Ozark Trail- Backpacking Hwy 8 trail head south on Courtois Section

This trip was designed to be a trip of several nights- the goal was to get down to Hazel Creek and then hike back. The weather had other plans, so we cut this one down to one night. Got about 2.5 miles down from the trail head and decided to go ahead and bushwack a campsite, as it was getting closer to sunset and it looked like rain was starting to move in. Got camp set up and then it started to rain. I was using my older Kelty Super Tioga external frame pack, so I brought one of those big black garbage bags and used it as a rain cover, and then slid into the tent. There is something really serene about taking a nap during an afternoon shower.

 Something that has been a fantastic accessory on my recent trips is my Kindle. It does not take a lot of space or weight, and I can spend a few hours on each trip reading....finished up Treasure Island and started in on "The Maine Woods" by Henry David Thoreau

 A few things I could have done better:
 1. Printed the wrong map for the trail section I was on. I should have double checked before I left....was wondering why the topo maps I downloaded on my Delormme Inreach was not matching what I printed out
 2. With the bigger pack, I should have packed a pair of sandals for the wet creek crossing. Took my shoes off going up and it was a little rough on the bottoms of my feet. Coming back, I just hiked right though it, as the trail head was about 1/8 mile from the crossing

 Day 2: Fantastic sunrise and we actually got about an hour of glorious sunlight coming over the hill and making the changing colors of the forest glow. Temperature was about 38 degrees, and was perfect for some morning serenity with a cup of coffee. Saw a really nice buck on the journey back, with his white tail up in the air and he scurried away from me on the trail

 If you enjoy these trips, please like our Facebook page, and check out even more photos from this trip: https://www.facebook.com/Ozarkmountainandstreamadventures/

Hiking/Backpacking

Nov 3, 2018 10:19 AM

Duration (Total) 1h 5m 36s , Distance 2.2 mi

Not any established campsites on this site- when you bushwack a camp, please leave no trace :-)

-Tracked by kayakthemidwest, on Ramblr

This trip was designed to be a trip of several nights- the goal was to get down to Hazel Creek and then hike back. The weather had other plans, so we cut this one down to one night. Got about 2.5 miles down from the trail head and decided to go ahead and bushwack a campsite, as it was getting closer to sunset and it looked like rain was starting to move in. Got camp set up and then it started to rain. I was using my older Kelty Super Tioga external frame pack, so I brought one of those big black garbage bags and used it as a rain cover, and then slid into the tent. There is something really serene about taking a nap during an afternoon shower.
Something that has been a fantastic accessory on my recent trips is my Kindle. It does not take a lot of space or weight, and I can spend a few hours on each trip reading....finished up Treasure Island and started in on "The Maine Woods" by Henry David Thoreau

A few things I could have done better:
1. Printed the wrong map for the trail section I was on. I should have double checked before I left....was wondering why the topo maps I downloaded on my Delormme Inreach was not matching what I printed out
2. With the bigger pack, I should have packed a pair of sandals for the wet creek crossing. Took my shoes off going up and it was a little rough on the bottoms of my feet. Coming back, I just hiked right though it, as the trail head was about 1/8 mile from the crossing

Day 2: Fantastic sunrise and we actually got about an hour of glorious sunlight coming over the hill and making the changing colors of the forest glow. Temperature was about 38 degrees, and was perfect for some morning serenity with a cup of coffee. Saw a really nice buck on the journey back, with his white tail up in the air and he scurried away from me on the trail

If you enjoy these trips, please like our Facebook page, and check out even more photos from this trip: https://www.facebook.com/Ozarkmountainandstreamadventures/

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

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Bell Mountian Wilderness/Ozark Trail, Missouri: Beautiful wildlife area in the Missouri Ozarks!

Hiking/Backpacking

May 5, 2017 3:26 PM

Duration (Total) 1d 20h 22m , Distance 12.6 mi

No real water you would want to pump at the top of the summit- you will want to bring water in or camp along creek- established camps are not well marked on maps, but they are there

-Tracked by kayakthemidwest, on Ramblr

Day 1: Set out from Hwy A- the elevation gains from the trailhead are pretty straight up once you hit the road. You will start to see some glades and some really nice wildflowers about a mile into it. With the rains, there were several small creeks/runoffs crossing the trail, and sometimes inn the trail, so some spots were pretty muddy- glad I was wearing a full boot and not trail runners. Met the Ozark Trail/Bell Loop point and headed up the loop...saw a bore about the size of a large dog. Did not know if I would make it to the top summit, so broke a primitive camp about a mile before- good confidence builder, not using an established camp- made sure it looked the same before I got there before leaving. A coyote came into camp and started howling- startled me a first due to how close he was to the tent- almost hurt my ears!

Day 2: Headed to the summit, marking possible future sites on map (see tip below)...summit was incredible- seemed like a ton of people were on the trail- almost everyone was going to camp on the top so they could "see the sunrise"...I bet there were 10-15 people and dogs topside. Headed off the summit and went to the Joes Creek valley area- some really beautiful camp sites, and tons of water- found a spot right before it headed back up the mountain and set camp. Beautiful!

Day 3: Sunday morning was amazing...enjoyed my normal morning rituals, coffee, breaking camp, meditative time, etc....as I was heading up the trail from this point, noticed how much the trail was starting to overgrow with the summer tarmac...once at the top, really enjoyed the straight downhill hike

This place would be an amazing winter camp- a little crowded for my liking- must have ran into at least 10 folks on the trail, which surprised me-

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　

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