Out With Some First Time Backpackers April 23-24 2022

We have a local Facebook group, Ozark Trail Section Hikers and Backpackers, OTSHAB for short, that has grown to more than 10,000 members and the founder Andi has created backpacking events to encourage "newbies" to try backpacking. Andi gathers more experienced backpackers to mentor and "guide" groups of newbies a few times per year. These events are extremely well planned with a series of virtual training sessions on all topics of hiking and camping. There are assignments for the "newbies" to practice, and gain backyard experience and training before they can come on the event. The whole event is just an outstanding endeavor and after finishing the second one this weekend as an EB = Experienced Backpacker, doing both the guiding and as an educator on the virtual events I can tell you it works, and the new backpackers get a lot out of this and we have had some great trips. This time, there were 49 newbies in 7 groups! 

This weekend myself and Jennifer took three first time backpackers on a short backpacking overnight on the Ozark Trail from Barton Fen to Henderson Creek campsite. The trip is only 3.5 miles each way. We went out Saturday late morning and returned Sunday morning. 

Everyone met around 10 am for introductions and a briefing of the plans and last minute pack checks and any questions about gear or logistics 

Right to left ( Casey, Eric, Justin ("newbies") Jennifer (Experienced and team captain) 

Starting out across Neals Creek. This is the starting point for the Middle Fork section of the Ozark Trail. This section covers about 24 miles in the middle part of Missouri 

Neals Creek 

Unusually hot weekend in Missouri for April. The temperature today was 86 degree F. It was very strange being this hot and still having no leaves on the trees 

Being early in the season all the springs and creeks are running well. This one just required rock hopping

Crossing back over Neals Creek required getting your feet wet. Jennifer and Casey chose to change into their water shoes. Great practice

Jennifer crossing 

Good to keep your feet dry even on a hot day, when you have a few miles still to walk 

Essential practice for hiking... stopping for lunch. Since we started late, once we reached the top of the hill, we took a break to air out our feet and grab a bite to eat. 

Pressing on after lunch for the last mile or so to our planned stop.

We reached Henderson Creek in just over 2.5 hours and it being hot and the water cool, spent some time with our feet in the water and talking about how it was to carry a pack for the first time for that distance. 

I found the perfect rock to soak my feet 

A wooly caterpillar in camp. 

Practiced collecting fire wood. Choose the right downed branches. This section of trail is not used heavily and there was a lot of ideal debris to be collected. 

Running right next to the campsite was a spring that was flowing really well, I chose to set up just beside 

All set up, for me the TGO in Scotland is just 3 weeks 

Jennifer set up 

Justin set up

Casey and Eric set up. 

Sitting around the fire ring talking food, and other funny stories. Some of our instruction this afternoon was practicing bear hanging techniques for securing your food from not only bears but mini bears as well, like mice, racoons and possum, using a map and compass and of course how to correctly and successfully poop in the woods. 

Justin enjoyed his first outing 

Got the fire going early. 

A wonderful night with some visiting owls and more sounds in the night from local residence, including waking up to a herd of cows in the distance.  Breakfast around the renewed fire, thanks to Eric and backing up just before the threat of rain.

Jennifer (Experience backpacker), Justin, Casey, Eric (our charges for the trip) 

The threat of rain all morning, but nothing materialized. The weather did break a bit and there as a cooler breeze than yesterday. 

A slow moving friend on the trail 

More Dogwoods starting to bloom 

Walking back with more confidence this morning 

Casey crossing Neals Creek one more time.

Many spring flowers along the trail 

Arriving back at the trail head just before lunch time, we all gathered up the road at the Bixby General Store and had lunch in a fantastic old-time General Store. It is for sale, $415,000, for anyone that wants to run the hub of a really rural town. The Store is also the gas station and the post office as well. 

relaxing and eating some homemade food. I think we have three new enthusiast. (well maybe two and one reluctant husband! LOL). 

Thank you all for a really fun weekend. 

Thanks to Andi for being the one to spearhead this idea and organize this event. 

Relaxing, Rainy, Weekend in the RV

 We had not been to the RV park at Lake Wappapello before. It is about a 3.5 hour drive south from our house down to almost Poplar Bluff Missouri and Lake Wappapello. This is an old lake and older State Park. It is a sister park to Sam A Baker (they share the same administration). We went down on Friday and stayed again till Easter Sunday.

It is sometimes hard to pick a spot from the reservation website, but I picked site #58 and that turned out to the best site along the lake.

Great views right behind the RV with no one in our way.

RV set up on Friday and the view of the lake behind. It was a fairly rainy day on Friday, so not much going on after we arrived other than settling in and watching a movie or two. 

The campground host was Judy, she had been our campground host at Onondaga Cave Campground a couple of years ago. We fell into a few running conversations with her and her golden retriever Cooper.

The next morning was our usual great breakfast meals when in the RV. 

There are a few nice trails in the park, one even is 12.75 miles and of course the Ozark Trail does go through a portion of the park. I didn't have time to do the really long one, but a shorter, 2.5 miles trail, did start right behind our RV, so I took that Saturday morning. It had a really large elevation profile, as it just went up and down from the lake to the ridge over and over. 

The day was a mix of cloudy with some brief sun, but it had warmed and it was a nice quick 45 minute walk around the loop. 

The leaves still have not come yet on the trees, but it makes the moss and lichen on the trail look that much more dramatic. 

carpeted stairway 

Burl wood on this tree

First Dogwood trees I have seen in bloom

The Asher Creek Trail Loop

After it was back to the campsite to relax and sit out. Not very many people in the RV park this weekend, which we thought was kind of strange, but it was not the best weather and the park is a little out of the way. 

Filet and Baked Potatoes for dinner! 

The skies looked stormy but it held off through out the early evening. 

We did make a great fire for awhile until the rain did come eventually 

The campers across from us were having a reunion of three or more families and that night they did a flashlight Easter egg hunt. It was really neat to watch them search across the hillside from us

It was raining when we woke up on Sunday and stayed raining, so about 10:30, after another big breakfast, we packed up and headed home. The temps had dropped to about 38 degrees, but it was still a very nice and relaxing weekend.