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Ginger disappearing around a corner on the Pilot (Tower) Trail
Ginger on the trail. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Small spring and creek near ‘Ant Hill’
Small Creek near ‘Ant Hill.’ Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. The spring we found can be seen right at the bottom of the frame. The water was pouring out of a small one to one-and-a-half-inch hole in the bank. How well the spring holds up in dry weather will have to be seen.
Looking down the ravine, I saw evidence of how intrusive ‘first world’ trash can be. There was a highly reflective helium balloon caught in the scrub. You can’t see it in the pictures because I ensured it wasn’t in the shot.
Spring – The water was rushing out of a tiny 1″-1.5″ hole (center frame where the weed is collecting). It was putting out several gallons per minute. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. 
Spring pool. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Small Creek near ‘Ant Hill.’ Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Sunday Morning at ‘Ant Hill’
Camped on ‘Ant Hill’ – So named (by us) because of the huge numbers of carpenter ants. We couldn’t decide if the ants killed the trees or they moved in because the trees died. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. We put most of our gear away after breakfast, leaving the tarp up in case it rained — it did, but only a few sprinkles. We sat around chatting and looking at the trees until noon, when we packed away the last of our gear and headed back to the trailhead.
No pictures of us because we were slopping around in comfortable clothes, and I couldn’t be bothered.
Camped on ‘Ant Hill’ – So named (by us) because of the huge numbers of carpenter ants here. We couldn’t decide if the ants killed the trees, or they moved in because the trees died. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Camped on ‘Ant Hill’ – So named (by us) because of the huge numbers of carpenter ants here. We couldn’t decide if the ants killed the trees, or they moved in because the trees died. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Camped on ‘Ant Hill’ – So named (by us) because of the huge numbers of carpenter ants here. We couldn’t decide if the ants killed the trees, or they moved in because the trees died. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Saturday evening, camped on ‘Ant Hill’
Camped on ‘Ant Hill’ Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. We called this place ‘Ant Hill’ because of the huge number of carpenter ants. We couldn’t decide if the ants killed the trees or they moved in because the trees died.
We had a very relaxing day with nothing much done except sitting around talking and enjoying the woods and sunshine. When the forecast rain arrived, it was just a very light sprinkle, but that was enough for us to shift our seats under my tarp, which I had already set up in porch mode just in case it rained.
Arriving yesterday evening, we had first tried to set up camp in one of my usual sites on the edge of ‘Twin Falls Hollow,’ but the ground wasn’t flat enough. Some searching around found this spot a couple of hundred yards west. We were lucky and found a small spring nearby, so we didn’t need to slog all the way down the hill and back up again to get water.
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Ginger’s new tent
Ginger’s new tent – we splurged a lot of cash on an ultralight (20oz) DCF tent. Now Ginger or the kids can come out with me. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. We have been very pleased with the Zpacks products we’ve bought to date (Arc Haul Backpack, trekking poles, and various DCF bags), so when Ginger started looking at tents, Zpacks was high on our list. Our decision to purchase a Zpacks Duplex tent was also helped by the many positive reviews we found online.
In use we’ve had no problems. It’s simple and quick to setup and breakdown. We have also bought the Duplex Freestanding Flex kit for hard surfaces when we are car camping.
Ginger’s new tent – we splurged a lot of cash on an ultralight (20oz) DCF tent. Now Ginger or the kids can come out with me. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Updates
- May 2025 — I realized I hadn’t said what tent we’d bought! I’ve added some text about it based on our experience with it over the past four years.
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Flowering Prickly Pear Cactus
Flowering Prickly Pear Cactus. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. 
Flowering Prickly Pear Cactus. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Gary and Ginger at the Pole Hollow Cairn
Gary and Ginger at the Pole Hollow Cairn – I know how to treat Ginger to a good time, I made sure she had plenty of exercise, time to relax, and her own room with a forest view. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Gary and Ginger at the Pole Hollow Cairn
Gary and Ginger at the Pole Hollow Cairn. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I know how to treat Ginger to a good time, 🙂 I made sure she had plenty of exercise, time to relax, and her own room with a forest view.
Gary and Ginger at the Pole Hollow Cairn. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to show Ginger her rock on the Pole Hollow Cairn, and of course, there’s the Pole Hollow selfie that must be taken. Ginger is never one to miss the chance to ham things up, and there are several outtakes.
It’s been a long time since we last went backpacking together, just over three years. In that time the fabric in our now ten-plus-year-old tents has started to degrade and get sticky. I did a lot of research seeking a replacement that would work as a single or two-person tent, and one that hopefully would last a lot longer than our deteriorating MSR Mutha Hubba and Sierra Designs Lightning XT 1 tents have.
The girls have indicated that they’d like to come out backpacking with me, and Ginger wants to get out more. The time was right, and we bought an ultralight Zpacks Duplex tent that weighs in at a minuscule 24oz. Much lighter than my hammock set-up. I might have to try ground-dwelling again.
Our plan for the weekend is very simple. Hike in around three-and-a-half miles, set up camp, do nothing for a day and a half, and then hike back out. The weather should be good, 80°F daytime temps and 66°F nighttime. There’s some rain forecast for Saturday night and Sunday. No problem, and I’m certainly no stranger to hiking out in the rain.
The only problem I had on the hike in, was lending Ginger my pair of carbon fiber trekking poles to try out. I never got them back!
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Back to the start and some notes
Mystery Trail. The trail I arrived on is coming in from the right, but the blazes suggest there’s another trail. It’s a puzzle, and there was no visible trail. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. From here there is just a short thirty-minute hike, south, down the Ozark Trail to get back to the trailhead. That’s it, trip over, though there’s still the two-hour drive home to complete. The placing of the trail blaze here is a puzzle. I came in on the trial from the right, and the main trail is off to the left, so what is that trail blaze doing center frame? At first, I thought it was just badly placed, but looking more closely at the picture I can see another blaze on a tree in the direction it is pointing. I didn’t notice a worn trail joining here from that direction.
Well, this interesting question, the fact that I missed out on the top northwest corner of the North Fork Loop, and that I’d like to come back when the trees are not in leaf, all mean a return trip is needed. There is also the issue of the missing link trail to the Devil’s Backbone Wilderness to be investigated.
In total I hiked a meager 12.54 miles with 1,400 feet of elevation. Not a big hike at all. I’ve almost done that mileage in a day!
Lessons
- Thoroughly check new gear before leaving. If I had I wouldn’t have ended up with no way to charge my electronics.
- Remember to download the maps to my phone before leaving.
- Check where I am heading with the compass and map — especially if I am not using the GPS. I know this, I don’t know why I don’t do it. I’ve even changed where I keep the compass and map to try and remind me.
- 2H pencil leads are unreadable. Change back to HB.
- Trails move and they may also be closed. Check my route.
- I can make a gallon of water last a night and most of the next day.
- I took more clothes than I needed. I had my medium fleece that I never wore, I could have carried my light fleece.
- Don’t take the underquilt protector when the forecast doesn’t call for it.
What worked well
- While it didn’t get a proper test the new battery pack seemed to work fine. It powered the lights without shutting down, which is a problem with my old battery pack.
- My food and water planning were good.
- And while I lost the trail (a lot) I got around and visited all (okay most) of the places I planned on visiting.
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Ready for the trail
Ready for the trail. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Only two or three miles left to go. Don’t come to me for outdoor fashion guidance. I hike to my own tune, and I like mixing my metaphors!
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The view from my chair – Stereo image
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And very tall trees too
Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Vertical panorama of five images.
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Trees, trees, and more trees
Trees, trees, and more trees – And my mini tripod (front and center) is fastened to one of them. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Lunch break, and I’m showing a bit too much thigh
Lunch break. I’m showing a tad too much thigh. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I had a choice of routes to take today. The short route takes the North Fork Loop east back to the Ozark Trail, where I could get back to the trailhead. The longer route goes south, and into the Devil’s Backbone Wilderness, and returns to Highway CC via the McGarr Ridge Trail (and a 300 foot climb up onto McGarr Ridge). This route crosses Highway CC near its bridge across the North Fork River, runs through the recreation area to Blue Spring (it seems nine out of ten springs in the Ozarks are called ‘Blue Spring’). The problem with the southern route is that it is several miles longer, and from what I had seen, there is no trace of a crossing point on Highway CC, so it quite possibly doesn’t even exist anymore. I decided I’d make my mind up when I got to the trail junction.
I never did see the trail junction, and I looked carefully, so I ended up on the North Fork Loop heading east back to the Ozark Trail. As that route was significantly shorter, I decided to stop for an hour (or more) for a cup of tea, some lunch, and to just enjoy the forest in the sunshine.
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Day Three – Back on the North Fork Loop Trail
Back on the trail. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Nothing but trees
Nothing but trees. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Camped in Mark Twain National Forest, it was a wonderful morning in a rejuvenating spot.
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Dappled
Dappled. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Hammock Camping
Chameleon Hammock – And Hammock Gear under quilt and tarp. I didn’t need the tarp. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. 
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Stereo Image – Just Trees
It’s difficult to see the trees for the woods in a normal forest photograph, you need your full 3D vision to be able to separate things.
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Breakfast comforts
Breakfast – A cup of tea, South West Breakfast Skillet followed by a cup of coffee. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. A cup of tea and Mountain House South West Breakfast Skillet, followed by a cup of coffee, and all enjoyed from the comfort of my camp chair. I did a lot of staring into space, admiring the view, as the trees swayed, shining dappled sunlight while the breeze blew. I doubt this spot has seen a human visitor in many years.
I am thankful that I am fortunate enough to be able to get out into the woods to sit quietly and enjoy nature.
