OHT day-hike in Sylamore area

20 Dec OHT day-hike in Sylamore area

Date: Jan 1 2019 9:30 AM – ?
Type: Day hike
Location: Spring Creek trail head to Moccasin Springs trail head
Description: Let’s start 2019 right with some fresh air and exercise in our beautiful Ozarks. January 1 we will be hiking on the OHT from Spring Creek trail head to Moccasin Springs trail head on Hwy 341. This hike is 8.8 miles and should be considered challenging due to the distance and two small creek crossings–bring your water shoes just in case. There are some uphill sections, but otherwise it’s fairly level for this area. We will meet at Moccasin Springs trail head parking at 9:30am and shuttle up Rand Road to Spring Creek trail head to begin our hike. Those of you coming from Mountain Home area , I will be leaving from Matney Knob trail head at 9:00am if you would like to carpool or caravan from there to Moccasin Springs trail head.

If you have questions or want more information about this hike, contact Gordon King at gordonkking@gmail.com.

Just as an aside, Gordon was a member of the North Central Arkansas Master Naturalists (NCAMN) well before he joined OHTA. In fact, several of the OHTA members, particularly those who joined the EC and actively participate in EC activities/outings, were members of NCAMN long before they joined OHTA. This has led to a very nice synergy between the OHTA-EC and NCAMN.  Those of you who have joined us on our outings may have seen evidence of this synergy without knowing it. What’s that? Well, the route we took on some of our hikes ended up being very well maintained. That did not occur by accident or by chance but by effort put forth by elves from NCAMN sneaking out on the trails after the outing was posted and sprucing things up.

So, to help keep the synergy growing, I am pleased to inform you that NCAMN is looking for folks interested in learning more about their organization and, perhaps, becoming members. That said, here
is the info NCAMN has put out about their membership drive:

*MASTER NATURALIST “HUNTING SEASON” OPENS*

*Local nature lovers are beating the bushes for more volunteers to share the adventure of trail building and upkeep, stream monitoring, wildflower cultivation, and hosting family nature events, as well as hiking and
floating just for fun.*

*Chapter volunteers clear and beautify some 50 miles of area trails and assess water quality in eight creeks that are tributaries to local lakes and rivers. They also present children and family nature programs at
various locations throughout the Twin Lakes region. *

*New members take a series of classes in the winter but can begin volunteering immediately. Expert instructors cover such fields as birding, botany, geology and archeology, says David LeMay who organizes the classes.*

*Joining NCAMN opens new worlds for many volunteers, LeMay adds.*

*Applications and class schedule can be found on the Master Naturalist website. For questions about applications and classes, please contact LeMay at dwlemay@gmail.com or 901-871-7272.*