Outdoor Adventures in the Ozarks

       This morning the sun made its return after about a week of cold, wet and generally miserable weather.  So naturally, I felt it would be a good day to get back out on the trail.  I lingered at the house till 9:30 waiting for the temp to reach 40° that made it after 11:00 when I finally got parked on the side of the highway at the trailhead for my chosen hike.  It was a toss-up between three places, but in the end I decided to try to get to Wheeler Cemetery and beyond. in Wheeler Cemetery      To start I weave around the locked Forest Service gate with a sign stating ‘the key can be acquired at Hawkins Store in Pelsor’.  The old road past the gate is in good enough shape to be carefully driven, with only a few smaller branches that would have to be moved off the road.  Technically this is JC5970 though maps if it’s shown at all, refer to it as Wheeler Ridge Rd. or Wheeler Cemetery Rd. gate just below the highway  ...

       Today is the first day since back in May that the predicted high temp for the day isn’t supposed to even reach seventy.  To say ‘it has been a long summer’ is an understatement, I’ve been positively giddy  with anticipation for the start of hiking season ever since I saw the weather forecast for today about a week ago, and in the meantime I've been planning where to go. Red Bluff on the Buffalo      Doing a little  map studying I came up with a nice loop hike that appears to be almost entirely on-trail, after all it’s not the time of year for bushwhacking.   This loop will also cross the Buffalo River twice, right  now is a good time of year for wet crossings.   The river levels are low and the water warm, perfect for getting your feet wet.   Plus, although I haven’t hiked this route before, I have seen both crossings and know they should be shallow (across shoals). Sand Hole at shoal downstream of Sand Hol...