Hike above Leatherwood Creek with cow on wood action
11/19/21
On my last outing I mentioned the three major wilderness areas within the Ozark National Forest proper. An outlier exists just to the northeast of these, very close to where the Buffalo River meets the White River. This is the Leatherwood Wilderness Area and it has a character all its own. The mountains there feel very different. The streams are also unusual. Beauty abounds within the generous borders. The main problem, and I've said this many times before, is that the horse riding community has commandeered this territory for their playground. Horse trails run like ditches everywhere. The damage is almost more than motorized vehicles make. Oh, well...enough of that. It exists...but...should it.
At 5:20 with 30°, clear skies and and a full moon wearing a fading lunar eclipse...I entered the shrubbery. But before...breakfast was served by an unfriendly server at Waffle House in Conway. She received a poor tip, as deserved. The darkness was lit by this very bright moon after the earth's shadow was gone from its smiling face. My path took me southwest along a ridge until it didn't. I dropped down towards the valley and located a bluff suitable for sunrise action and mounted it. The morning progressed at its usual pace and the quality of the day was high. The wind slowly increased around 9:00 but was not terribly detrimental to the overall aforementioned status. The bluff line was traced backwards until, at one point...I headed back up to the ridge top. It as there that a satisfactory luncheon spot was spied and occupied. There was a windowed view through the trees into the valley. With my back against a large pine and my loins against a cushion of leaves and pine needles...I partook of a delightful sandwich. With this task complete, I moved onward and arrived back at the vehicular unit at 12:10 with 51°. This hike covered 5.3 miles and was a pleasure.
