Bluff hike above the West Fork of Horsehead Creek with pine action
6/19/21
Dead horses with their heads cut off...not a good image. I'm not sure of the origin of the name, but there are numerous forks of this creek that spill into the Arkansas River valley just to the south. The fork of interest this week was the West one. Other hikes in this area can be found here. Breakfast was at a fully packed Waffle House in Clarksville. I was forced to sit at the bar with other assorted low-life types. Needless to say, the service was not the usual high quality that is the norm. At 4:45 with 70° and clear skies, the dark forest was penetrated. Almost immediate was the onslaught of the killer woodland creatures. I slipped away stealthily and left them with intact body units...no animal wrestling was to be had on this day. Spidra webs were moderate in their density. Humidita was measured and found to be at a comfortable value. The woods were calm and quiet, but the silence was short lived as each little twirplet climbed from its nesting location. I imagined each standing and stretching their dorsal guiding feathers, with an associated yawn and expectoration over the edge into the lower levels, where more common beasts roamed freely. I continued my move towards a bluff line that, hopefully, would provide me with a morning viewpoint for sunrise action.
After one poor choice, a fine boulder strewn spot was spied and mounted. The gnats were in atomic mode using my head as their nucleus. The sun came and with it, a light and soothing breeze. I thought "ah yes" as the valley was scanned for pints of interest. Many jagged bluffs were observed on the far ridge. Blackberry and blueberry bushes dotted the needle lined bluff top that was mine...all mine, I tell you. Please note that I obtained great succor and serenity, and don't forget the solace...that was also available here. Soon, my allotted time was spent on the bluff top, so I moved on to explore the extensive shrubbery inherent to this particular ecosystem. This hike was short at 2.5 miles, but was beneficial in many ways. I felt refreshed...no creatures were dismembered...and slippage over the perilous cliffs was avoided. On exit it was 77° and sunshine continued.
