99 Riggs Au Naturale

-

    Back to Hasty, this is our second visit in nine days, and nothing has changed.  Riggs Hole is still peaceful and relaxing as well as beautiful.  We set up our day camp in the same spot and notice there seems to be a few more people today, but the three ladies nearest to us soon pack up and leave.  It’s just like last time, people come and go but nobody stays very long.

    I don’t know why this is, but I’m not complaining.  I swim in the hole for a while and Kat floats around Riggs Hole a lot longer today, I spend most of the afternoon napping in my beach chair.  All the exploring at Big Creek must have worn me out.  Between napping and swimming, I go exploring up and down the beach a little.

    Riggs hole is a lot longer than I had thought, extending just as far downriver of the launch area as upriver.  The downriver portion doesn’t seem to be as deep though, the kids end of the pool you could call it.  Upstream I already know Riggs Hole ends at the bend to the west, but I walk up to check it out anyway.

upstream end of Riggs Hole

    Just around the bend I notice a couple people farther upstream, on second glance they’re in the buff not a stitch of clothing, nada.  I’m sure I probably gawk for a moment but then quickly do an ‘about face’ and return the way I came.

    Now this gets me thinking, a few years ago we were floating this section of river and encountered the exact same thing maybe 100 feet farther upstream from this same spot.  I don’t know for sure but I’m assuming public nudity is a big no-no in the eyes of the National Park Service, I’ll be sure to ask the next NPS employee I see.

named for the natural arch up a steep little hollow at the north end of the bluff
Chimney Rock Bluff

    Back in my beach chair I’m mulling around in my head the encounter upstream, trying to get an opinion of how this affects my rating for Riggs Hole today.  Like I said at the top, nothing has really changed.  Some of you may disagree but I believe the public nudity detracts from the kind of experience we’re all looking for in that ‘perfect swimming hole’.  Therefore, my rating for Popularity loses one point, giving Riggs Hole: 10+ for today.  Still a very respectable score.

Location: Hasty Landing parking: 36.00846, -93.08214

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

23 Thunder Canyon Falls

-
Image
    We head south this morning with the intention of doing the short easy hike to Hideout Hollow Falls.   It is supposed to be seasonably cool this morning with highs later this afternoon in the low 80’s, so we get an early start hoping to beat the heat.   The dirt road from Compton to Hideout Hollow at the Schermerhorn Trailhead isn’t bad, flat and pretty smooth all the way to the trailhead. Thunder Canyon Falls      At the trailhead parking area there are already four vehicles here, it 's not a very big parking area and there's plenty of room for one more car.   W hat we find discouraging is two of the vehicles are small buses.    Having been to Hideout Hollow a couple times, we know it isn't a big area, and my imagination pictures bus loads swarming all over the falls.   After quickly reconsidering our plans, we decide to continue down the road to Erbie and hike to Thunder Canyon Falls instead. Thunder Canyon Falls     Well, that nice flat and pretty smooth road mentione
Read more

21 Triple Falls

-
Image
     This morning we loaded up our out-of-town guests and took them to Broadwater Hollow.   The plan was to show them a little bit of the Natural State's beauty and do some  hiking at the same time.   Broadwater Hollow was awesome as usual, (see: 20 Broadwater Hollow ) and everyone was up for a little more. framed in green      So off to Triple Falls we go.   ‘As the crow flies’ it’s not very far from Broadwater Hollow to Triple Falls.   But in a car, is a different story.   From Compton we drive to Ponca then up the mountain to Mt. Sherman and finally down the hill to the Boy Scout’s Camp Orr.   A very scenic drive the entire way. Triple Falls      The parking area is actually just inside the Camp Orr property and is designated with signage.   The hike to the falls I believe, is the shortest possible that you can even call a hike.   Anything less and it would probably be visible from the car.   It sure is a beautiful spot too. skippin' rocks      Triple Falls is three distinc
Read more

86 Fuzzybutt Horsetail and more

-
Image
     The southeast corner of Richland Creek Wilderness is an area we know pretty well, having visited many times, but there are still many waterfalls in the area that we have not seen.   Today we’re out to check-off a couple more from the list and check-out a different route to get there. at the roadside campsite      Under two miles south of Witts Springs is Richland Creek Road (SC265 or FR1219), we turn west on this good dirt road and less than four miles later arrive at Falling Water Road (this is the intersection for which Intersection Falls is named).   A left on Falling Water Road (FR1205) brings us to the concrete bridge over Falling Water Creek.   There's parking on both sides of the bridge, we pick the west side right in front of our trailhead.   This parking spot right on Falling Water Creek at the confluence with a lovely little feeder stream wouldn’t be a bad place to camp although very close to the road. Flat Stanley Falls      We start up the road away from Falling Wa
Read more

17 Haw Creek Recreation Area

-
Image
     Last month we were down in this area with the plan of hiking to waterfalls on Little Cow Creek.   We didn’t make it into Little Cow Creek that day, but instead checked out some other cool stuff in the area.  That included Haw Creek Recreation Area in the Ozark National Forest, which is a nice little campground with beautiful Haw Creek Falls right on the north edge of the campground.  Today we’re back at Haw Creek Rec Area, this time we'll be hiking to Pack Rat Falls and nearby Pam’s Grotto. Haw Creek      First up is Pack Rat Falls, we park the car in the middle of the loop campground at the restrooms.  A fter a quick visit to Haw Creek Falls, it’s only about 100 feet to the falls and too awesome to pass up, so why not?    Then over to the  trailhead (of sorts) for Pack Rat which is at the back of campsite #6 in the southeast corner of the campground. side falls below Pack Rat      This is a pretty good little trail for a while.   After passing some stacked rocks I call the 
Read more