I completed my eastbound thru-hike of the Ouachita Trail on March 25th just before noon. I arranged a shuttle to my hotel with a local trail angel who picked me up at 12:30 pm. She helped me take a few pictures at the eastern terminus of the trail and we were off to the Holiday Inn Express near the airport. My last night on trail was wet and windy and the following morning was more of the same. I packed up my things in the rain, one of my least favorite things on trail, and was hiking at 7 am, just as it was light enough to hike without my headlamp. It rained off and on for most of the morning, but with just over 12 miles to go, I did not mind too much. I knew I would be warm and dry very soon.
The five days from Story, Arkansas to Little Rock were smooth hiking with not too many surprises. I am getting better at planning how much food to carry. I only had two granola bars and a few gummy bears in my pack when I finished. I am definitely ready for some non-trail food! I slept in the AT style shelters two nights and used my tiny tent the other three. Overall, I slept well on trail, had very few aches and pains, and got zero blisters! Water was plentiful on trail and most days I only carried one liter. Occasionally, in the afternoons, I would filter and carry more if my campsite didn't have water close by so I had plenty of water for dinner and breakfast. I fell once in Oklahoma on a slippery rock, have a few scratches on my legs from thorn bushes, and only had to get my feet wet once crossing a river that had no bridge and was too deep to rock hop across. I think I avoided getting bitten by mosquitoes, chiggers, or ticks...I will have to wait until I get home for Eva to do a full body inspection to be sure! 😱
Now I have a day to explore Little Rock and then fly home to be with Eva again!
Here are my Garmin tracks! (Click the View All Tracks button to see the whole trail.)
Thanks for following along!
Butterfingers
Wow! So impressed, Loren!
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