From the shore to the rock and back
On Friday, Elise and I drove down to Shores Lake, which is about 1.5 hours southeast of Fayetteville for a weekend backpacking trip. The kids were already in Oklahoma City with Grammy and Podder (that's what our girls call them - I call them Jim and Linda, Elise calls them mom and dad). We got a little bit of a later start than planned and arrived at Shores Lake at about 12:30.
We put on our boots and strapped on our packs and took off on the Shores Lake/White Rock Loop Trail. This is a 13.4 mile loop that goes up to White Rock Mountain and then loops back around to Shores Lake. We were also planning on hiking the White Rock Rim Trail, which adds another 2.1 miles and has some amazing views. So, off we went into the woods. It was a nice day with temperatures in the 60's, but with quite a bit of wind. Thankfully, once we got into the woods the wind didn't really bother us. We hiked for a couple of hours and stopped for a late lunch next to this beautiful waterfall:
After spending some time relaxing by the falls, we took off again. It was about 3:00 by this time and we had gone about 3 miles. Our plan was to hike for another couple of hours and find a campsite at around 5 miles. This next section of the trail began to climb more aggressively (the total elevation gainfrom Shores Lake to White Rock Mountain is over 1700 feet). We passed the 5 mile mark and didn't see any areas that were suitable for camping because there were just no flat spots, so we kept hiking. We soon realized also that we weren't going to be camping near any running water either, so that made us a little nervous. However, we soon stumbled upon a tiny little stream and I filtered enough water for our dinner and breakfast the next morning. Of course, now we had to carry the extra weight of the water! It was now after 5:30 and we still hadn't seen any camping spots. Decision time. Hike on up to White Rock Mountain or camp in a less than ideal spot? We decided to hike on up to the top of White Rock. It was further than we originally intended (6 miles from Shores Lake), but well worth it. We decided to camp in the campground, but the problem was that we didn't bring any money with us. As we were hiking past the cabins, a lady on a 4-wheeler pulled up next to us and asked if we were planning on camping for the night. I told her yes, but that we didn't have any money. She said that the campground normally costs $5, but she would let us stay anyway. I guess our faces and bodies looked tired and she didn't have the heart to tell us to keep hiking to find a free spot further down the trail!
As we were setting up camp in our campsite, we were treated to a beautiful sunset, so I grabbed my camera and scrambled to the edge of the mountain to take a couple of quick shots:
Once we settled into camp, we built a nice fire and ate a tasty dinner of Ginger Sesame Pasta with Chicken. As the evening progressed, most of the campsites near us filled up with typical loud car campers. This is what I don't like about camping in a campground. The guys next to us (about 30 feet away) parked their cars facing the forest, left their headlights on and loudly searched for firewood for about an hour. Then they built a HUGE fire and proceeded to talk as loud as they could about what things they forgot to bring (like forks) and about whether they should get intoxicated before or after they set up their tent. So much for the peace and quiet of the wilderness. Do people not realize how far their voices travel when they are outside? This is why we were originally intending on backcountry camping before we got to White Rock - to avoid people. We had a nice time nonetheless. Just being outside next to a fire without cell phones, to do lists, house chores, etc. is very therapeutic, if you know what I mean.
On a side note, around midnight Elise heard the guys walk down the road towards the shelter out on the bluff (to look at the stars or something) and they were apparently pretty drunk. She experienced this moral dilemma about whether to stop them or not since the bluff is a pretty dangerous place, especially if you are intoxicated. There is a sign when you drive up to White Rock that says 7 people have died from falling off of the bluff in the past few years. Thankfully they came back intact about an hour later.
Saturday morning, we packed up and hit the trail. First, we hiked around most of the Rim Trail that circles the top of White Rock. This is a beautiful trail with nice views in every direction. There were lots of hawks riding the thermals like these:
After hiking the Rim Trail, we took off on the East Side of the loop back down to Shores Lake. It was a gorgeous day - sunny and 70 degrees! We hiked about 5.5 miles, then came to this nice little spot on a creek and decided to set up camp for the night. We got there at 2:30, so we were able to set up and have a little nap before dinner. After dinner we sat around the fire talking, enjoying the moon, stars and quiet (no drunk campers 30 feet from us).
Sunday we hiked back to our car and headed for home. This weekend came at just the right time for us to relax and unwind and the weather was splendid. Overall it was a very enjoyable experience.
We put on our boots and strapped on our packs and took off on the Shores Lake/White Rock Loop Trail. This is a 13.4 mile loop that goes up to White Rock Mountain and then loops back around to Shores Lake. We were also planning on hiking the White Rock Rim Trail, which adds another 2.1 miles and has some amazing views. So, off we went into the woods. It was a nice day with temperatures in the 60's, but with quite a bit of wind. Thankfully, once we got into the woods the wind didn't really bother us. We hiked for a couple of hours and stopped for a late lunch next to this beautiful waterfall:
After spending some time relaxing by the falls, we took off again. It was about 3:00 by this time and we had gone about 3 miles. Our plan was to hike for another couple of hours and find a campsite at around 5 miles. This next section of the trail began to climb more aggressively (the total elevation gainfrom Shores Lake to White Rock Mountain is over 1700 feet). We passed the 5 mile mark and didn't see any areas that were suitable for camping because there were just no flat spots, so we kept hiking. We soon realized also that we weren't going to be camping near any running water either, so that made us a little nervous. However, we soon stumbled upon a tiny little stream and I filtered enough water for our dinner and breakfast the next morning. Of course, now we had to carry the extra weight of the water! It was now after 5:30 and we still hadn't seen any camping spots. Decision time. Hike on up to White Rock Mountain or camp in a less than ideal spot? We decided to hike on up to the top of White Rock. It was further than we originally intended (6 miles from Shores Lake), but well worth it. We decided to camp in the campground, but the problem was that we didn't bring any money with us. As we were hiking past the cabins, a lady on a 4-wheeler pulled up next to us and asked if we were planning on camping for the night. I told her yes, but that we didn't have any money. She said that the campground normally costs $5, but she would let us stay anyway. I guess our faces and bodies looked tired and she didn't have the heart to tell us to keep hiking to find a free spot further down the trail!
As we were setting up camp in our campsite, we were treated to a beautiful sunset, so I grabbed my camera and scrambled to the edge of the mountain to take a couple of quick shots:
Once we settled into camp, we built a nice fire and ate a tasty dinner of Ginger Sesame Pasta with Chicken. As the evening progressed, most of the campsites near us filled up with typical loud car campers. This is what I don't like about camping in a campground. The guys next to us (about 30 feet away) parked their cars facing the forest, left their headlights on and loudly searched for firewood for about an hour. Then they built a HUGE fire and proceeded to talk as loud as they could about what things they forgot to bring (like forks) and about whether they should get intoxicated before or after they set up their tent. So much for the peace and quiet of the wilderness. Do people not realize how far their voices travel when they are outside? This is why we were originally intending on backcountry camping before we got to White Rock - to avoid people. We had a nice time nonetheless. Just being outside next to a fire without cell phones, to do lists, house chores, etc. is very therapeutic, if you know what I mean.
On a side note, around midnight Elise heard the guys walk down the road towards the shelter out on the bluff (to look at the stars or something) and they were apparently pretty drunk. She experienced this moral dilemma about whether to stop them or not since the bluff is a pretty dangerous place, especially if you are intoxicated. There is a sign when you drive up to White Rock that says 7 people have died from falling off of the bluff in the past few years. Thankfully they came back intact about an hour later.
Saturday morning, we packed up and hit the trail. First, we hiked around most of the Rim Trail that circles the top of White Rock. This is a beautiful trail with nice views in every direction. There were lots of hawks riding the thermals like these:
After hiking the Rim Trail, we took off on the East Side of the loop back down to Shores Lake. It was a gorgeous day - sunny and 70 degrees! We hiked about 5.5 miles, then came to this nice little spot on a creek and decided to set up camp for the night. We got there at 2:30, so we were able to set up and have a little nap before dinner. After dinner we sat around the fire talking, enjoying the moon, stars and quiet (no drunk campers 30 feet from us).
Sunday we hiked back to our car and headed for home. This weekend came at just the right time for us to relax and unwind and the weather was splendid. Overall it was a very enjoyable experience.
posted by
at 9:15 AM
3 Comments:
Wow, what an awesome weekend. You've inspired me to start getting out more, espically while we are without children.
By
Spencer, at 3:20 PM
beautiful pics! wow, that blue sky is brilliant in the last one!
By
shauna, at 9:29 AM
awesome pics brett. glad you and elise got to get away. if i had flickr here ..i would download some pics of the scenery here...they look like images taken right out of chinese brush paintings... check my blog in a few days for update.. can't wait for some summer hikes in the ozarks.
By
Anonymous, at 8:11 PM
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