by Bob Gestel and Wayne Miller
There’s no doubt about the ambition: walk from the Mississippi River to Ft. Smith, Arkansas, via the Ozark trail – what a project! Yes, it emulates the Appalachian Trail but the Ozark Trail is still a work in progress, with about 300 miles complete, and many miles to go. Most of the completed sections are on public land (MTNF, DNR, MDC, Corp of Engineers, and National Park Service property).
The original assumption was that the land managers would be responsible for trail maintenance; however, due to budget limitations, maintenance on the lightly-trod sections has become a low priority for the U.S. Forest Service. In the last 3 years volunteeer maintenance efforts have been organized and coordinated by the creation of the Ozark Trail Team, a project run by the Conservation Federation of Missouri, and funded by a grant. Contact them at trailteam@socket.net to see how you can volunteer to participate.
We think you’ll find good, well-marked trails in the Current River, Trace Creek, Taum Sauk, Wappapello, and Victory Sections. There are parts of the remote Karkagne Section that are not suitable for a hiker who needs trail markers in clear view and and trails free of fallen trees. In some of these parts, the OT trail markers seem to have become “collector’s items”, especially along roads. As for the Blair Creek section, that part consists of about 8 miles on Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) property, plus 14 miles on the privately owned Pioneer Forest, and 8 more miles on Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) property.
The Sierra Club’s volunteer trail maintenance within the Pioneer Forest is a popular, ongoing project of 20 years duration, engaging many volunteers – some regular, some occasional, some men, women, newcomers and longtime members. In the year 2000 we had 7 trail maintenance missions, each including the 160-mile roundtrip drive to this remote area for a day of work, an evening of fun and fellowship, then more work on Sunday.
We welcome you to join us for one of our trail maintenance outings along the Ozark Trail. We’ll bring the tools, teach you about pulaskis, put up trail markers with you, cook your supper, and spin tales about mountain lions. Contact Bob Gestel for information bobgest@mindspring.com