The View Never Changes…

Jackalope

Welcome first time blogger McKenna. I wanted to get a younger voice in the blogs here and our teenage daughter was up to the task. Besides all the things she mentions doing on Saturday, she spent most of Sunday volunteering in the Kid’s Tent at Pinnacle Mountain Rendezvous.

Hobo, Me, Bitsy, Mom...pretty much the order of the day.
Hobo, Me, Bitsy, Mom...pretty much the order of the day.

This Saturday was a busy day for me and my family. Hiking, housework, Hillcrest Harvestfest, and all kinds of things that, in order to get all of it done demanded I get up before 10 AM. Being a teenager, that’s pretty tough, but I managed to muster up the strength to wake up at a crazy NINE A.M.! Can you believe it?

We got the leashes and treats, gathered the dogs, packed a backpack full of water bottles and headed out. Time to go hiking on the Ouachita National Trail! A few years ago my parents and I backpacked part of it, so we headed out to an area we hadn’t done before. I was assigned Hobo duty. In case you’re wondering, “What’s that? Is she in charge of looking out for hobos? WHY WOULD THEY TAKE THEIR CHILD TO HOBO-INFESTED WOODS?” Hobo is our new puppy. I named her, so blame me for the confusion. Mom took Bitsy, our other dog, and Joe took pictures. We quickly realized Hobo has control issues with who gets to be the line leader after she nearly choked herself when Bitsy walked ahead of her. Hobo obviously thinks she is the lead dog.

A grove area that I liked.
A grove area that I liked.

The trail was beautiful. Being fall, my favorite season, the trees were starting to change, yellow, green, brown, red, all the colors were beginning to come out. Leaves were scattered over the ground, making for a very noisy hike; leaves crunching, dogs panting, and people talking. I pointed out several times, “I like that tree.” Not all of them, just certain ones in particular. We hiked along the water for a while, enjoying the scenery of the forest. Boy, do I love being an Arkansan. Joe noticed there was an old stone wall beside the trail & most of the trees we saw were small and young, so we decided there was most likely farm land or some kind of crop area here before it was turned over to the Ouachita National Forest and the US Forest Service. Going out and enjoying nature is something my parents and I love to do together and do often, and every time brings its own special memories and experiences, no matter how many times we do it.

Fleet Feet Little Rock

Even though the leaves were changing, the woods were calm, and the water was flowing, the two things I was focused on were not tripping on rocks or roots and Hobo. More specifically, Hobo’s behind. All five miles of this gorgeous trail, and my view never really changed.

See also  ARDOT Opens Grant Applications for Transportation Alternatives and Recreational Trails
Time for the the group shot at the end of hike.
Time for the the group shot at the end of hike.

For more information on playing outside in Arkansas visit our Facebook and Twitter pages.

The Community Bicyclist

2 Responses

  1. I love hiking on the Ouachita Trail, especially since it close to LR. Not a long drive to find some fun hiking. My little dog is hard to hike with as she wants to stop and smell EVERYTHING.

  2. Thanks for the trail work! I did that trail once and wrote it off, like you said just didn’t flow. I’ll have to give it another chance now 🙂

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