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Michael R - The Compulsive Hiker
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Author Archives: Michael R
Painted Rock Conservation Area
Next, and even further north was the Painted Rock Conservation Area with a 1.6 mile loop that features views from atop a 140 bluff above the Osage River. There is apparently evidence of habitation going back 9000 years, including a … Continue reading
Clifty Creek Conservation Area
I headed north to the Clifty Creek Conservation Area but the rain caught-up with me anyway just as I was pulling into the parking lot. The trail here is a very scenic 2.5 mile loop featuring a natural bridge and … Continue reading
Paddy Creek Wilderness
I was feeling ready for a solo backpacking trip and the opportunity arrived this weekend in Paddy Creek Wilderness, a 7000 acre area south of Ft Leonard Wood. It was officially a KC Adventure Club trip but nobody else signed-up. … Continue reading
Bell Mountain Wilderness
I had an interesting weekend in the Bell Mountain Wilderness in the St. Francois Mountains of southeast Missouri on a Sierra Club beginner’s backpacking trip. This time I was part of the crew – the sweep for one of the … Continue reading
Perry Lake work day #4
I spent another day clearing trails at Perry lake – this time from mile 28 (where we left off on work day #3) west to where section 1 intersects. This was all wooded so still in pretty good shape. A … Continue reading
Ozark Highlands Trail – Hare Mountain to Lick Branch
The Ozark Highlands Trail (OHT) runs 165 miles through the Ozark National Forest in northwest Arkansas – between Lake Ft Smith State Park and the Buffalo National River at Wollum. I completed a four day 16 mile hike across most … Continue reading
Eddy-Ballentine and Blue River Parkway trails – work day
I spent the morning with a group from the Sierra Club clearing the Eddy-Ballentine trail. 2 of us mowed from the south trail head up through the Blue River Glade and down to the north trail head while everyone else … Continue reading
Perry Lake work day #3
Today found me behind the DR mower again at Perry Lake but this time we did Section 4 from Ferguson Rd west about 1.6 miles. There were more trees to trim (or just cut down) than before and we had … Continue reading
Perry Lake work day #2
I spent a good part of the day at Perry Lake behind this bad boy: A “DR All-Terrain Mower” borrowed from the Corps of Engineers. The goal was to reclaim part of Section 1 on both sides of 66th Street … Continue reading
A Weekend Wandering in the Wilderness
I spent a weekend with other local Sierra Clubbers wandering in the Hercules Glades Wilderness Area – my first of the seven wilderness areas in Missouri. A wilderness area is basically one with no human-made structures (roads, bridges, buildings, etc), … Continue reading
The Compulsive Hiker 