[at-l] Back from the Ouachita Trail

[infpeace@yahoo.com (Nina Baxley)]

Hi all,

I just got back from my hike with Nocona and her dog
Buddy on the Ouachita Trail. Very good hike!! The
eastern part of the OT (in Arkansas, near Hot Springs)
is a bit hilly and made for pleasant hiking. We took
it easy and covered about 40 miles in 5 or 6 days. The
weather was pretty nice, though we did have a couple
of overcast days--no views on those days. :-(  One
morning we woke up and it was in the low 20s. Brrrr!!!
But my newly clean 20* Feathered Friends kept me warm
and comfy! I also tried out my Sierra Designs Light
Year for the first time and was very happy with it. It
was also my first time not to use a groundcloth, and I
stayed dry despite a couple of nights of rain.

The Ouachita Trail has several AT-style shelters,
complete with shelter registers. Of course, they don't
fill up as quickly as AT shelter registers ... one
shelter had a three-year-old register in it, and I
enjoyed reading my November '98 entry about surviving
a scary tornado-ridden rainstorm!

All in all, it was a good hike. Nocona and Buddy made
for great hiking partners--pretty impressive for
Buddy, since it was his first long hike!

The trail (sections 7 and 8 at least) was in good
condition, particularly considering it was shut down
last spring because of the December 2000 ice storm
damage. There are lots and lots of fallen trees
because of it, but the trail itself was clear and well
maintained. I'm looking forward to more Arkansas
hiking next spring when I hike the Ozark Highlands
Trail!

Back to work now ... blah! :-(

Nina
"Waterfall"

=====
Visit the Louisiana Hiking Club at http://www.geocities.com/louisianahikingclub
Visit my ME-GA 2000 thru-hike updates at http://www.gorp.com/gorp/activity/hiking/thruhike/nina/ninab_archive.htm.

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