Celia Storey of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette published a wonderful story – “Still On the Path – Trail’s end in sight after dogged decade” – in the Newspaper on Monday, May 6, 2013. Celia “enjoyed” a trip on Bear Mountain with Traildogs Jerry Shields and Al Gathright and ended up helping remove some large trees that had fallen on the trail. The article is a very good read, and Celia has graciously given us a link that our readers can follow to the article. Celia, THANK YOU for the article and for your interest in the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail. (See more stories by Celia Storey by following this link.)
The Lake Ouachita Citizen Focus Committee, Friends of Lake Ouachita, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are sponsoring a “Campground Beautification Day” at the Denby Point Campground on Lake Ouachita on April 20, 2013, from 9 am until noon. There is a lot of work to be done to get this popular campground back into shape for the upcoming season, and any help any of you can provide will be greatly appreciated. The flyer below tells the story. Here’s the press release: Lake Ouachita Campground Beautification Day In association with Earth Day, the Lake Ouachita Citizen Focus Committee, Friends of Lake Ouachita, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers INVITES YOU to participate in a Campground Beautification Day at Denby Point Recreation area on Lake Ouachita, Saturday April 20, 2013. The Corps of Engineers manages over 1100 campsites in 17 campgrounds on Lake Ouachita and relies heavily on volunteer …Click to read the full article
We completed another 1/3 of a mile today on Big Bear Mountain, continuing to work our way back to our previous stopping place Nov. 29 when we were coming into the work area from the west. The Progressive Trail Design team has now pushed the trail to within eye-shot of Brady Mountain road. There remains another quarter to a third of a mile before the trail is expected to exit the Forest onto the road, and this last bit of tread will be steep, rocky, and difficult to cut. But, it’s getting there! Today’s work was often in very rocky areas, but toward the end of the day, we broke into an area where the going was relatively easy. The views remain spectacular as we continue to climb, but we will soon be back to “moguls” as we traverse the north side of the mountain just below its summit. Along …Click to read the full article
A bunch of Traildogs worked the LOViT Marathon this morning. The race is put on yearly by Phil and Bonnie Carr of Shangri-La Resort. About 70 runners participated this year and enjoyed moderate and overcast weather, perfect for the run. The course begins at the corner of Shangri-La Road and the corner of old Highway 270, proceeds to the Denby Bay Trailhead on the LOViT, and then follows the Trail up to the top of Hickory Nut Mountain, for an out distance of 14+ miles. The return trip takes the cutoff from the Joplin to Tompkins Bend segment across to the Homestead Trailhead, and then back in, accounting for the remaining 12 miles of the marathon. The ‘Dogs working the various aid stations want to thank Bonnie and Varine Carr for supplying the chili and banana pie. Very much appreciated! This was a great event, and everyone, runners and Traildogs, …Click to read the full article
Today, a group of nine Traildogs met at the ADA Trailhead just off of Shangri-La Road to install gravel pavers around the new exercise equipment there. We started early, but the weather warmed quickly. The Corps of Engineers delivered the pavers and pea gravel to the work site. The work involved raking and leveling the soil around the equipment and removing the few weeds that have grown up on the pad. The pavers – plastic grids designed to hold the gravel in place – were then laid out and secured to the ground with spikes and washers. Cutting the pavers to fit around the exercise equipment turned out to be a manageable task. Once the pavers were laid into place, they were filled with the pea gravel, and the gravel was smoothed over to provide a professional looking and stable surface around the exercise equipment. Unfortunately, we ran out of …Click to read the full article
Traildogs Robert Cavanaugh, Jerry Shields, and Al Gathright represented LOViT at the annual Arkansas Wildlife Federation Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards Banquet on August 25, 2012. The inscription on the award reads: Conservation organization of the Year Award Presented To TRAILDOGS By the Arkansas Wildlife Federation In cooperation with the National Wildlife Federation For Outstanding Contributions to the Wise Use And Management of the Nation’s Natural Resources. The Governor’s Conservation Achievement awards are designed to honor individuals, organizations and businesses that have gone beyond the call of duty to promote the conservation of our natural resources. Each year, the Arkansas Wildlife Federation invites the Governor of Arkansas to speak to the Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards Banquet and present the conservation awards.
From mid to late April, the Traildogs re-routed a bit of the first leg of the trail near the Tompkins Bend trailhead and replaced a bridge that had been washed away and subsequently damaged by a controlled burn. The new bridge was constructed further away from the area that is subject to springtime floods. Traildog Robert put an album on our Facebook site documenting the work, and those photos are also captured here. Robert writes: “That was such a good day. Makes me glad to be alive. Jerry, that was amazing work on measuring and cutting the materials off site. I am very impressed with the planning and the execution of it.” Enjoy the photos and the new bridge!
Last week, Traildog Mike Curran hiked the area between Brady Mountain Road and Blakely Mountain Dam in which the 8th and final segment of the LOViT will be laid out and built. While some areas have been devastated by tornados, Mike did provide Jerry with a number of photographs from his wanderings. This photo is one from his hike to give us some idea of what we have to look forward to.
Due to the heavy rain Jan. 25, also predicted for Thursday, Jan. 26, work is postponed until Friday, Jan. 27. As usual, we will meet Friday at the Crystal Springs Cafe parking area. The boat will leave at 8:30 sharp. Tuesday, Jan. 24, was beautifully clear, giving the team terrific views of Lake Ouachita from the new Section 7. The photo gallery here shares some of those views and gives you an idea of where we are along the proposed trail.
As in years past, 8:00am and 24 degrees in December along the shores of Lake Ouachita is downright frigid. But cold or not, December 10, 2011, was a beautiful, sunshiny day as 53 participants lined up near the Denby Bay trailhead for the annual Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT) Marathon. Observers doubted that the lycra shorts would be that warm but the runners were dancing in anticipation. At 26.2 miles, the LOViT Marathon’s path passes through the Tompkins Bend and Joplin trail heads heading for the top of Hickory Nut Mountain and then turns around for a return trip. The trail rises 900 feet in elevation along the way, with half the elevation being in the last mile to the summit. At the top, the runners were provided fluids and snacks by a group of Traildog volunteers who, between runners, clustered around a roaring fire and enjoyed a pot of hot …Click to read the full article