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Hike in the Leatherwood Wilderness Area to the Buffalo River
10/4/14
This wilderness....ah yes. Those words were taken from one of my favorite books..."This Wilderness" by Biff Hergenson. He is also known for "That Wilderness", which did not sell as well. This particular wilderness is the Leatherwood Wilderness Area. It is a lovely blob of rock, wood and water bounded on the west by the Buffalo River and on the east by a road. Roads also provide the boundary on the north and south regions. Above there is sky...below there is earth. In the middle of all this is my lowly presence. My passage will leave no trace...aside from footprints and a few candy bar wrappers.
At 5:15 a.m. the trail that should not be here greeted me with its inviting surface. Grass and small rocks comprised the substrate. An occasional pile of dried horse dung added a unique quality. This trail...which is actually a road...connects the main road with an island of non-wilderness deep within the forest. Who claims this land? This is a mystery. My path only passes by its edges. It is soon behind me and the the Buffalo River is before me. I take solace in its fog veiled glassiness. My eyes gaze upon the vast vista beyond the cliff's edge. Ponder...I do...the woods and the stream and the...other stuff. The sunlight bathes the hills. Turning around...my path is traced backwards and soon the features that were not visible in the darkness are now evident. Savoring this...I do. The distance of the hiking was 9.5 miles. The temperature variation was 47° to 55°. The skies were essentially without obscurity. The time now is 10:30. Next stop...home.
