Trip Report: Solo Backpacking at Piney Creek Wilderness
Leave a reply
An unplanned two-day hike at Piney Creek Wilderness.
More >Tagged: Missouri
Trip Report: Backpacking on the Pees Hollow Trail at Hercules Glades Wilderness
Pees Hollow Backpacking Trip – My new Hammock arrived last week and I couldn’t wait any longer to try it out.
More >Hammock Test Setup
I’ve been wanting to try hammock camping for quite a while. I’m reluctant to purchase all the necessary gear unless it’s something I’m sure I will be comfortable with — and in.
More >Busiek Orange Trail
A warm break in the weather sent us scurrying out to get some miles on the trail, this time we opted for Busiek’s Orange Trail.
More >How did we get here, and where are we headed?
Back in 2010 our outdoor recreation goals very quickly evolved. Within three months of our first weekend camping trip we’d bought kayaks to get out on the lakes, and in less than six months we went from car camping to backpacking and hiking. From the start we had difficulty finding campgrounds and sites as they […]
More >Trip Report: 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Backpacking
We went eclipse backpacking on the Ozark Trail. The eclipse was more popular than I anticipated. My plan had been to wait until seven days before the event and pick a destination. I picked seven days because the weather forecast would be more reliable. Unfortunately, waiting that late meant that everything was already booked (and […]
More >Kayaking on the James River above Lake Springfield
July 21 I took Luke for an afternoon kayaking on the James River at Springfield, Missouri [12 pictures].
More >If wishes were ponies
I’d have a whole lot of pack horses by now. This time last year (2015) we thought we were getting back into our hiking / backpacking stride, and we lost it. After about three hikes we stopped. Lots of work came in and we both spent most of the year tied to our desks and […]
More >Another Short Hike at Busiek
We’re still working on getting back in condition. Today, we wanted to increase the distance and elevation climbed while, not getting too wet and muddy, and not driving too far. We settled on hiking the complete Silver Trail at Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area.
More >Late Afternoon Paddle on the James River Above Lake Springfield
I decided to ignore the temperatures in the high nineties and take the kayaks and our youngest daughter out for a short run on the James River. The plan was to put in at the Southwood Access point, go up river and drop back down-river and take-out at Lake Springfield.
More >Afternoon on Lake Springfield and the James River
Today I managed to break away from my desk and actually get out into the air. I picked an excellent day to get out. The temperature was fine, and we had a fantastic blue sky to contrast with all the greenery.
More >100 Missouri Miles
June 1 will see the launch of “100 Missouri Miles”, a new initiative encouraging Missourians to complete 100 miles of physical activity by the end of the year
More >Mark Twain National Forest Closes Big Bay Campground
Mark Twain National Forest has announced it is permanently closing the Big Bay Campground on Table Rock Lake, near Shell Knob, Missouri.
The near-by Big Bay boat launch and picnic area remains open.
The press release states that “The campground closing is part of Mark Twain National Forest’s long term recreation site management plan.
More >Trip Report: Finding the Bluffs at Hercules Glades
We love campsites with spectacular views, who doesn’t? We hoped we’d managed to find a fantastic camping spot on top of a set of 260 ft. high bluffs overlooking Beaver Creek, in Hercules Glades Wilderness, we just needed to get there and check it out.
More >Link: To Heaven and Back on the Upper Jacks Fork
We love the Jack’s Fork River. Probably because our first camping experience was at Blue Spring Campground, by Jack’s Fork, near Mountain View, Missouri.
More >Busiek Silver Trail – Complete Hike
Sunday we hiked part of the Busiek Silver Trail. Wednesday we decided to go back and do the complete trail.
More >Winter Hike on the Silver Trail at Busiek
Commitments for the kids, work projects, and voluntary work have all conspired to keep us from hiking, camping and backpacking for the past couple of months. This afternoon we made the effort to leave our desks behind and hike what we call the ‘Hill Loop’ of the Busiek Silver Trail – 2.58 miles and 574 ft of Elevation.
More >The Current (Video)
A very nicely produced short video about the Current River by Thomas Malkowicz. Their campfire observations on the Current echo many of the sentiments I’ve heard and read expressed by people talking about wildernesses and nature everywhere.
More >Missouri State Parks – First Day Hikes
Celebrate the beginning of 2013 by taking a guided hike in a Missouri state park. Start a new tradition with your friends and family as you get some healthy exercise and enjoy the great outdoors.
More >Trail Map: Piney Creek Wilderness
Piney Creek Wilderness is one of our favorites.
Located in Barry County Missouri, the Pineview (Tower) Trailhead is 5.5 miles west of Cape Fair on Highway 76 off Farm road 2150, and around 4.5 miles on Highway 76 from Highway 39. See Getting To Piney Creek.
More >Trail Map: Bell Mountain Trail
Bell Mountain Wilderness is in Iron County Missouri, around 30 miles south of Potosi. Bell mountain is an 11 or so mile loop depending on the trail head you start from. Bell Mountain is 1702 ft. and offers superb views to the east and of the 600 ft. drop into the very steep valley of Shut-in Creek.
More >Busiek Day Hike
We hiked the Busiek Red and Yellow trials today – 5 miles and 596 ft. of elevation. We ventured off trail for a while so I could show Ginger some of the things I’d discovered when I backpacked through here in June.
More >News Roundup – September 2012
A roundup of links to other websites with news and articles we’ve found interesting this month, plus a list of our latest posts and updates. Mark Twain National Forest’s Ava/Cassville/Willow Springs Ranger District is temporarily closing the North Fork Day Use area to remove a deteriorated boat launch…
More >Photo gallery: Truman Lake
Welcome to our gallery of photographs taken on and around Harry S Truman Lake Missouri. Click on a picture to see a larger version.
More >Two nights camping at Big Bay Campground, Table Rock Lake, Missouri
We braved the 100°F plus temps to spend some time by Table Rock lake. What we found were hot sunny days, a lot of forgetfulness, rain filled nights, and a villainous squirrel…
More >