Brian

This is the Twelfth episode of my trips to visit as many of the fifty US States' highest points. In chapter eleven we looked at the trip I took in August of 2020 to Idaho and Nevada. This time it's a coast-to-coast endeavor to bag Maine and California in the summer of 2021. The goal for this year was to make a second run at Katahdin, Maine and then six weeks later to backpack on the John Muir Trail with Mt. Whitney, California as the highlight of that hike. Both trips were advertised as trips for the Ozark Society and required a lot of permit applications and logistics to pull them off. There was also a lot of physical conditioning required as both peaks would present challenges. By mid-May, most of the planning and prep had been done, so it was time to concentrate on trip one, Katahdin, in the Baxter State Park of Maine. Maine In Episode Eight I recalled my trip to the North Eastern states in September 2018. Among the peaks I attempted was Katahdin, Maine. It was a tough hike and I had to turn back because I ran out of time to make it safely [...]

This is the eleventh episode of my trips to visit as many of the fifty US States’ highest points. This time it’s a week in the inter-mountain west to bag Idaho and Nevada in August of 2020. This trip was set up when my backpack on the John Muir Trail for July 2020 was canceled by COVID- 19. Mt. Whitney was to be the goal of that hike. This left me in shape but nowhere to go. I saw that no permits were needed for Idaho or Nevada, so I set this trip up as a replacement. The trip started on August 18th with a flight to Salt Lake City, Utah from Little Rock. I rented a small SUV with the ground clearance I would need for access to Nevada’s high point and got the hiking supplies I would need to do my attempt of Borah Peak, Idaho on the 20th. Flying during COVID was not too bad. You had to be aware of your surroundings and made sure you had stuff to eat on the plane as all they passed out was water and packaged snacks. The center seats were left open on the plane. Overall, I felt folks [...]

The article Fred Paillet presented about pawpaws should be required reading for every Ozark Society member.  My estimate is that 95% of the population would not be able to identify this tree, and perhaps 99.99% have never had the pleasure of tasting the fruit.  It’s time for a change.  It’s time to grow your own and share the bounty. I had my first taste of a pawpaw on a hike down in the bowels of the West Prong of the Mountain Fork of the Mulberry River about 1988.  I was with Dr. Compton, and others, searching for virgin timber on a warm September day.  We turned to go up Wellcave Hollow when Dr. Compton pointed out lots of pawpaws on the forest floor. Being new to the Ozarks and never having seen a Pawpaw before, I picked one up for a taste. What a pleasant surprise on a September day, especially when you are thirsty.  What did I just taste?  Mango? Banana? Peach?  From that point on I was hooked on pawpaws. Later I found out that Dr. Compton had a grove of pawpaws growing on his property and he suggested I take a few and plant them at my [...]

Much has been going on for the OSF. The youth grant program is underway, and “Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of Arkansas” is published. To get the youth grants started, board member Roslyn Imrie worked with community partner volunteers to define the grant criteria and select the best projects. For the trees book, board member Ken Leonard worked with the authors to complete the large manuscript and coordinated with state agencies and donors for resources and support. Both projects were well received by the public because they are clearly linked to our mission of education. The trees field guide continues the OSF tradition as a publisher of books. And the grants program introduces a new focus on youth engagement in conservation. Two additional activities are planned, the OSF Endowment Fund and the award for excellence in environmental writing. The Endowment Fund will assure our organization has longevity well into the future. The Endowment Fund will be part of an updated OSF financial strategy for annual budget and investment decisions. The award for excellence in environmental writing is planned for launch in March 2021, avoiding competing for public attention with the new book. Board membership has changed recently. Rex Robbins has [...]