausted by the time we reached the vehicle, but I now know a little more about what it is like in the tundra and peaks of Denali National Park. Read the rest at WeBackpack.com.

Lost Lake

admin@webackpack.com(justinwp) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 04:10:31 -0400

Author: justinwp
State: Alaska
Area: Chugach National Forest
Days: 2
Miles: 15

I was recently building trail at Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska for a month as part of a Student Conservation Association crew. On one of my weekends, my girlfriend and I went for a short backpacking trip to Lost Lake. We began the hike from the Seward side and soon ran into a wind that just about knocked me over when we reached tree line. When I turned around the wind would smack the straps on my backpack against my face, but the view of Resurrection Bay was amazing. It was a crystal clear fall day in Alaska and was the peak of the color change. The mountains were covered with the red of fireweed and other tundra plants while the aspen gave the lower forests an awesome golden glow. The trail was somewhat heavily used by locals as a common dayhike. We passed several trail runners and day hikers. I guess the lake was no longer lost. We didn\t end up camping on Lost Lake but stayed on a slightly smaller one to the east. My girlfriend and I tried our luck on fishing, but gave up after a while. We had the perfect spot to camp, out of the wind with a terrific view. The next day we began hiking out but focused on berry picking for a solid hour. We collected nearly one gallon of high bush blueberries and probably ate many more that didn\t make it into our ziplock bag. My hands and lips were stained purple for the rest of the day. The rest of the hike was a bit more peaceful than the day before; there were fewer hikers and much less wind. It was a wonderful backpacking trip and I suggest the trail as a dayhike to any visitors to Seward, AK. Read the rest at WeBackpack.com.

Pruitt to Kyles Landing

admin@webackpack.com(trekkman) — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 21:19:08 -0400

Author: trekkman
State: Arkansas
Area: Buffalo River
Days: 3
Miles: 17

We did this trip over Labor Day weekend. We started at Pruitt campground and headed back up river on the BRT (Buffalo River Trail) which is the trail that goes up and away from the river and is also limited to hikers only. There is a trail that stays on the river called the ORT (Old River Trail) that is for hikers and horses. As we started out we ascended a graudual climb up to an overlook. From there the trail passes several old homesteads and then winds up at Ozark campground. That leg of the trail is 2.6 miles. This is a great place to swim and relax. From there we headed on up river towards Erbie. We stopped about a mile short of Erbie to camp for the night. That was about 5 miles form Ozark and we dropped down onto the ORT to get to the river and filter some water. Theres a great place to camp on down on the river here. Its a gravel bar that has places where there are sand. We had to shrink the Rivers snake population here by three so be careful when camping down on the river. There are some great holes here for fishing and swimming and just a great place to relax. The next morning we set out for another day of hiking. We passed through Erbie and on to some of the coolest parts of the trail Ive ever been on. There are several historical sites on this section of the trail. Theres the Parker-Hickman farm and an old cemetery just up the road from there with some stones that date back to 1796. From there we hiked along a ridge overlooking the river and saw some really great stuff. This is a pretty long span away from the river so if you go it make sure you take plenty of water. At this point we dropped back down to the river for some swimming and some lunch. After lunch we decided to make it over to Camp Orr Boy Scout Camp to go through a cave there called Copper Head Cave. We got the cave and had to help get a guy out of the cave that couldnt climb back out. This cave is a drop in and then goes for a nearly a mile. After getting the guy out of the cave we decided to head back down to the river set up camp. We ended up camping about .6 of a mile from our final destination on a gravel bar at Buzzard Bluff. It was awesome. The bluff walls here are over 300 feet tall and truly amazing. The swimming there is awesome too. After a good night we headed the last .6 of a mile to Kyles landing and then over to the cave for the day. We were originally planning on making this a three day but ended up doing all but the last .6 of a mile in 2 days. We decided to stop there because of how awesome it was. This was a great hike. I would highly recommend it! Be sure to check out the pictures. Read the rest at WeBackpack.com.

Hemmed in Hollow/ Sneeds Creek Loop

admin@webackpack.com(trekkman) — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 22:12:55 -0400

Author: trekkman
State: Arkansas
Area: Buffalo RIver National Forrest
Days: 1
Miles: 7

This is one of the steepest loops on the river. You reach the trailhead by going to Compton, AR and tuning on the old Compton-Erbie Road. About 1/4 mile down the road there is a cross-roads. Turn right and go about 3/4 mile to the first right and youll see the parking area. There are also brown park signs on the Hwy. that say Compton Trailhead. At the parking area there are two trails. The left takes you down to Hemmed in Hollow which is a 300 foot water fall. This part of the loop is 2.6 miles. The trail starts with a gradual descent and comes to a place where the world falls off and you begin a 1200 ft descent in a little under a mile. At the bottom the trail takes you out the the river. After crossing the river the trail goes to the right. Within 1/2 a mile there is a junction. Stay straight and cross the river to one of the most awesome campsites on the river. Its all sand and is across from a bluff and a huge swimming hole. Taking the left will take you up on top of the bluff and on towards Kyles Landing. There is great camping on top as well if you have a free standing tent. From there you follow the ORT (Old River Trail)across Sneeds Creek and there is another great place to camp for large groups. On past that about 100 to 200 yards the junction for Sneeds Creek trail heads right. Staying straight on the ORT will take you into Steel Creek Landing. 1/4 mile up the trail is Granny Hendersons old homestead. There is another junction there. Stay to the right of the house and youll be on the Sneeds Creek Trail. There are some awesome sights to see as you wind back up away from the river. On the trail you will cross Flat Rock. A open field that is one rock probably 100 yards wide and 300 yards long with the creek flowing through it. Passed that there are some small caves and some more old home sights. Waterfalls and just awesome scenery. About 2 miles into this 4.6 mile section you come back up the ridge. This side is about a 1200-1300 foot ascent. There are plenty of places on this loop to filter water so you dont have to pack in a lot. Just what youll drink on the hike. This loop is a moderate because of the elevation changes and the terrain on the descent into Hemmed-in-Hollow. The trail down to the falls is where most of the rescues are done on the River. So be in shape and expect some rugged terrain. This is my favorite hike on the Buffalo. The views are great and the river sections are some the best places to fish and swim. Read the rest at WeBackpack.com.