Ozark Trail Hike Berryman Campground to Hwy A (Bell Mountain) 39 miles November 13-15, 2013 Day 2

 Day 2 - Ridge above Snapps Branch to Trace Creek area.  10 miles

The second day dawned as good as the first and even a little warmer.It was great view of the surrounding hills

 We had climbed to the ridge line to take advantage of the first rays of sun and not spend the night in the "Hollar" where it would be colder longer- we were right, we got the sun right away.

 Bob getting everything packed up and ready to move out.

another nice day to walk in the woods

After walking through the Hazel Creek campsite we came to Town Branch (above) had water and small Trout! Interesting it appeared that they had just put brand new power lines through this area.

Hazel Creek had water and some issues getting across, but no one got too wet....

More woods

The little things- this is water that "leaks" out of the grasses and plants and freezes in the cold air as it curls escapes into fantastic sculptors

Small mosses and lichens 

 as well as "turkey" fungus growing all around the trail. I like observing the little views

but of course there are plenty of big views as well.

Bob moving up the trail

Trace Creek old homestead with all the is left is the chimney (above)

                                                            

 Trace Creek just beyond the homestead, perfect reflection of the trees above and clear water to see the leaves that had fallen in the creek. The water was so clear here you could see small fish and a crawfish in the bottom.

More on Eric's Hammock. Getting out of the hammock this morning Eric heard a rip and this is what occurred. we had planned to hike another 5-6 miles today, but since it was mid afternoon and this needed to be repaired and tested we decided to find a campsite just along Trace Creek. We climbed a hill again after getting water and set up camp

Eric had a sewing kit with pre-threaded needles ( thanks goodness because I can't thread a needle anymore without my glasses). we proceeded to sew the hammock back together. And the best part is actually worked!

Bob made another great fire and we relaxed for a very nice evening. 

Ozark Trail Hike Berryman Campground to Hwy A (Bell Mountain) 39 miles November 13-15, 2013 Day 1

Bob "Kerflop" asked me to put together an itinerary for a few day hike on the Ozark Trail. I suggested a section of the OT from Berryman to Hwy A as the Hwy A area has become somewhat of a standard for the Hammock Forum guys being it is the access to Bell Mountain. We would start on Wednesday and hike through Saturday night with desire to have the last day going up Bell Mountain and doing the loop making the total mileage 51. Bob and Eric "Hoot" who you will remember from the SHT adventure Superior Hiking Trail Adventure would come down on Tuesday night from KC and spend the night at Hwy A. I would arrive early Wednesday and shuttle everyone to the Berryman campground and we would hike north to south from Berryman.

Day 1 Berryman to Almost Hazel Creek. 12.5 miles

 I picked the guys up at their Hwy A campsite and it was 14 degrees on my truck thermometer. They had spent a pretty cold night at the parking area. We sorted some gear and drove up to Berryman

 Me "Skygzr", Eric "Hoot", Bob "Kerflop"

 the trail was all to ourselves as we suspected it would be given it was midweek and November. The day was shaping up to be nice and sunny, still a bit chilly with temps in the 30's but good day for walking.
The leafs on the ground made for very loud walking, there would be no chance of animal sitting with as much noise as the leaf litter was making.

 The trail was fantastically marked. Having had the Ozark Endurance 100 race through here a few weeks ago the trail looked like it had just been signed as new, markers and ribbons hanging everywhere.

 "Hairbear" left a note for me on the Hwy 8 trail head wishing us good luck. He must have left it there as he was leaving the area last weekend after the Bell Mountain Hang One Night Bell Mountain

The shadows are even longer this weekend even during the day as we walk through the woods

We walked at a leisurely pace stopping for rests and scenary breaks and arrvived at Snapps Branch in the mid afternoon to get water.

Hazel Creek was about another 1 to 1 1/2 further on and was our original stopping point for the day, but after getting water, we climbed the trail to the ridge line and found a  lovely spot to camp where we would catch the last light of the day and the first light in the morning

my hammock set up for the evening.

the evening light faded quickly and made for a very nice view from my hammock, overlooking Bob and Eric's set ups

A stealth fire to keep us warm in the chilly evening air and watching the last light fade from the day.

A very nice first day on the trail.

H.F. One Night Hang at Bell Mountain November 9th

A Hammock Forum member "Gideon" organized an overnight on Bell Mountain. I never turn down a chance to hang from the top of Bell Mountain. Nice 6 mile hike to the top to get the blood pumping and then a glorious view to hang with a bunch of really nice guys.
This time out it was Gideon, his son Pyro, Haribear, RNGN, myself and a surprise new member for us Smaug all the way from the Chicago area.

 As usual the walk up Bell Mountain has some great granite outcroppings

The small mosses and even some wildflowers were left out, as it was 60 degrees today

On the way up I get water from this small pond that has always had water. It means I don't have to carry the extra 4 pounds of water I need for cooking an extra 4 miles.

We got out favorite campsite on top of Bell Mountain, despite it being very crowded with cars and people at the parking lot. We saw a group of 10 and another group of 6 at the trail head. In fact, the group of 6 was camped about 200 yards from us and was partying loudly from 2 to 4 am !!!

I got a spot where I could watch the sunrise and sunset without having to get out of the hammock!

 The Panorama when we arrived in the afternoon

Evening panorama. the shadows were long all day from the low sun angle but the shadow of Bell Mountain moved in quickly

Once the sun went down Pyro made an excellent fire and we all sat around talking everything from family, the stars in the night sky to politics and of course hiking and hammock gear.

The true surprise of trip was Chuck "Smaug" who regaled us with a couple of poems from memory that were just mesmerizing around the campfire. check out the video to listen to what we enjoyed.

 The dawn was a wonderful as promised by the clear star filed night sky.

Panorama of the dawn

 The early morning hike down was cool and crisp with the long shadows of the morning sun

Thanks Guys for a great time.

Left to Right
Joe "Gideon", Jeremiah "Pyro", Woody "RNGN", Brian "Hairbear"