by Troy Lair

Way back in 2017 – after I’d finished thru-hiking the AT, but before Karen and I reconnected for good – I had some time on my hands and my legs were itching to move.

The Ouachita Trail stretches for 223 miles through the ancient Ouachita Mountains of southern Arkansas and Oklahoma. Even though I grew up in Oklahoma and had ridden a couple of Freewheels (bicycle events) from Texas to Kansas, I didn’t even know this trail existed.

I Googled “trails near me” and up popped this gem. The weather in November was cool, but no snow in the forecast, so off I went. The leaves had fallen, which meant I missed some amazing color. But it was good to be on a trail again… any trail.

It had some challenges – lots of rocks that can turn an ankle, a couple sections that were poorly maintained and full of scratchy brambles, scarce water sources, a wild fire that came close to the trail, and 30 miles at the eastern end that passed through private property and active timberlands. But overall it was still a very nice hike through rolling mountains and beautiful vistas.

Fast forward four years… Karen and I are now vanlifers traveling the country, looking for adventure and trails. After visiting family in Tulsa, we were headed south to Houston to visit more family and friends. On the way, we passed the Talimena State Park, which is also the western terminus of the Ouachita Trail. What a perfect opportunity to stop and share one of my favorite hikes with my life partner.

We decided to spend three nights at the Talimena State Park, wait out some rainy weather, and prepare for a 40-50 mile hike through the Oklahoma section. As I recalled, this was one of the best-maintained and easier parts of the trail. Then we drove east 20 miles along the trail to the Winding Stair Campground where we would leave the van. The plan was to hike west two days back to Talimena State Park, then turn around and hike two days east again to the van.

Oh my! How four years, a pandemic and deferred maintenance can change a trail… and not for the better. The first two miles east of the campground were great, but grasses and brambles quickly overtook the trail and obscured the prolific rocks and roots. In short order our pace slowed to a measly 1 mile per hour, while we beat back the grasses and brambles that harbored thorns and ticks. After three hours and just four miles, we finally reached Horse Thief Springs where we had lunch and pondered our options. If the trail conditions continued like this, we would have to scuttle our original plans. There was no way we could make it to Talimena State Park in two days. Besides, bushwacking is exhausting and really not much fun.

We could give up and head back to the van. Or we could continue west and hope the trail improved. There was a shelter three miles ahead, but no water there. In the end we decided to forge ahead, load up on water at the springs, and hope for the best. We would make our final decision at the shelter.

Unfortunately, the trail didn’t improve. In fact, it got worse. By the time we reached the shelter, we’d only hiked seven miles total. But our decision was easy. We’d head back in the morning.

I was disappointed that I couldn’t introduce Karen to the same trail I’d hiked four years earlier. However, I have no doubt that as the pandemic recedes, and the park service and trail volunteers get back their maintenance routine, this trail will recover.

In the years ahead, when we get back to this part of the country, we’ll try again… and hope for a better outcome.