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Michael R - The Compulsive Hiker
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Allen Nixon on Eagle Rock Loop Michael R on Ozark Highlands Trail – Lake F… Jennifer C on Ozark Highlands Trail – Lake F… Michael R on Staunton State Park, Colo… Carol on Staunton State Park, Colo…
Author Archives: Michael R
Backpacking 101 in the Hercules Glades Wilderness
It’s been about 2.5 years since my last trip to Hercules Glades, and for this trip I was accompanied by Hannah and Matt – a couple USFS interns working out of the Ava (Missouri) Ranger station. They will be spending … Continue reading
Shores Lake & White Rock Mountain Loop
A couple days with no rain and reasonably cool temperatures came my way and I made the most of it with an overnight trip on the Shores Lake & White Rock Mountain Loop (map #2 of my OHT set). It … Continue reading
Just say no – to camp fires
My first on-line diatribe! A recent paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) indicates that over a 20-year study period 84% of wildfires were started by humans. Can you f-ing believe that? Since the vast majority of … Continue reading
In search of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
I was invited to float part of Bayou DeView in Monroe county Arkansas to seek evidence of the elusive and endangered Ivory-billed Woodpecker. The leader of the expedition was Jim Carpenter, founder of Wild Birds Unlimited, and a long-time “hunter” of the bird.
Ozark Highlands Trail – Salt Fork Creek to Ragtown Road
It didn’t feel like it had been over 3 years since last hiking this part of OHT section 2. There was a good rain a couple days earlier so there was water running everywhere and I was glad not to contend with … Continue reading
North Sylamore Creek Trail – Cripple Turkey to Barkshed
This was the first trail I hiked in Arkansas during visits almost 5 and 6 years ago and reading those posts again sure brings back some memories. My intention this time was a 2-night backpacking trip from Gunner Pool east to Allison and … Continue reading
Wildcat Mountain – Take 2
It sure didn’t seem like 2 years had passed since my last visit to the Wildcat Mountain trails in the eastern Ouachitas between Lakes Sylvia and Winona. I hiked a couple short trails I missed last time, and was able to … Continue reading
Smith Creek Preserve
The Smith Creek Preserve is about 1300 acres of classic Ozark scenery just a few miles south of Boxley Ark. It’s owned by The Nature Conservancy – a terrific organization, is bordered on the south by the Ozark National Forest and the … Continue reading
Ozark Highlands Trail – Lick Branch to Morgan Fields
A 2-night trip with a couple friends from Kansas City (RC & TC). It was the first time seeing most of this stretch from east to west so some of it seemed unfamiliar. The weather was pretty good, maybe a … Continue reading
Ouachita Trail shelter recon
I was finally able to get out and see the final 3 shelters built on the Ouachita Trail – Turner Gap, Suck Mountain, and Story Creek – all finished last fall and bringing the shelter count up to 21! My OT … Continue reading
The Compulsive Hiker 