The sight of trash in the Ozarks sometimes interrupts my enjoyment of the walk. I try to contain my emotional response to seeing an abandoned cup, because it confuses Hiker-dog. She’s always happy in the woods and worries if I’m not enjoying my time, too. I’ve...
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My love for local bookstores was solidified during college when I worked at Adams Bookstore in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Mr. Adams was like a mentor to me during that time. I wrote about his influence during those crucial years in another post. In 2016, I learned of...
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Bob and I walked the first 160 miles of the Ouachita (Wash’-i-taw) Trail before and after Christmas, so only the last 63 miles stood between us and completing our thru-hike. Several things occurred to keep us from getting back out there, but May 2-6 was...
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Saturday, March 31, was our day to walk the few miles needed by Hiker-dog to complete the 180-mile Ozark Highlands Trail (OHT). Of course, the OHT keeps growing, but the first 165 miles qualify for thru-hiker bragging rights. Hiker-dog has walked or run every inch of the...
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Years ago we asked my youngest daughter about vacation ideas. This young lady is now more widely traveled than her father, but at that time she named several options that we’d already visited. When asked why she liked these places, she said, “Because we’ve been...
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Hiking—I don’t like either the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains – not hike! ~ John Muir Today was about checking my 4-mile adopted section of the Ozark Highlands Trail. I’d recently read the above John Muir quote and planned to...
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During a phone interview with Kyle Kellams of KUAF, I mentioned how hiking and writing about trails go together for me. I couldn’t imagine doing one without the other. He said, “So, in addition to being a thru-hiker, you’re a ‘thru-writer.'” I thought, what a cool...
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Residents of the Ozarks hanker for higher elevations this time of year. I wish Arkansas had an 8,000-foot mountain, but it would be crowded with the whole state huddled at the top through July and August. Fortunately, there is a place where you can sometimes escape...
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Hiker-dog and I scouted the Marinoni Scenic Area recently in preparation to share with Chuck Dovish of Exploring Arkansas. Chuck’s program is aired by Arkansas Educational Television Network. He has done programs since 2005, so finding an area of Arkansas he hasn’t covered was a challenge....
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As a child, I thought writing was magic. For real writers, words must flow without effort in finished form, or so I thought. My senior English teacher was Inez Taylor. She was pretty tough but got me excited about writing. I worked particularly hard on a short story...
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