Tales from the Trail--No.4

by mattie b Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:15 pm

Had to skip No. 3 since it has photos and they didn't paste well.

Tales from the Trail
By Kris McMillen, Director of Maintenance for FoOT

HIKERS!!!

This is what you shout when you are working on the trail swinging that Pulaski or bucking a fallen tree,and you see hikers approaching. Learned this on trail construction crews in Colorado.

Recently a small group of us FoOT members were in Section 7 of the Ouachita Trail on a project up near Moonshine Shelter. Just wanted to pass along that on this beautiful day on the Ouachita Trail in one morning we encountered:

A lady backpacker from St. Louis headed up to Ouachita Pinnacle.

A couple came down from Michigan to hike the OT.

Three section hikers from northeast Oklahoma.

We managed to get one promise of a trail adoption from these encounters. We used to NEVER see anyone on the Ouachita Trail. It was awesome. I love you

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The “Old Timey” wooden yellow and brown mile markers. Someone asked from whence they came and when causing me to ask Old Timer, Tom Ferguson, retired USFS:

Tom says:” I do not know for sure but I think in the mid 1970's. In 1976, I attended the Arkansas Trails Council Conference. Art Cowley with the Ouachita NF presented a slide show about the Ouachita Trail. I would think that the process of putting those up was around that time.

In the Tim's office there is a plan for the trail that I think had the markers. The plan was done in early 1970's. From the number of these markers that we found, I do not think that they were put up as planned. I can recall needed more of them in 1981 when I worked at Lake Sylvia but no one really knew where they were. “

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Stolen!

Last year or sometime last spring we went up and installed a new sign at the spur trail to Flatside Pinnacle. It was promptly taken by vandals and burned in the campfire.

About a month ago our new signmaker, Lenny Melancon, made us a new sign point to Flatside Pinnacle and the OT at the intersection. We installed it digging down 3 feet and then putting sharp rocks against the wood to hold it tight. Now the whole thing is gone again. Very sad, indeed. We will not be replacing the sign.

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by Preacha Man Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:20 pm

kris1 wrote:Stolen!

Last year or sometime last spring we went up and installed a new sign at the spur trail to Flatside Pinnacle. It was promptly taken by vandals and burned in the campfire.

About a month ago our new signmaker, Lenny Melancon, made us a new sign point to Flatside Pinnacle and the OT at the intersection. We installed it digging down 3 feet and then putting sharp rocks against the wood to hold it tight. Now the whole thing is gone again. Very sad, indeed. We will not be replacing the sign.

People who destroy trail signs or property make me mad Evil or Very Mad

. I know how hard it is to make signs and ohhhhhhh when I can't find one and Iknow it is supposed to be there. Thanks for your work and updates.

by ouachita hiker Mon Mar 09, 2009 6:30 am

Kris,

It was I that asked you about the old mile signs, not the wood ones but the round alum. ones in the ground. You sent me the answer but I guess something got lost in the translation.

OH

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Tales from the Trail--No.4

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