Ozark Highlands Trail

Day 17: Saturday April 27- Norfork Trail Section

5:30

My body wakes me up with the urge to pee and I do not regret immediately crawling out of bed as the entire place is… warm! For the first time in a week I do not have to leave the comfort in order to take care of myself. For this I am grateful.

I hear the thunderstorm raging outside and I wonder, are we really going to hike in this? Of course we are, is my immediate response. We do not have to pack up a wet tent, and we can come home to a warm dry place and another shower if we wanted. It’s an ideal situation to keep hiking despite the rain. I go back to sleep, amidst the claps of thunder and the flashes of lightening.

6:35

Our alarm goes off. I wake up slowly. I did not get a full cycle of sleep so I am a little weary. I know I have to get going, so I get up. Jasclyn is going to give us a ride around 8/8.15 to the Norfork Dam so we can hike this 25ish miles back to the resort.

I take some time to stretch before getting out of bed today. A luxury I have not had in weeks. The inflatable pad and smaller tent leave less room for me to stretch on trail, so I often skip this routine.

I find it weird that in the past I’d be tired and sore and hobbling by now. But this time, after 0 rest days, my body is ready to keep hiking. I do not feel sore. I do not feel physically tired. I am a little mentally tired from a lack of 8 consistent hours of sleep but that is to be expected when backpacking.

I put on my warm, dry, and finally clean clothes. I am sad they have to get dirty so quickly but that is the balance we strike when in town. I revel in the cleanliness for now. It feels so nice. I had forgotten what this was like. I joke with myself that I may never go back to getting so dirty again. Then I laugh knowing that I now prefer longer stints between town.

I found that would rather cache all my food and have less town stops in the future. I love the experience of town but it can be quite distracting from my main goal of being out in nature. The amenities of town are wonderful for short periods but the vortex is real, as I learned on the AT.

This experience let me deepen my relationship with thru hiking, and with myself. Washerrr and I hike together but we spend most of our time in silence and solitude, soaking in the vastness this beautiful world has to offer. I get to recharge my batteries, and find new places within myself to nest for awhile. I never know what I’m going to find with my walking meditation, but isn’t that the point? To just be?

In modern society there is so much going on, so much clamber and senseless noise, it becomes hard to think. When I am on trail, all the gibberish fades away and I get to see clearly for what feels like the first time, every time. The nonsense slips away and peace takes its place. Every breath is a full breath. Every action deliberate. No more floundering around to keep up appearances or feeling this little incessant motor inside of me telling me I must keep producing or moving to be worth any amount of anything. Outside, I am. I simply am. It’s absolutely delightful. I wish everyone could have this type of experience, of oneness with self and with universe. We are a part of something larger and that gets mistranslated in modern day living. There is no mistranslation when one is outside.

8:15

We meet Jasclyn at the office for our shuttle to Norfork Dam.

8:40

We start our hike north, not knowing if it’s 12.5 or 25 miles. By the end of the first section the AllTrails maps say we’ve done half the allotted miles but we see that we’d reached our destination. Turns out these trails are out and back, so the total miles were doubled. Each trail was identified as a backpacking trail so I assumed that the total trail miles was going in one direction. I rejoice as the mystery is solved! Though Washerrr and I have hiked 25+ miles in one day, it was never easy and I find myself relieved that we only have 9ish miles to go for the day.

It is warm but over cast today. Though there is no sun in the sky it is still warm enough that I do not need my sun hoodie or rain jacket. We prepared for more storms so it is a pleasant surprise that the rain ends before we start for the day. Our goal is to beat the afternoon rain… and we do!

One of the many water sources along this stretch. Because trail edges along Norfork Lake, there are several places where the streams feed into the lake. Instead of going all the way around these areas, trail crosses through/over them.

A little friend, the box turtle. Looks like a Sith Lord to me, a very small and shy Sith Lord.

The trail markers in this section seem to be eaten by the trees. 12 Years of growth will do that, I guess. It was a little confusing at first that the OHT blaze changes from the white rectangle to the blue circle with the arrow. We relayed this information to the people in charge. If you hike any section north of Matney Knob, be aware of this change 🙂

14:50

We arrive back at the Fish and Fiddle resort. The terrain was very rocky with slick wet leaves piled all over trail. It was slower going than we anticipated but that’s ok. The beauty of the lake below captured our attention. There were plenty of water sources today though we did not need any of it as we packed out 2 liters each. We did not stop for lunch, but ate many many snacks along the way. I think this was our most efficient hiking day. 13 miles and no pack off breaks. A test of endurance that we passed somehow.

Trail head by the Fish and Fiddle Resort. This part of trail was very unkempt but still beautiful. You come out at this point onto a steep dirt road. Go up the hill and you’ll find yourself at the road to the resort.

I decide to pamper myself with another shower. Two showers in two days seems like a luxury after going 18 days with no shower. It is moments like these that remind me life is good.

16:30

We head to the Norfork Dam in an attempt to find the OHTA meeting we heard about from Tim last week.

17:07

We arrive at the park and see people gathered at the pavilion overlooking the lake. There is a large signing hanging that has the OHT trail logo and the words Ozark Highlands Trail Association. We have found the right place!

We cautiously approach as we do not know anyone and arrived after a brief invitation from Tim Ernst the other week. A kind looking man with glasses and a bright orange OHT trail maintainer shirt sees us walking up and he steps forward and asks if he can help. We explain our situation, that we are thru-hiking the OHT and that we were invited by Tim Ernst… we did not get to say much before before the man excitedly asked if we are hungry. We nod and laugh, remarking how we are always hungry on trail. He invites us to join in the festivities, to eat food and if we have time, to join their annual all team meeting! So we did what hikers do and we grab some plates, pile food up, and have a seat. 

Our hosts graciously let us shovel some food in our mouths before people start to gather around us. It turns out the kind man in the orange shirt is Phil, the director of the OHTA. He introduces us to several folks who are key to the operation and expansion of the OHT. Their goal is to create a new long trail called the Trans-Ozark Trail that spans over 700 miles from Western Arkansas to North Eastern Missouri, utilizing the Ozark Highlands Trail and the Ozark Trail as the backbone. Their current mission is to fill in the gaps between Matney Knob and the Ozark Trail on the border of Arkansas and Missouri.

Phil introduces us to Roy who is a Master Naturalist and is leading the project to build the new sections of trail in the area. Much to our excitement and to his, Roy gets out paper maps of the trail plans and shows us where there is new trail already built! It turns out that the OHTA website is not up to date and that there are even more stretches of the OHT that Washerrr and I can hike!

This is a wild moment as Washerrr and I turn towards each other with huge smiles, nodding to each other in solidarity. We both know that we will do whatever it takes to hike EVERY INCH of this trail that we can hike.

Roy and Phil invite us to join the OHTA in an out and back hike tomorrow morning, they are going to hike the newly built section from Barren Creek to the border of Missouri. How exciting! With further help from Roy, we reconfigure our hiking plans to include every section of trail possible. He even tells us about a 2 mile stretch that has not been built yet but has enough pink ribbons to be easily traversed. After completing the 20 mile bushwhack section, we decide we can happily take on another 2 miles. 

Somewhere in all the excitement, Washerrr and I also meet Tim Ernst in person! He joins in our conversations with Roy and we talk about the OHT, maps, bushwhacking, photography, community, and the importance of connecting to self and connecting to nature. I make sure to take a moment to thank Tim for creating this trail. Gratitude is a practice and it is not often we get a chance to thank those who have changed our lives for the better. I will always remember this moment, in my mind and in my heart. Thank you, Tim!

At this point, our hearts are full and our excitement is palpable.

Just two pieces of hiker trash with the man that created the Ozark Highlands Trail. This is a huge highlight of the trip– meeting Tim Ernst!

18:00ish

Phil stands up and gets everyones attention, it is time to start their annual meeting. Our annual meeting. We are a part of this now and for that I am grateful.

The meeting lasts about an hour. We are introduced to the group as a whole, and we are introduced to the newest board members and those who dedicate so much of their lives to manifesting this project. We witness the ins and outs of the meeting, watching the nitty gritty grind and hearing about the red tape getting in the way, but also about the hope that this project will be completed one day. I had no idea how much work went into building a trail and now I have that much more appreciation for anyone and everyone who brings dreams of trail to fruition. 

The meeting wraps up as the sun sinks further beyond the horizon. Washerrr and I stay until it is dark, talking to anyone else who can stay. At last, the few of us who remain part ways for the night. Now it is time to rest, for we rejoin the group tomorrow to hike together and relish in the fruits of their labor. 

…

Reflections:

This has already been such an incredible adventure and it just keeps growing. It was beautiful to watch the heart of this community come together this evening. They were quite enthralled with our presence just as we were grateful to be in the midst of those who made our journey possible. None of this would be possible without the other— that is the magic of this trail. It works its wonders both on and off trail.

I am so blessed to be a part of this, and I would love to continue to be a part of this. I encourage anyone who is interested to hike this trail. Even a small portion of it will change your heart.

…Our total trail miles are updated to reflect our new goal 🙂

Bonus photo: moss is trail, trail is moss!