Building the Buffalo River Trail this spring was really a stop-and-go experience. At some time each workweek, it rained. During the three-week effort we had 64 volunteers–college students, experienced “alumni” from previous years, and a few newcomers.
They included caring people who generously hosted celebratory dinners for the college kids. The Moore family & friends from Gilbert and the Buffalo National River Partners fed 13 volunteers from Texas State University. The National Park Service, the Searcy County Chamber of Commerce, and Ozark Society members Alan and Janet Nye of Gilbert fed 12 volunteers from the University of Illinois. Also, Kim Little of the University of Central Arkansas was on hand to feed six of her students. There was another major benefactor–OS member Richard McFadden who did good deeds all along for the students, including a visit to Blanchard Springs Caverns.
When trail construction got too muddy, we were able to go off and clean up older trails, send students to look at trailside waterfalls, and even have students entertain oldsters at the Senior Center at Marshall. When we could build new trail, it involved a 20-mile drive from camp, followed by a hike from half a mile to a mile or more to the construction site. The end result was only about 4,000 feet of trail built, often on steep terrain–and that included widening 700 feet of narrow walking tread built earlier.
After this interrupted Spring trail building, we at least can anticipate a better Fall. Of the entire 28 miles from US 65 to Highway 14, only about two miles remain to be built, in several scattered pieces. By Fall, we are counting on the Park Service acquiring a piece of privately owned land that presently blocks continuation of the trail, as well as having the Park Service resolve the trail’s location in two areas to avoid impacting archeological sites.
We’ll let you know what happens.