Today we hiked from Shores Lake to White Rock Mountain. The day began with a rising sun at a rest stop along I-40. After loading back up the car, we drove to our shuttle at Turner Bend around 8AM. Llyod shuttled Kevin’s truck to Lick Branch, and then drove us over to Lick Branch. Lloyd is a burly, Arkansas man with his flannel shirt and backcountry twang. He seemed to know a lot about the history of the area and gave us some good advice about hiking in the Ozarks.

Once we arrived, we had a BIG climb. I did not anticipate the first day to be so difficult. Whiting Mountain will be a real challenge compared to this. We had several potential disasters along the way. To start, I intentionally left the map in the truck. Later, with our water running low and no creek to be found, we were becoming concerned. So we decided to stop for lunch. I went to look to see if there was another trail and a place to pee. Along the way, I found a small creek! What a relief! The next near disaster came at a fork in the trail. We prayed for a clear direction and after 5 minutes of discussion we unanimously agreed to take the left fork. It proved to be a good idea, and we saved a lot of time. We arrived at White Rock Mountain around 4pm to setup camp, leaving the rest of the day to enjoy the exquisite beauty of Arkansas. My what a sunset! With great food and good friends, we had a great adventure.

Related posts:

1. 4 Days in Big Bend
2. Gila Wilderness
3. Guadalupe Mountains
4. Never Hike Alone
5. Hiking the North Shore