I hiked the 8.2 mile segment from Ouachita Pinnacle to AR 298.  I wasn’t on the trail long before heavy fog moved in and then 2-3 hours of light rain.  I intended to spend some time at the top looking for more photogenic views than I had on the last trip, but the fog prevented that.

I parked at the AR 298 trail head Friday AM with the intention of hiking east to Ouachita Pinnacle and back, then west to the Irons Fork Creek area and back over the 3 day weekend.  About a mile from AR 298 on the way back from Ouachita Pinnacle I twisted my knee and caused some momentary pain that soon subsided to a dull ache.  I planned to continue west past AR 298 (and the crossing of the North Fork of the Ouachita River) a bit before setting up camp and seeing how the knee felt in the morning.  When I came back through the trail head parking area, however, I noticed one of my tires was low.  I knew one tire had a slow leak and now another was leaking too at an unknown rate.  Throw in the sore knee and it seemed like the smart thing to do was end the trip.

I got the tire aired-up on the way home Friday and went out Saturday to get both leaks fixed.  The new one was repairable, the older one wasn’t.  All tires were getting pretty short on tread so I left with a new set of tires.  A much more expensive weekend than planned!

As of Sunday AM, the knee is improving so I won’t be side-lined for long.