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Left Hand Prong of the North Fork of the Illinois BayouFoggy morning hike up the Left Hand Prong of the North Fork of the Illinois Bayou
2/2/19
The Ozark National Forest is a wonderful entity. This valley is not too far from the well known Pedestal Rocks area and caught my eye while searching for exploration material. After a hefty breakfast at Ihop in Russellville, I made my way to this here location. At 5:00 a.m with clouds, fog and 48° My downhill slide began. The ground was surprisingly moist and made for some interesting maneuvers on my part. Within minutes the valley floor was before me and the creek was crossed with great peril. The hill on the other side was climbed and the bluff line achieved. After following it for numerous miles it became evident that this particular line of bluffs would yield no views of abundant beauty. With great sadness I moved back down into the valley.
The creek was followed back upstream without much fanfare. A nice waterfall was happened upon that did make the trip worthwhile. Chubsucker Falls stood majestically before me and I tarried at this blue-green pool for a good while. Then I went up the hill and to the car. By 11:00 with 52° and worse fog my origin was arrived at. My total hike logged 4.2 miles.
