Slowing It Down On The Ozark Trail
If moving fast is your goal then we have a trail for you! Be it mountain biking, trail running, adventure races, horseback riding, or trying to beat the setting sun as you cross off another section on your quest to hike the entire trail, all provide a feast for the senses. The Ozark Trail is all of this and more.
Hiking the entire OT, one weekend at a time, was my new passion and fourteen months later it was done. Now what? Hike south to north next time? Through hike? My mind was thinking of ways to enjoy it again when injury and age foiled my plans. I finally had to admit that my days of banging out 18 miles on a Saturday were coming to an end…for now. It was more than a little disheartening to watch my friends continue their passion while I sat on the sidelines wondering if I would ever have another long day on the trail.
Instead, I scaled back and slowed down. I changed my thinking. I loaded up Jughead (my hiking dog) and discovered a new passion. Finding and photographing the amazing creatures that live along the Ozark Trail. I decided to look for a collared lizard on one of the most beautiful short hikes in Missouri: Taum Sauk Mountain trailhead to Mina Sauk falls. Jughead and I ambled along, moving slowly, stopping frequently and soaking in those amazing views…but no collared lizards.
Spotting the Collared Lizard
Then, during our longest break of the day, we noticed movement as we sat surrounded by the glades. It finally was happening! A collared lizard! Then another, and another as if they were being released for the day from some hidden collared lizard holding pen. These creatures appeared to be coming from under and around every rock in the glade! We succeeded by slowing down. They came to us. The best three mile hike of my life. I was hooked.
I’m not sure if any 18 mile days are in my future but I will forever be grateful for a passion that keeps me on the trail.
There are so many ways to feed your need for speed and adventure on the Ozark Trail. As for Jughead and me, we’ll be “Slowing It Down On The Ozark Trail.”
