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.
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Eager to find a new sort of ground to cover, we turned our attention to the St. Francois Mountain area for our Spring Break trip. The St. Francois Mountains are an ancient granite mountain range that stands, literally, as an island in the limestone and dolomite former sea beds that are the Ozarks Plateau.
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Welcome to our gallery of photographs taken at Bell Mountain Wilderness, Iron County, Missouri. Click on a picture to see a larger version.
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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.
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The trails at Hercules Glades have been re-named (2018), so we’ve switched out the map and links to ones that show the new trail names.
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Taking advantage of a long weekend, we took Lanie with us on a three day backpacking trip to Hercules Glades. Our plan was to map some of the western trails with the GPS, try to find the Spring we think Rock Spring Trail is named after, and show Lanie the falls.
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Welcome to our gallery of photographs taken at Piney Creek Wilderness, Missouri.
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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…
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Welcome to our gallery of photographs taken on and around Harry S Truman Lake Missouri. Click on a picture to see a larger version.
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Memorial Day weekend 2011. We took advantage of the long weekend to go backpacking at Hercules Glades Wilderness and spent three nights in the wilderness.
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Welcome to our gallery of photographs taken on the Sac River Trail.
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Welcome to our gallery of photographs taken at Hercules Glades Wilderness. Click on a picture to see a larger version.
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Welcome to our gallery of photographs taken at Big Bay Campground.
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Welcome to our gallery of photographs taken at Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area. Click on a picture to see a larger version.
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In 2012 Bass Pro updated the Ascend FS10 and Ascend D10 sit-in kayak models. Previously the hulls were to all intents and purposes identical. The new Ascend FS10 hull retains the same shape. The new Ascend D10 is a completely different boat, which means the previous D10 model reviews cannot be relied upon.
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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…
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Berry Bend Campground. sits on a promontory reached via short causeway on the Osage River Arm of Harry S Truman Lake, 29 Miles from Clinton Missouri, 18 miles from the junction with Highway 13 and 11 miles from Warsaw Missouri.
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Red Bluff Campground, is situated in the Huzzah Valley about a mile from Davisville, Missouri and 18 miles from Steelville, south of Cuba and I44. How to get there.
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We found this survey marker by the Tar Kiln Trail in Piney Creek Wilderness. It’s quite hard to see, but I was able to make out that the tack in the center marks the place where this post is on a grid.
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With a couple of spare days I decided to fit in a quick solo backpacking trip. To save on gas I stayed close to Springfield, backpacking around Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area. I found a second cemetery and an abandoned vehicle I didn’t know were there.
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With the kids in Kansas City for the weekend we decided to take our kayaks and camp at Berry Bend Campground on Truman Lake.
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School’s out for the summer, so there’s no school run to worry about. Lanie’s staying with her grandparents for a few days. The big kids are old enough to be left home alone. What better opportunity to get in a few days backpacking?
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When we first started hiking the question soon arose, “Do we need hiking poles?” (also known as trekking poles). We thought that they were pretentious accessories only used by the sort of people who like to buy every latest gadget and bit of gear to look the part. I just could not see the need for them.
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On the shore of Table Rock Lake, near the town of Shell Knob, Missouri, lies the Big Bay Recreation Area. Unique on Table Rock, it’s the only campground owned by Mark Twain National Forest. It’s a primitive campground, meaning there is no electricity, no drinking water or showers, though there are flush toilets. But most of the 35 campsites are along the shore of the lake which can be accessed by a short path. Screening between the campsites is quite good, so it’s a great place to have your own little private summer lake holiday.
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There are so many beautiful butterflies and moths out in the Ozarks this spring. I’ve been lucky enough to capture a mere few of them and bring them here to share with you.
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