Nineteen TrailBlazers under the command of Alpha Male Ed and Alpha Female Judith headed up to the Ponca area under gray skies to hike Big Bluff. In Boxley Valley we were treated to green meadows and a fine herd of elk. At the Elk Education Center (who knew that elk needed to go to school!) we learned that it had rained two inches overnight. It was cool with a stiff breeze at the trailhead. 

Once we hit the trail the breeze disappeared, but we had something new to contend with – lots of puddles of all sizes, rivulets on the trail, wet leaves, slippery rocks, and squishy mud, so we had to spend plenty of quality time watching our footing. This is the most water we have ever seen on this trail. As we finally approached the bluffs our first-timers were ready for their “aha” moment when they first experience the majestic bluff high above the Buffalo River. As we walked along the bluff little streams of water were dripping down from above. Cameras were clicking right and left as we scrambled around looking for a lunch seat with a view, something that was not hard to find! Xue overcame her fear of heights and gingerly walked along hugging the bluff since the trail is narrow in places. Some people opted to crawl through the window in the bluff while others climbed down to a lower ledge to bypass it in order to continue exploring the bluff and drinking in the view. 

Of course, the return trip is all up hill, and we know that the return trip is longer even if this defies logic! Ed’s high-tech GPS indicated that this trail is about 6 miles round trip, not the 5.5 we believed it to be. Yours Truly’s low-tech knees believe it is even longer than that, but Big Bluff is well worth the effort! Missed you, Billigene - hope you are enjoying this at the library!

Twelve hardy TrailBlazers with antifreeze in their veins braved the cold, for the second week in a row, to hike the Big Bluff Trail near Ponca. With Linda in the lead we tackled this unusual 5.5 mile trail. It was really chilly, but sunny at the outset, so we were all bundled up, but we warmed up once we got going. 

Conventional wisdom indicates that we would hike upward to reach a high bluff, but on this trail we actually had to trek downward to reach this majestic bluff with the narrow ledge that overlooks the Buffalo River. After a gradual descent, we suddenly reached the towering wall of the bluff. Once we passed through the wooded area we reached the bare ledge and had a fantastic view of the river and the surrounding bluffs as we carefully walked along. We spent some time exploring and then found a sunny, sheltered area on the ledge to eat lunch. In places the ledge is narrow, so it could be scary for anyone who does not have a head for heights. 

Since we had hiked down to reach the bluff, the laws of Physics dictated that we had to hike up on the return trip. The ascent is gradual, but it is a fairly steady climb with a total elevation gain of 1,000 feet. In any case, the warriors from last week’s trek felt that this one was easier. As unscientific as it might seem, Yours Truly thinks that the return trip is longer. Maybe that is because it is uphill and the oxygen masks did not deploy when she lost cabin pressure! In any case, it turned out to be a beautiful day and we had a great time.

Thirteen hardy TrailBlazers met for an early role call to travel up to Big Bluff high above the Buffalo River. En route they saw 4 swans on a pond near Boxley Valley. Billigene reports that the temperature was a brisk 34 degrees at the Trailhead. For those who don’t know, the trail to Big Bluff involves hiking down from the highway to the bluff, so the return trip is a steady climb out. Somehow it seems that it should be the reverse! 

Since it is colder in this area than in the River Valley, there was ice on the trail in places, making for slick footing. Once again this week there were beautiful icicles as well as frost flowers. For those seeing it for the first time the sighting of big bluff is quite amazing. The bluff is enormous and features a narrow ledge trail where there are wonderful panoramic views of the Buffalo River. At one place you can either climb through a hole in the rock in order to continue, or you can climb down and walk around it. 

There was some occasional drizzle, but it was on and off. Billigene reports that it was muddy in places on the return trip and that it became rather foggy at the end of the trail. On the return drive some people reported seeing some turkeys (One wonders if they were anybody we know)! A final highpoint of the day was three elk sightings in the valley.

Our great 10th season kickoff program at the Nature Center featured Bernard de la Harpe aka Steven Dunlap, a time traveler from 18th century French Louisiana who conscripted us for one year for his historic fact-finding expedition in 1721. First he shanghaied the voyagers, men who had to build dugout canoes in one week to haul all the gear upriver against the current. They were bribed with the promise of a full ration of booze every day – many of us would have volunteered had we known! Next he rounded up hunters to harvest deer and bison and also traders to barter for food, moccasins, and information. Lastly he needed surveyors with compasses and some math skills to calculate distances, map the rivers, and make observations about the suitability of the land for colonization. 

Bernard, a real historical figure, seemed to be an able leader even though he was somewhat full of himself in his fancy getup with all the gold buttons. He expressed doubt about both our intelligence and our abilities – rude of him even if he was right! He did write a great journal of our adventure. Our trip lasted less than a year because we all got sick with the trots and some Indians took pity on us and we finally arrived home. Only one of us died, but the TrailBlazers won’t divulge this info in case the victim doesn’t realize his own demise.

Steven did a great job, was very funny, and displayed artifacts, both real and re-created, to help us visualize the time he lived in. 

Yours Truly knew something was up when she didn’t receive pics from Katie until about 11 pm. A tuckered out Buffalo Bob responded to my plea for a write up: 

Sixteen TrailBlazers showed up to tackle what was billed as a "strenuous" hike. Athens to Big Fork trail by Tim Ernst's description had a lot of "ups" listed. However, after 9+ miles we were certain he left out several "ups". 

We trudged over seven mountains and encountered many water crossings. The first climb started just after leaving the vehicles. Some joked that we should turn around and call it a day. By the second climb, that joke seemed more like a good idea. The weather was perfect for this undertaking. We were very lucky to have a cool, cloudy day. We had to use water shoes only once. The creek was wide and the water quite cool and believe it or not, refreshing. 

At the end of the hike, those going to retrieve vehicles left the rest to fend for ourselves. In the cool of the approaching darkness, we built a campfire and toasted some buns. A poll taken around the fire found zero TrailBlazerswanting to place this trail on an annual revisit-list. 

Shani reported on Facebook that it was a long day, and she had no plans to hike this trail again. In response to her post, Ruth Ann, Audrey and Katie were all in her Amen Corner. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Yours Truly was raking and burning leaves on her 21 acres and now realizes that it was a good choice for a knobby-kneed woman! 

When the going gets tough, some ToughBlazers really get going!

TrailBlazers traveled to Mt. Nebo State Park to hike the 3.3 mile rim trail. Starting from the bath house parking lot, we dropped down to the trail and made our way to Sunrise Point. Prior to air polution, it was possible to see Little Rock in the distance. The Rim Trail has great views and several pleasant spots to relax and admire the scenery. The trail featured rock formations, great views of the valley and some challenging areas with stone steps. There were no water crossings even though there are several small streams and springs along the trail. We ate our lunch on the gift shop back porch with a view of Lake Dardanelle and the nuclear power plant at Russellville. Great hike!

Eleven TrailBlazers met at Judge Parker's Courtroom parking lot to walk the river trail to the Marshall's Museum Sunday, March 17th. The trail crosses the railroad tracks and passes through an area where there were once barracks for soldiers stationed at Fort Smith in the 1800's. Continuing on, we walked through the amphitheater, visited the Marshall's museum and continued on to the end of the trail where there is now a campground. Estimated round-trip distance walked 3 miles.