Missouri

Words and pictures featuring Missouri

Photograph of Gary Allman in front of the Pole (Pete) Hollow Trail cairn, Hercules Glades Wilderness, Missouri. February 2021.

Pole Hollow Cairn (it’s behind me) – The weather seems to be doing a better job of keeping me off the trails in 2021 than COVID-19 did in 2020. Two-minute read

Journal: Searching for springs at Hercules Glades Wilderness, February 2021. Journal: 5 30

Packed and Ready to go – The Bishop’s staff were delivering the second of two training events for new vestry and church leaders this Saturday morning. Like most meetings nowadays, it was on Zoom. I got to be slide master, and we all gave 10-minute talks to introduce ourselves and let the folks know how we can help them. As soon as we’d finished delivering the morning’s training I was ready to get changed and head out of here! Two-minute read.

Snow February 2021 – The snow was really fine and fluffy. Very easy to work with. Though I must confess, Ginger cleared the pathway down the drive. +1

Snowy Feat – I just couldn’t resist giving it a try. Despite it being around 13°F (-10°C) it wasn’t too cold. I ended up spending around 20 minutes outside clearing the snow off the front deck and path.

Snowy backyard with chairs gathered around the fire pit – It got cold. -13°F (-25°C) cold. Yes, we had a couple of short power cuts, but they were a minor inconvenience. Fortunately a week or so before the cold snap we had our furnace replaced with a new high-efficiency model. +1

Hike over, back at the trailhead – That’s my hike over, and it’s just before 4:15 p.m. Not bad, and still daylight. I should be home by 5:45 p.m. I completed today’s hike of six-plus miles in a little over three hours. I’ll take that.

Back at the Pole Hollow Cairn – It was too dark on the hike out Friday night for my obligatory Pole Hollow Cairn selfie, so I decided to slip one in on my return hike. +1

Nothing to see here, move on… View? there’s supposed to be a view… +2

All packed up and ready to head home – and it’s only six-and-a-half miles of fairly flat going.

Hot chocolate to start the day. +1

Camped above ‘Deep Hollow’ – Despite exploring for several miles yesterday, this appears to be the only place near a water source. Oh, and it rained (a lot) overnight.

Settled in for the night – somehow, despite arriving in daylight, I ended up setting up my hammock in the dark (again).

Bearing Tree & Land Survey Monument – Marking a corner of the Hercules Glades Wilderness. +1

Puffy jacket hood malfunction – What can I say? You would think I could dress myself by now. At least I didn’t fall out of my hammock this time.

First hike of 2021 – Camped at ‘Twin Falls Hollow’ – I didn’t start packing my gear until I finished work, and so it was dark when I left home. I started my hike at 7:40 p.m., there was some light from the risen half-moon and the sky was clear. Following the trail was easy, and I kept my headlamp on its lowest setting — which proved to be a mistake when I accidentally took the Cedars Trail in the dark. Two-minute read, +2

Final trip of 2020 over — Not the most flattering of pictures. A quick summary of my hike out. 1

Tales of stupidity — Camped overlooking ‘Twin Falls Hollow’ – This trip had been dogged by a series of stupid mistakes. My final mistake could easily have been fatal, but as is usually the case when I do something stupid, I was lucky and got away with it. Until possibly, one day I won’t. 5   4

Gary at the Blair Ridge Trailhead – The hike from the Falls to the Blair Ridge Trailhead is supposed to be around three-and-a-half miles. I’d say it was nearer to three. It was a cold, dull, gray day, so no pictures. Anyway, it was just standard Ozarks ridge trail scenery. That’s my last unhiked trail in Hercules Glades completed. One-minute read, +3

Vertigo – Watch your step, it’s a fairly steep drop of around 100ft and a very narrow trail. I made sure I didn’t drop a hiking pole while taking a picture here.

Small Falls on Long Creek. +1

Meet the Flintstones – Looks like somewhere Fred, Wilma, and Pebbles might live. It’s another overhang campsite, but this one has more home comforts and a rock-edged path down to the creek where there is a wide pool. +2

Long Creek. Hercules Glades – Day Three – This is the spot nearest to my campsite and where I drew my water. What you can’t see in this picture are the frozen bits.

Overhang Campsite – When I camped here in May 2019 I ended up in the ER the next day.

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