Video of Ouachita National Forest - 08/2001

While living in Austin (Wimberley, to be more precise) we decided to see what the national forests were like closer to home. Our first choice was a poor one. The trip to the Ouachita National Forest has got to be one of the worst trips we have ever taken. First thing we noticed when driving into Mena is this is not a good place to be a chicken. Seems Mena Arkansas is the home of chicken "growing" country. Has nothing to do with the hiking, but you're going to notice it, so thought it was worth a mention.

On the subject of hiking, the hiking was somewhere between lousy and really bad. Bugs, bugs, and more bugs. There were walking sticks dropping out of the trees. The earthworms, errr glowworms (yes, they exist) glowed at night (kinda cool, but still...). I brushed up against a bush while hiking, noticed dozens, yes dozens, of little chiggers immediately burrowing into my ankle around the sock line. We brushed them off the best we could, but the damage was done and ongoing. By the next day I could barely walk. That ankle was very swollen and full of chiggers. On yeah, can't forget the water. Brackish, polluted and stagnate. As to the trails, everything looks to same. Might as well walk in circles. (Watch 30 seconds of the above (bad quality and content, but its what we got) video and you'll get the picture).

We left the Ouachita National Forest when the sheriff pulled me over (we had left Mena and were heading north to see if there was anything better to be found) at 9am. He claimed I was weaving. Truth is, he saw the out of town plates and got curious as to what we were doing. After standing there for 15 minutes in the sun peppering us with questions, he got bored waiting for his "radio check" to come back (also mentioned he was getting hot) so he left, and so did we. Straight drive back to Wimberley. I had to take sick leave after the "vacation" to let my foot heal up.

We have never been back and have no intention of doing so.