Here
it is a new year, how time flies I swear the older I get the faster time
goes by. My wife says that it’s because
I forget half of everything that happens, maybe she’s on to something. I know one thing, so far this winter has been
a roller-coaster ride: one week is cold the next it’s hot. Today we’re back to hot so naturally
I’m going hiking. I drive down to Woolum
on the Buffalo River, with a plan.
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Boat Hole on the beautiful Buffalo
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On
the south side of Pindall is N. Woolum Road, ever since S. Woolum Road was
closed I think it was five years ago, this is the way to go. My plan is to ford the Buffalo River at the new
Woolum ford then east over to Richland Creek and hike the Ozark
Highlands/Buffalo River Trail up to the white convertible on the trail where we
turned around a few years ago (see: 106 Dave Manes Bluff). Well, you know what they say about ‘plans
of mice and men’. |
| dead-end road to Boat Hole |
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looking upstream toward Boat Hole
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I
always stop to scout on foot before any big creek or river crossing, even
though I have crossed the Buffalo at this spot at least seven times I still
check it out first. Today it looks a
little deep and the current is moving pretty fast, while I’m standing on the
bank someone approaches in a big 4x4 truck with a light-rack on top. Game and Fish rolls his window down to say
‘hi and happy New Year’. |
uphill left N. Woolum Rd. downhill right S. Woolum Rd.
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After
we’re done with a little small talk, I tell him to go ahead as I’m still
deciding if I’m going across or not.
He chuckles and tells me ‘You're pulling me out if I get stuck’, I chuckle
too and tell him ‘I’ll do my best’. He
proceeds across, the water up over the axles, steam from the river hitting the
hot exhaust rises as he bounces over the big river rock hidden on the bottom. He makes it okay, but I’m having serious
second thoughts since my little truck is half the size of his. |
substantial barricade at entrance to big field
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I
retreat up to the main Woolum parking area at the outhouse, deciding to just
walk around and see where the day may take me.
Heading back down toward the river I turn west at a narrow side road before actually reaching the Buffalo, I’ve been here before and know this
little road is a dead-end. It’s about
200 yards through the canopy of overhanging limbs to the end at the edge of the
river and a nice little campsite just north in the woods. |
S. Woolum Rd.
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Kat
and I where here five years ago on the round river rock looking for a new
swimming hole to try, (see: 66 Boat Hole at Woolum). The river looks much deeper than it did on
that summer day back when, but still appears too shallow for swimmers. After a
few pics of the beautiful Buffalo at Boat Hole I turn back to the road and see a white SUV with Louisiana plates coming
this way. He shuts off the car getting out for a visit and to check out the
scenery. |
ruins include stacked stone and tin roofing
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Turns
out this young man is from Shreveport and drove up here overnight, he says
‘it’s only a six hour drive’ and since he has to be back to work tomorrow is
getting ready to head back south. He
then proudly proclaims to be the first in 2026 to hike up the Narrows, I
congratulate him and ask if he drove his SUV across the river. ‘No way’ he tells me the car is only 2WD
until he can get the front differential fixed, ‘No I walked across at the old
ford, the water is ice-cold but only up over my ankles’. Hmm, maybe I could have driven across after
all. |
around a bend in the Buffalo is Jamison Bluff
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After
wishing him a ‘happy new year and be careful on the drive home’ I head back up toward the main parking area. Deciding along the way to keep going up closed South Woolum Road to see the
‘presumed damage’ from river erosion that caused the road closure. At the junction where N. Woolum Rd. (SC 15) forks
off to the left I go straight around the plastic orange/white barricade on S.
Woolum Rd. (SC 14). |
small barn or shed?
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Right
away it’s pretty obvious that even though the road is closed, its still getting
some vehicular traffic. 200 yards
further I come to a more substantial barricade, this is the type that
can be filled with something to weigh it down and stretches completely across
the road at the entrance to a large hay field on the right. In the little hollow to my left I notice some
rusty debris and go to check it out looking for homesite remains. |
see the ruins in the back of small field?
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The
rusty debris turns out to be an old refrigerator, just north on the hillside
is a poured concrete footing, might have been a garage once. I look around up the tiny drainage a little
further but find nothing else. Returning
to the road I’m now on the north side of the barricade, for almost a half mile
an 18 acre hay field is to the east.
On the west side of the road I pass two more small drainages before
spotting some more ruins in the fourth little hollow. |
| collapsed equipment shed |
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up the hill an old barn
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Back
behind me up on the hillside I notice some stacked stone and backtrack up the
steep hill to check it out. Sure enough
there was a house here long ago, either two separate buildings or maybe a split
level house. At the bottom area on this
hillside is extensive remains of a stacked stone foundation and just a short
way further up the hill is more ruins, mostly just lots of tin roofing, I head
back down to the road. |
inside stalls line both sides
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Continuing
northeast on the road a steep rocky hill starts forming a low broken bluffline
to the left, about half way along this broken bluffline Trails Illustrated Map
shows ‘Abbey Cemetery’ but it doesn’t appear on any other map I have seen. I keep an eye out for anything that might
indicate a little cemetery on this steep rocky overgrown hillside but find
nothing. All along this stretch is where the Buffalo River is closest to the
road. |
river at closest point to road
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Woolum
Road is still here, it hasn’t washed away, there is no evidence of a recent
landslide. There is one little place
about 15-20 feet long where no shoulder remains at the edge of the road, down
below in the rocks I spot a couple of orange plastic cones that I’m sure where once
up here at the edge of the roadway. I
guess the closure is more of a precaution since this road although dangerous,
could still be used. It’s all good
though, you don’t want people driving off the road into the river. |
| west side of barn |
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in Jamison Creek looking north at Oakland Rd.
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As
the steep rocky hillside diminishes at the next little hollow the road curves
more to the north and the river turns more to the east. On the right next to the road is a tiny barn
or little shed, it’s in bad shape but still standing, I climb the steep bank to
check it out. Not much to see, it looks
like a family of squirrel have moved in.
Northeast of the barn/shed is a small field that I walk through along
the west edge. |
low bluff along Jamison Creek
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There
are a couple short driveways off the road into the field, across the
field in the northeast corner I see what appears to be a collapsed barn and
head over to have a look. Probably not a
barn, up close it looks more like a long shallow equipment shed. Down the hill behind the long shed is Jamison
Creek and that’s where I go next.
Jamison Creek is dry and maybe 20 feet across, on the north side up the
gentle hill about 100 feet is a ‘camo tent/deer blind’. |
at Jamison Creek
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And
further up the hill a big barn, this barn is divided into five long
‘halls’. The center corridor has stalls with
doors down both sides, the big barn doors at both ends are gone. There are also long pens down each side
accessible from the outside. The entire
structure is looking a little worse for wear and could definitely use some
‘restoration’ work. Leaving the big barn
I head back west to S. Woolum Road. |
a shack in the woods
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On
Woolum Rd. I’m at the junction with Oakland Road just north of Jamison
Creek. Just south of Jamison Creek is a
flimsy orange/white plastic barricade identical to the one down at the corner
of North and South Woolum Roads. I turn up
Oakland Rd. instead of heading back, I don’t go far only to the first ford of
Jamison Creek (about 200 yards). Here I
turn down dry Jamison Creek back to S. Woolum along the way are some nice low
bluffs. |
| front porch on the ground |
 |
small green pond
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Now
heading southwest on S. Woolum I don’t get far after passing more orange/white
barricades, I notice what looks like a shack above the road on the right in what
would be the fifth little hollow (not counting Jamison Creek). This ‘shack’ about forty feet long and maybe
twelve wide, is in bad condition the front porch has fallen to the ground and
there is trash everywhere. Up above the
‘house’ on the hillside to the north appears to be a small pond. |
forest at the top
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Back
on the road just past the shack and before I reach the low rocky bluff where
Abbey Cemetery is supposed to be, I take off up the ridge to the top hoping I
might find the cemetery. It’s a steep
climb of over 240 feet, I zigzag up the ridge, fortunately there’s very little
undergrowth just dead leaves and loose rock.
At the top I find a pretty green pond but no sign of a cemetery. Going back down the other side is just as
steep, I end up near the ‘stacked stone’ homesite ruins. |
| pen on side of big barn |
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exposed roots in Jamison Creek
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Staying
on S. Woolum Rd. it’s about three quarters of a mile more back to Woolum parking
area and my waiting truck. I’ve been
curious about the fate of S. Woolum Rd. ever since the closure five or so years
ago, but if it hadn’t been for changed plans I probably would never have
done this little ‘road’ adventure.
Actually about 60% on the road and 40% bushwhack this was an informative
and quite fun hike of 4.2 miles with 475 feet of elevation gain. |
Buffalo River
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S. Woolum Road: Statistics Chart 214 As discussed above the easiest way to Woolum
is North Woolum Road (SC 15), from SR 65 at the south end of Pindall, head south
on N. Woolum Rd. It starts out paved but turns to gravel with some dirt
sections as well, can be rough with pot-holes washboard and lots of dust but
overall it’s not a bad road. Just go slow about 7.5 miles from Hwy. 65 to
Woolum’s main parking area.
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base map before fair use alterations is property of USGS--licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 U.S. License
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