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Michael R - The Compulsive Hiker
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Tag Archives: Ouachita Mountains
A Caney Creek Wilderness traverse, completed
With another nice 70-degree day in the forecast I saw a chance to finish the hike I started at the end of December ’24, when high water levels encouraged me to turn around at crossing #11 (of 13) of Caney … Continue reading
Cossatot River State Park, #2
The weather forecast had a couple days with highs around 70 coming up and it seemed like a great opportunity to take care of one of the things that’s been on my to-do list way too long: a return trip … Continue reading
A Caney Creek Wilderness (almost) traverse
It was a bit more than 10 years ago that I hiked the Caney Creek/Buckeye loop. I finally returned to hike that again along with the western part of the Caney Creek Trail, this time collecting data for a new … Continue reading
Eagle Rock Loop, take 2
This was my second time doing the 27-mile Eagle Rock Loop and was accompanied by RC (who was also with me 6 years ago) and first-timer TC. I was surprised at how little of this great scenery I remembered, and … Continue reading
Winding Stair Mtn – Boardstand & Old Military Road loop
It was my second time around this 22-mile loop. The first trip 7 years ago was also New Year’s weekend and was my first time in the Ouachitas. I remembered some things but was surprised at some of the nice … 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
Lake Sylvia Trails
The Lake Sylvia Recreation Area features a man-made 18-acre lake for fishing, swimming, and non-motorized boating, plus camp sites with water & electric hookups, and a few miles of hiking trail. I first visited the area in September ’14 and … Continue reading
Big Brushy Trail Complex
The Big Brushy Recreation Area serves as one of the major trail heads for the Ouachita Trail but there are 4 shorter trails that can be combined with the OT to create varying length loops. I hiked the 3.6 mile … Continue reading
Black Fork Mountain Trail
My first hike on the Black Fork Mountain Trail was more than 2 years ago and I decided it was time for another visit. This is in the western part of the Ouachitas – in Arkansas but pretty near the … Continue reading
Walking the Womble, part deux
Part 2 consisted of hiking the Womble Trail west from the AR-298 trail head, where part 1 left off, to the end at North Fork Lake, then back. A central feature of this segment is Mauldin Mountain. On the south … Continue reading
The Compulsive Hiker 