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Richland Creek Wilderness Area
Hike to a bluff and Twin Devils Falls in Richland Creek Wilderness Area
5/13/17
  Rain has been plentiful here in Arkansas this spring. I'm sure global warming is to blame...not. It has been at least a year since I've made a visit to this area of Richland Creek. This was deemed to be a good time, with all the water and such. As is my custom, an early breakfast occurred at Denny's in Russellvile before jumping into the wet shrubbery. And wet it was. At 4:50 a.m. with 50°, I entered a land fraught with deadliness...a land that did not ensure return. I was willing to take this risk. The forest dripped with moisture...it dripped to and fro...it dripped high and low. It moistened my ass more than I would have liked it to be moistened. By the time arrival was made at the bluff line above Richland Creek, I had to change into my shorts. 
  The valley was hidden by a layer of fog that partially masked the sunrise from my light gatherers. The rise of the sun was quite lovely when it finally lifted above the ground level clouds. I savored its arrival from an excellent rock vantage point. After a time I turned to the rock garden that guards the valley floor from the bluffs above. Poison ivy and slippery rocks invite a mishap here that might end in death. My route was selected in a painstaking manner. After much danger, Devils Fork was in sight. Twin Devils Falls soon roared before me. With much admiration I observed their coolness. 
  After some time at the base of the the falls, I turned to the upper reaches of the falling water. This is where lunch was partaken of along with rock reclining. Then I headed back. The woods were now much dryer and the humidity much lower. The abundant poison ivy and oak licked at my bare legs, but none did make any offensive contact. By 12:20 with a temp of 70°, point of entry came into view. It was good to be alive, dammit! 4.5 miles of pure hell were now behind me. The reward was well worth the peril. I can not, however, recommend this access to Richland Creek as it would weigh heavy on me if any hiker did not return after using this route. 

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