Mile 51

The first 51 miles of the Ouachita Trail are behind me and it’s exciting to be exploring a new trail. The OT is well marked with blue blazes painted on trees and rocks. There are occasional mile markers and signs at trail junctions. It’s definitely not hard to follow the OT. But it’s very rocky and the rocks are incredibly slippery so attention to where and how you are step is critical. You won’t get lost on the Ouachita Trail but if you’re not careful you’ll end up on the ground. I’ve already slipped once and have a  skinned knee to prove it. I’ve done several creek crossings successfully on slime covered rocks so I’m pretty happy about that  

The temperatures have been warm and the sound of the wind whipping through the dense forest is amazing. But the big news is a severe storm that blew through the area on Thursday evening. It rained Thursday morning and drizzled most of the afternoon as I hiked 20 miles. I crossed the Oklahoma/Arkansas in the afternoon and the race was on to beat the coming storm. My destination was the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge. I mailed a resupply box here and booked a room for two nights. I checked in the afternoon just before the wild weather arrived. I received multiple tornado and flash flood warnings on my phone throughout the evening. I’ve never seen so much lightning and thunder and cell, internet and TV service was interrupted frequently during the storm. I’m glad I was indoors and did not have to deal with the storm from my tent or an AT style shelter.

The next section of the trail is 70 miles to Story, Arkansas. I’ll hit the trail first thing Saturday morning. The weather looks mostly overcast for the next four days, but there is no significant rain in the forecast. I’m excited to have today to rest, dry out, and prepare for what’s next. 

More pics HERE!

Thanks for following along. 

Butterfingers