Today the weather is predicted
to be absolutely gorgeous, and it may be the last nice day for at least a week
so although today’s Saturday I had better get in some hiking while I can. Dog Branch isn’t exactly well known to hikers, but it is a popular rock-climbing destination in the upper Little Buffalo River
area southwest of historic Parthenon near Wayton.
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base of The Orange Wall
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When I arrive at the parking area to my surprise there are two trucks
already here, I park in front of the NFS gate next to a big blackberry patch
and begin hiking mostly west down the old road.
Much of the hike today will be on old roads though in places some of
these just look like trails, right away an old dead tree is laying across the road. And less than quarter of a
mile on the left is a nice campsite at a crossroad going south.
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at the top near parking area
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A couple hundred yards past the campsite is a small rock cairn on the
left side of the road at a trail, I turn here (southwest) and apparently this
‘trail’ is also an old road. The road to
this point has been all downhill but very gently, now the descent increases but
still nothing close to ‘steep’. A third
of a mile further I’m at another small (lower) rock cairn with trail to the left. |
rock cairn at the first turn
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Here begins the steep descent down to the base of the bluffline, an easy
and clean bluffline break with just one place requiring a bit of climbing off a
short ledge. The scenery improves
dramatically with the towering bluff to my right, and in a hundred yards a nice
bench someone made out of flat stones with a six-foot piece of log on top, but
who wants to stop now, with the good
stuff just ahead. |
easy bluffline break
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Up ahead the tall orange colored smooth faced bluff is called The
Orange Wall and is the start of some exceptional rock climbing opportunities
for the better part of the next 300 yards.
All along this stretch of beautiful bluffline are a couple nice grottos
numerous overhangs some crevices and a few giant boulders out in front of the
bluff. And of course, climber's bolts, top
chains and ropes are too many to number. |
rugged top of orange wall
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At the west end of the climbing area the bluff is known as The Haunt and
here I meet three free climbers, one who is just beginning a climb diagonally up the vertical face of The Haunt. The other two on the ground talk me through
the procedure involving a lot of gear, but I must confess that I’m not really
paying much attention, since my focus is on the climber. |
passage between boulders
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Hiking on after wishing everyone a good time and stay safe, just past
The Haunt the trail which has been very good to this point completely dries up and the south facing bluff ends
with a west facing bluffline that is more broken-up. Now heading northwest with no trail my pace
really slows down and I note the
occasional bluffline breaks for a bail-out
exit if needed. |
farther along bluffline
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Not bad for bushwhacking just some loose rock hidden in the abundant
dead leaves, after passing two wet and dripping possible wet weather falls is a
pretty steep but possible exit to the top.
Just past this bluffline break I notice some stacked rock under an overhang creating sort of a
‘rocked-in shelter’. With a lot more
flagstone scattered all around, someone could stack the wall around the little shelter much higher. |
inside Rocked-in Shelter
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Another 100 yards is the next steep rocky bluffline break and just
beyond I see a big downed tree laying across my present course, to get around it I would have to descend probably
50 feet down the steep hillside. Instead,
I bail out here up the rocky bluffline break, steep yes but with a convenient
big moss covered rock a little over halfway to the top. I stop here to catch my breath and take a
couple pictures of the valley down toward the East Fork Little Buffalo River. |
halfway up on the mossy rock
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Continuing up to the top the old road is right here, and just my luck
another fallen tree. In the next 200
yards are a couple great vistas out on the edge of the bluff just sixty feet or
so off the road. Past the vista rocks
the road curves more to the east and slightly away from the edge of the
bluffline. In about 200 yards is a road
intersection to the left and up the steep hillside, I continue straight on the
old road which now looks more like just a trail. |
vista rock point
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In places you wouldn’t know this was once a road, or even a trail, it’s
pretty overgrown but soon improves and before I know it, I arrive at the
intersection with the lower rock cairn.
Straight ahead I’m now on familiar
ground, all uphill from here first up to the next rock cairn at the main
road. Then passing the campsite and a
couple mud holes before reaching the large fallen tree just before the parking
area. |
crossroad campsite
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Well the weather certainly lived up to the prediction of a gorgeous day, and the hike too was great, not very long though. I hiked 3.3 miles today with an elevation
gain around 330 feet, I did quite a bit of wandering
getting off-track a few times, and with all the bail-out exits the hike could
have been shorter or longer. The
important thing is, just get out there and have a good time on an Outdoor Ozarks Adventure.
Dog Branch Bluffs: Statistics Chart 158 The drive here was
pretty enjoyable too, from Jasper I went west on Highway 74 about a third of a
mile then south on Highway 374 to Parthenon about 6 miles. Stay on Hwy. 374 five more miles to Wayton,
and at the Wayton Cemetery turn west on NC 8551 and in 0.8 miles is a small
parking area on the north side of the road at a forest service gate sort of
hidden in a big blackberry bramble.
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