Fight Jetlag with Food

Some new research mentioned on NPR Science Friday this week describes a second bodily clock in mammals, similar to the circadian clock that is based on enzymes produced in accordance with food availability. The best news for travelers is that we may be able to shorten the time necessary to adjust to new time zones based on regulating our food consumption. There is a link in my shared items on the right hand side of this page.

Fishing on the King's River

This Saturday, despite warnings from the National Weather Service, friends, and family about the approaching rainstorm, Konah, a couple of friends, and I loaded our canoes and went for a fishing trip on the King's River in Northwest Arkansas. The river flows from near Fallsville north where it empties into Table Rock Lake. The river is class I downstream of SH 74 and is a gentle ride with the only hazard being a lot of down trees from the recent flooding and root wads that have been there for a longer time.

We floated and fished the section from Rockhouse to Trigger Gap after stopping at King's River Outfitters to look at the radar with Ernie. We waited for an hour under the bridge to let the rain pass, knowing that another storm was developing in Eastern Oklahoma that had a nastier reputation than the present burst of showers. But we had a window. We paid Ernie to drop us, our gear, and our boats off at Rockhouse and headed downstream for the 7.7 mile trip to Trigger Gap. There are a few large obstacles on this float. The minor one is a large rootwad that diverts flow at a right angle just downstream of Rockhouse. The second is about 7 miles down, just about a mile upstream of Trigger Gap. Here, a large tree has fallen into the river and there is no safe way to maneuver through it in a canoe. There is a gravel bar on river right provides an easy portage.

The sun was out and the fishing was good. My buddies had fished this section the weekend before and had a lot of luck with watermelon and pumpkin colored worms, so we rigged up different configurations of green plastic wigglies and caught several small fish. Had we just been cruising through and not taking out time to fish, we might have missed the storm. We sat through a little rain during the day, but nothing serious enough to pull out the rain gear. Just as we came around the bend with the must-portage-tree, only a mile from the take out, the thunder cracked and lightening started to flash. The rain came down in sheets making visibility difficult. Knowing we were close, we started to paddle hard until we saw large splashes of hail dropping into the water all around us. We pulled up under the trees on the bank and waited a few short minutes. As quickly as it started, the rain cleared and we had blue skies again. We eased through the last quarter mile down to Trigger Gap. My friend caught a pretty two pound small mouth, the nicest fish of the day, and we pulled off the river just before sunset. We were happy about the fish we caught and that it wasn't ten degrees colder.

Spring in Northwest Arkansas

Spring in Northwest Arkansas is truly a love/hate season for me. I'm not a cold weather person. Every winter I try not to stray too far from the fire. When spring begins to show itself, I am always eager with anticipation of shedding my winter coat. Each bud and flower is an invitation to reawaken the fun and adventure I've been sitting out on all winter. Heavy rains swell the rivers with the promise of views of the river usually unavailable from a canoe or kayak.

As I gear up, it's still a little chilly in the morning and I start sneezing. I never understood, or really believed in allergies until I my eyes started watering one spring. I load my pack or canoe as I try to detach my shoulders from my ears. Out on the trail, the wildflowers and waterfalls are even more beautiful than last year. Getting brave, I take my boots off and stick a toe in the water, only to retract it with a flinch. Spring is such lovely aggravation.

Hiking the Buffalo River Trail

Konah and I just finished a two and a half day, 26.2 mi hike on the Buffalo River Trail from Ponca to Pruitt. When we paid the folks at Lost Valley Canoe $35 to shuttle our truck, they were surprised we were hiking. Most are taking advantage of the recent influx of flow in the river since it's possible to float the Upper Buffalo without dragging your boat across every gravel bar. Despite the raised eyebrows, we really wanted to hike the trail before the ticks poison ivy takes over and we were just in time. The dwarf irises are blooming and the leaves on the trees are just beginning to obscure the view of the river from the trail.

The BRT, which currently connects Boxley to Pruitt, runs along the south side of the river and unlike the Old River Trail, has no river crossings. The two trails cross and frequently follow the same path. Currently, the BRT uses white blazes and the Old River Trail, primitive, or horse trail uses yellow ones. Before heading out, be sure to get and study the Trails Illustrated (topographic) Map of the Buffalo National River West Half, published by National Geographic. Other useful resources are Tim Ernst's Buffalo River Hiking Trails that includes a detailed, albeit rustic, description of the trail and an elevation profile. A brief description is also included in Ernst's Arkansas Hiking Trails. Ken Smith's Buffalo River Handbook is by far my favorite reading resource for Buffalo River information. It includes geology, vegetation, settlement, and historic information about the park, as well as detailed descriptions of the river and trails. It is also coordinated with the Trails Illustrated topographic maps.

The first day we hiked 10.2 miles from Ponca at the low water bridge to Kyle's Landing and camped there. The elevation changes are greatest in this section, and the views of the valley are the grandest. The overlook above Steel Creek is well worth the 30 minute climb from the campground. The second day we hiked 13.4 miles from Kyle's to Ozark Campground. The campground, like most in the Buffalo National River, has recently been improved with flush toilets and trash service. The fee for staying in campgrounds is $10.
I especially enjoyed the tributaries and their waterfalls. The tributaries vary from bedrock steps to large rounded boulder streams to a combination of the two. I also enjoyed the wildflowers, glimpses of the river, and quiet. People are relatively sparse on the trail during the week. We ran into one other hiker, headed the other direction, and a trail maintenance crew.

The third day we hiked the short 2.6 miles from Ozark to Pruitt where our truck had been delivered by Lost Valley Canoe. I enjoyed reminiscing about my childhood summers spent swimming at Pruitt. The water looked refreshing, but I could only stick my feet in the frigid water for a few minutes.
Before heading back to Fayetteville, we drove south on Arkansas Highway 7 past Jasper to the Cliff House Inn for some home style food and more great views. Their southern style meatloaf and homemade angel flake biscuits were a delicious end to the trip.

I am looking forward to hiking the 11 mile trail from Boxley to Ponca when it is a bit drier and the new sections farther east as they are completed.