I hiked less than half of my target of 240 miles in 2023, managing just 110 miles in seven trips with 17 nights in my hammock. Apart from finally hiking, what was for me, the missing link of the Ridge Runner Trail to the North Fork Recreation Area, I didn’t hike any new trails.

Here are links to trip write up’s that I posted on my personal blog if you want to check any of them out.

• Hercules Glades – February 2023
• Ridge Runner Trail & Devil’s Backbone Wilderness – March 2023
• Whites Creek Trail, Irish Wilderness – March 2023
• Hercules Glades – April 2023
• Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness – May 2023
• Piney Creek – July 2023
• Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness – December 2023

We also managed to fit in a couple of road trips:

• Odessa Texas – Annular Eclipse – October 2023
• Beaumont Texas and the Gulf Coast- November 2023

While it was much easier early in the year, this fall and winter, finding water on the trail has continued to be a problem, with creeks and springs drying up. However, my main block to getting out on the trail has been me. I’ve not been scheduling trips, so they didn’t happen!

Gear changes in 2023

Just like 2022, I have very little to report. Everything gear-wise has remained remarkably stable. I gave up on the titanium woodstove. Despite making modifications, it still smoked a lot more than my Stainless Steel Firebox Nano stove. I replaced my hammock tree straps — but that was just a matter of normal gear overhaul, they were showing a little bit of wear after six years use. I am getting different hiking sandals for 2024. That decision was brought on by having my previous pair break on me mid-hike in December.

Plans for 2024

I’ve kept my 20 nights and 240 miles (20 miles a month) target. However, we plan on spending more time on the road this year. I’m not sure if that will increase or restrict my backpacking opportunities. I’d love to explore some of the Arkansas Trails. Failing that I’ll keep hiking the Missouri trails in my regular haunts, and maybe do a bit more exploring off-trail.

Some Photos

Hercules Glades

Dinner time, camped at ‘Twin Falls Hollow’ — This campsite might be on the side of a hill, but having a small ‘kitchen area’ right next to my hammock is too tempting, even if I shouldn’t cook and eat where I sleep. Rigging up an overhead lamp made life easier too. (Change of plan. I decided to stop here and not hike the six miles to the Pees Hollow Trail). Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Morning sunshine, camped at ‘Twin Falls Hollow.’ Time for a cup of tea, and to start making plans for the day — from the comfort of my hammock, of course.. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Gary and hammock, ‘Twin Falls Hollow,’ February 2023. Hercules Glades Wilderness. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Packing away — It rained quite a lot last night and the drips were still falling from the trees so I kept the tarp up while I packed everything away. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

My ‘Deep Hollow’ camp from the south. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

I’ve taken pictures here before, but each time the light, the vegitation and the trail are different. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Camped at ‘Cab Creek.’ Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Ridge Runner Trail & Devil’s Backbone Wilderness

Morning in the woods — The temps dropped quickly last night. It was below freezing by 9 p.m. and dropped to 28F. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Found it! At last, I have found the elusive point where the Ridge Runner Trail joins the North Fork Loop. And here, there are very faint signs of the Ridge Runner Trail I’ve been hunting for over a year. This sign is in complete isolation and is in one of the two ‘Bermuda Triangles’ of the North Fork Loop, where blazes and trails alike disappear. Next stop Blue Spring on the North Fork River and lunch. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

County Road CC at the Ridge Runner Trail Crossing — looking towards the North Fork River. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

The Ridge Runner Trail Trailhead needs a bit of TLC. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

North Fork River from the Blue Spring Trail — 1:30 p.m., time to make lunch and replenish my water. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

North Fork River Scenic Overlook — Any excuse to stop climbing up the darn hill for a couple of minutes! Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Camped overlooking McGarr Spring — It’s embarrassing to admit how long it took me to find the two trees I used when I camped here back in December. So I’ll just say It was far too long. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Lounging in my hammock. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Whites Creek Trail, Irish Wilderness

Irish Wilderness, Mark Twain national Forest. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Camp 5 Pond in the winter sunshine — once again our car is the only one at the trailhead. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Waterproof socks for the win. I anticipated several wet crossings, so I put on my waterproof socks. They were great until. Until, that is, I had to cross some deeper water that went over the top of them. As you’d expect, they then filled with water. Still, they acted like a wet suit and I kept warm. There were a couple of guys camped at the trailhead, waiting for a buddy to join them. One of them warned me that they’d checked the first crossing earlier in the day and it was knee-deep. It was only mid-shin when I crossed. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

At the start (or is it the end?) of the Whites Creek Trail Loop. I was last here in April 2021. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Drying out — That will teach me. I didn’t set the tarp and the dew point must have been just perfect for everything to get soaked, including my hammock and my down top and under quilts. I decided to delay the start of my day’s hike (any excuse) and get everything dry before packing it away. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Whites Creek, this is fairly close to its confluence with the Eleven Point River. I stopped here to have lunch and enjoy the view. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Whites Creek Cave — It’s a slightly better picture than last time. I used my headlamp to light the place up. I’ve tried to find out some more information abouth the cave, like how big it is and how far it goes back. Thus far I’ve drawn a blank. Let’s just say it’s big-ish. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Pool on Whites Creek, Irish Wilderness — Oh the joys of the Golden Hour (and being in the right place). Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Contemplating life and the view — The view was a bit tangled as the floods had made a huge mess of everything. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Lunch time snooze in the sun — albeit a very watery sun. Can you see my glasses? No neither could I, it took me a lot of searching to find them. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness

New Parking Lot for the Big Piney Trail at Roby Lake. Big surpise, our car is the only one parked here. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Junction of the North and South Loops, Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness. For a change I’m starting out on the North Loop. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Stopped for lunch. Heating water for some noodles. . Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

No one at home — someone has removed the surprise from this trash/swill can. That’s very mean. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Junction with the shortcut to the South Loop. It had been raining on and off for a couple hours, I had somehow hurt my foot, and my pack was playing me up. It was still good to be out, and I’ve only got another fifteen minutes or so and I’ll be where I planned to stop for the night. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Day Two — Camped off of the North Loop of the Big Piney Trail. The perspective is a tad confusing here. I’m looking down at my hammock. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Scenic Overlook — Paddy Creek, looking southeast. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Lunch in the shade by Paddy Creek. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Can’t see the bluff for the trees. The bluff’s some 50-60 ft. high. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Up on the ridge. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Black Snake by the Big Piney Trail — It got fed up with the attention it was getting from me and slithered off. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

New Trailhead, and new registration point. There’s a new parking lot, and they’ve moved the trailhead so it is on the parking lot. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

A quarter mile of sticky muddy mess. I love the equine trail users, they keep many trails open that would otherwise disappear through lack of use, but in some places, like here they also play havoc with the trail by tearing it up. This was not easy to hike along. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Camped in Paddy Creek Wilderness, at a spot I’ve nicknamed Paddy Creek Trolltunga. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, December 2023. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Frosty Morning — The temperature dropped to 19°F (-7°C) overnight. The predicted low was 28°F. I was glad I changed my mind and packed my bigger and heavier 10°F quilts. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, December 2023. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

It was a bit chilly when I rolled out of bed in the morning — The temperature dropped to 19°F (-7°C) overnight. The predicted low was 28°F. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, December 2023. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Scenic overlook on the Big Piney Trail — This was the reason for my trip. I’d seen this vista in the spring and I wanted to come back and see it in winter. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, December 2023. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Snake on the Big Piney Trail, December 2023. My best guess (so far is that it is a Western Ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus). Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Looking down Big Paddy Creek — not a lot of water flowing. No surprises there. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, December 2023. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Piney Creek Wilderness

On the lake trail at Piney Creek Wilderness. It doesn’t look it but that’s a 60-80 ft. climb. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Sunset at Piney Creek Wilderness. My neighbors are fishing the small bluff opposite their camp. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Table Rock Lake at Piney Creek Wilderness — I never tire of this view, or taking pictures of it. Look closely and you can see that I had neighbors on this visit. Two fishermen camped at the entrance to Piney Creek. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Just sitting and watching — That’s pretty much how I spent four days. The cup of tea was optional. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Camped near Table Rock Lake at Piney Creek Wilderness. The forecast was for two-three days of rain, so I carried in a second tarp so I could have a dry area to sit and prepare meals. It sprinkled once for about half an hour. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Campfire — It is very rare for me to have a camp fire nowadays. But, I’d collected the wood, so I might as well use it and keep the fire ring clean. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Road Trips

The Gypsum Hills, Kansas. Annular Eclipse Trip, Day One. After several hours of driving we stop to take in some scenery. Copyright © 2023 Ginger Allman, all rights reserved.

Leaving the Gypsum Hills, Kansas — Next stop Dodge City. Copyright © 2023 Ginger Allman, all rights reserved.

Canadian River Railroad Bridge Logan, New Mexico — Day Two of our Annular Eclipse Trip. Union Pacific Railroad bridge over the Canadian River is located south of Logan in Quay County, New Mexico. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

The northern edge of the Llano Estacado in New Mexico. On state Highway 469. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Faux Stonehenge Odessa, Texas. We stopped here while scoping out potential places to watch the annual eclipse. We decided this might be too twee and too popular. The eclipse photographers were already gathering. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Eclipse glasses — Ginger and Gary ready for the annular eclipse, in Odessa, Texas. Annular Eclipse Trip Day Four. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Annular Eclipse 2023. Copyright © 2023 Ginger Allman, all rights reserved.

Near Gaither Mountain Overlook — The first major scenic overlook of our trip. Day One. Home to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Scenic Overlook on Highway 43 near Ponca, Arkansas — all too often, the forest had been obscuring our view, so we stopped for this brief glimpse of the countryside (hidden from view but overlooking ‘Ponca International’ a grandiose name for a grass strip runway, which I discovered on the satellite view researching where this picture was taken. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Fish – Toledo Bend Reservoir, Tourist Information Center, Louisiana. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Lunch Stop – Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas. We checked out the campground, and then headed over to a closed section near the put-in for lunch. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Yes, that are alive… Didn’t see any though. Cattail Marsh, Tyrrell Park, Beaumont, Texas. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

it looks like a jungle in there — Trail near Cattail Marsh, Tyrrell Park, Beaumont, Texas. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Ginger soaking up the sun on the Gulf of Mexico — Beach Camping at Sea Rim State Park, Texas. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Beach Camping at Sea Rim State Park, Texas — We had the whole beach to ourselves and 80°F in November. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Sunset at Sea Rim State Park, Texas — When it got dark, we found out why we had the beach to ourselves — hordes of ferocious mosquitoes. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Sunset, Pine Bluff, Arkansas — Ginger insisted that we stop to watch the sunset. I’m glad we did, it was a good one! Note: the cloud lines were straight, but the extreme wide-angle lens distortion makes them curved. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Greers Ferry Dam on the Little Red River, Arkansas. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Norfork Lookout Point. Overlooking the North Fork River, Arkansas. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Norfork Lookout Point. Overlooking the North Fork River, Arkansas. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.