So far, all of my blogs have been about my travels in South Korea, but for a change I'd like to share one of my recent experiences that was here in the United States. A few years back I read a book on the Ozarks, also known as Ozark Mountains or Ozark Plateau in the U.S. States of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and the Southeast corner of Kansas. A major portion is covered by northern Arkansas and the southern half of Missouri. The Arkansas mountain frontier is one of the few wild places left for explorers.
The Buffalo National River area has always been a gem in Arkansas's crown. Hikers and boaters are drawn to the emerald water and the iconic landmarks here. To preserve the river as a free flowing stream, Congress designated it as America's first national river in 1972. It nestles in the Arkansas Ozark plateau, which is bounded on the north, east and south by the Missouri, Mississippi, and Arkansas rivers. The earliest maps called this the "Buffalo Fork of the White River", obviously for now-extinct woodland bison. The river begins as a trickle in the Boston mountains, where it flows north and then eastward through the Ozarks until is merges with the White river at Buffalo city. The gradient is steeper and the water faster on the upper river. Centuries of erosion sculpted multicolored cliffs to accent the river and its setting within the wild mountain beauty. Its caves, cliffs, sinkholes, waterfalls, springs, and often intriguing rock formations typify Arkansas Ozarks geology. There are village sites on river terraces, seasonal bluff shelters of prehistoric hunters and gatherers, and farmsteads of the Mississippian people who raised corn on floodplains.
One weekend I decided to drive (about 600 miles) from Houston to the upper Buffalo and Ponca wilderness area, the western side of the Ozarks. After 10 hours of driving, I managed to reach my first hiking trail in the upper Buffalo wilderness area around 2:30 pm on a Friday. The last six miles were on a gravel mountain road (Cave Mountain Road). The weather was cool and perfect for outdoor activities. After parking the truck I slowly started the hike. The trail was beautiful, and it passed by giant beech trees, stands of maples, and finally led me to the most photographed "Hawksbill Crag" in Arkansas. There were several people and everyone was striking different poses for pictures at this beautiful location. The view from the crag out into the wilderness was amazing. I could hear the sound of thundering waters from a creek far below. I remembered the various hikes I did in South Korea; mountains always call me; maybe because I belong to the zodiac Capricorn..... I always like to be on the slope! I perched on a flat rock enjoying the views as the sun was slowly descending behind the mountains.
Reluctantly, I decided to head back to the trail head as it would be dark soon and there were plenty of black bears in the wilderness of Ozarks! While driving back on the gravel road, I could see the sunset on the west and the full moon rising from the east. The eastern sky was painted red, as if the sun was welcoming the moon with a red carpet. The sacred moments in this wilderness landscape. I slowly moved down the road in the stillness and the movement that flows with the wilderness - the rush of the wind, the rhythm of the waters, and the echoes of the mountains.
Thank you Bindu Chechi
Interesting read !