Camping in the Ouachita Mountains

The Ouachita National Forest, located in the Ouachita Mountains, is the oldest National Forest in the Southern US of A. With almost 1.8 million acres with which 65,000 is designated as wilderness areas, this is a must travel-through forest if you ever found your way South. The views are unbelievable and it holds the highest mountain in Arkansas, Mount Magazine.  Ouachita is the French spelling of the Indian Tribe, Washita, meaning "good hunting grounds." Originally named Arkansas National Forest, it was later changed to Ouachita National Forest in 1926.  French explorers favored this area often using names like Fourche La Fave River. There are miles and miles of hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails.  Camping, canoeing, fishing, and hunting, although no lead shots are allowed here, are just a few of the activities this forest has to offer. They offer bald eagle tours and you can even go digging for quartz here in these mountains. 

After leaving Hot Springs, we took off to find our perfect camping spot for that evening.  We didn't have reservations so we drove the winding roads of the mountains until we decided on landing at Ouachita National Forest.  Because of the unusually warm weather, many of the campsites were booked but we found one area with a few open tent spaces.  And the view was amazing.  We unpacked, chopped our own firewood...well, the BF did that, and went for small hike before settling in for the evening.  Pork steak, Pad Thai, and S'mores were on the dinner menu.  There is nothing like cooking over an open fire to satisfy the taste buds.  The sunset was eye pleasing and the fire offered a warm place to settle in for a night of beer drinking, dominoes, and card playing.  I dare any of  you to challenge us! 

The next morning I was up early enjoying the many sounds of nature, sipping on hot tea, and began reading a new book.  For breakfast we had one of our favorites, Breakfast Scramble by Mountain House and cooked breakfast sausage over the fire...there is nothing like it either. Lola may have enjoyed a few pieces too.  A few more rounds of dominoes before packing up and heading on to our next camping adventure.  We had no idea where were going, we just drove and you will definitely want to read about our next night...owls, coyotes, and one really creepy stray cat. 

Oh and the photo of the bathroom with the sign that reads "please do not wash dishes in the sink"...that was only in the women's bathroom (insert eye-rolling emoji)...get with the times Arkansas...I did not do the dishes and if I was into spray painting, that signed would have been turned into a colorful art masterpiece.

 Fourche La Fave River

Happy Camping!
Shona

Have Tent, Will Camp

This year has been a year of numerous camping adventures and I have learned something new from each one of them.  I love what all camping has to offer; nature, relaxation, getting cozy around the fire, the sounds of nightfall, birds chirping, being "almost" attacked by a deer...more on that later, packing minimally, trail hikes, and enjoying time away from the city. Our recent camping weekend was spent at Clinton State Park and we had two nights of campfire cooking, dominoes, card games, and perfect weather.

I have found there are certain items you can not live without while camping...ok, maybe you can live without them, but they make camping more fun!  First off, someone who can build a fire.  I probably could figure it out but the last time I tried that I used gasoline and sent an entire hay field up in flames...lesson learned there.  No but really, I enjoy chopping down and finding firewood out in nature and of course I am the one who is in charge of that perfect stick for roasting marshmallows.

Which leads me to the next item...s'mores.  You can not go camping without graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows.  Seriously, a staple. Get creative with the food you cook too!  This time we went "fancy" and cooked pork steak, roasted zucchini and squash, trout, chicken, brauts, tomatoes and breakfast sausage.  Eventually, when we aren't "car" camping as much, our food items won't be quite as extensive so we also like to throw in a few freeze dried foods that we can just add boiling water too.  Mountain House and Alpine Aire are a couple we have tried, all of which are actually quite tasty.  They are great for hiking!

Make sure and have a good sleeping bag, back pack, hiking boots, and a tent that can be easily put up.  We have sleeping bags by Outdoor Vitals, these are 30 degree bags that can be zipped up together if you want to get cozy.  Danner hiking boots which are super comfortable and stylish too, because shoes are important.  A good pack is a must, mine is an Osprey 65, it's the perfect size and has plenty of room for everything from supplies to clothing and has a lot of pockets!  It also holds my sleeping bag and my Kelty sleeping pad which makes the ground not so rough to sleep on.  The tent we have is by Alps Brand, it's actually a 4-person tent, so we could go smaller when hiking in to camp but it goes up in about 3 minutes! Plus, it's good when you have a dog and leaves plenty of room for the packs too.

The small items matter too!  Have camping cookware, water proof matches, small bottles of oil, dish soap and food seasoning, fire starters, an ax for firewood which I also use to cut vegetables, a knife, head lamp's which keep your hands free and they aren't geeky at all but rather very useful, coffee, hot tea, a collapsible container to hold water, travel games like domino's and cards, portable blue-tooth speaker because we like the sound of music too, a lighter, table-top butane/propane stove and lantern which is good for a quick boil of water and can also be used for light at night, ours is by Jetboil, emergency survival wraps, flashlight, and a portable phone charger because let's be real it's a good idea to keep your phone charged just in case and if you are like me I use mine to capture the memories too...these are just a few important things we always have when we camp!  Oh ya, don't forget extra socks...after hiking you don't want to wear the same ones while sleeping!

Lastly...the story on the deer. We decided to take the trail around the lake back to our campsite Saturday morning. We took Lola off the leash to let her roam around and for the most part she listens...until she saw the deer and took off up the hill and was gone.  James went after her and I decided to keep going on the trail as we decided we would meet up back at camp.  Instead, Lola came back and they quickly caught back up with me.  As we were rounding a corner, a deer was coming towards us...I was in the lead and you know that saying "deer in the headlights" look...ya, that happened. The look on the deer's face, me jumping and covering my face like she was going to attack me...besides it scared the hell out of James and Lola too.  That deer came back for revenge after being chased...at least that's our story!  Then I hear James say, "I thought that was a cougar and we were goners!" ...Me, "Next time you are leading!" I can't make this stuff up!

We aren't professional hikers or campers by any means, but I think we have a pretty good start!  Happy Camping!
Shona

Camping, Adventures, and Open Fire Cooking

You guys! I am so excited, I was finally able to use my new camping/hiking gear that I got as a gift for Christmas from the BF.  I have been waiting for a weekend where we could pack up, take off, set up camp and enjoy everything there is about nature!  Since Clinton State Park has two different camp sites open year around, that's where we headed!  Besides an annual bike race and a mean game of Irish bowling going on (that was interesting)...it was pretty open which meant more space for us!

We found the perfect location too, away from all of the campers and cabins but with a view of the lake and right next to the trails for a little adventuring.  We did it up good too...tent, sleeping bags, campfire cooking, cutting our own firewood, and even finding a few treasures to display at our site while we were there. Rodney and Wilson, keep reading and you will see who I am talking about. We also took Lola for a swim in the lake and she loved every minute of it!

First off, I can not get over my new hiking pack by Osprey...one word, orange.  He did good with a matching sleeping bag and a comfy cushion to go underneath. Funny story about those cushions...they self inflate, which I didn't realize until we were ready to go to sleep but hey, one tiny turn of the air valve and poof, inflation.  Note to self, read directions.  Can I just say I was unsure how warm I would stay but the sleeping bag, rated at 20 degree's, kept me nice and cozy!  Plus, we had an amazing blanket from Tyler Kingston Shop that is just the right size for two, although I am guessing I had it most of the night.

It was a great weekend to get away and enjoy being outside and live pretty darn simple for two days. We had these great meals from Backpackers Pantry and Mountain House and the most handy cookware to use over the fire. We tried the red beans and rice for dinner and for breakfast a blend of hash-browns, sausage, eggs and peppers.  Enough for two people per meal and very filling.  We cooked oatmeal, made hot tea, hot dogs, and s'mores...because you can't go camping without s'mores. That is a staple!  I was very impressed with these meals and they will be great for future trips!  Don't worry, we had water and maybe a few cans of beer too...we stayed hydrated!

To those people who tell me I don't look like the "camping type", think again! It was seriously one of the best weekends I have had recently and I spent it with one of my favorite people.  Just the outdoors, sounds of nature, trail walking, treasure hunting, and star gazing...and it's only just the beginning.

The World Is Beautiful, Go Enjoy It!

Shona