Trip Report: Hemned-in Hollow

     After a three week period in Northwest Arkansas where we saw over three feet of snow, it always melts off and gets real nice. Saturday we had a high of almost 70 degrees. I wasn't able to get off work in time to fulfill a promise of taking my 6 year old son on his first ever backpacking trip. He was very disappointed, so I offered him a consolation prize of a long day hike on Sunday. He knows my passion for it, and I think he just wants to be like me. It's absolutely heartwarming. 

     Normally, we hike a 2 mile loop at Devil's Den State Park. The length is easy enough for his short legs and it has great views and several deep fracture caves that you can explore. For the last year+, the caves have been locked down due to the "White Nose Disease" which has affected our native Ozark Long-eared bats. So I decided on taking him to the Buffalo National River area. I chose the 5 mile round trip "Hemned-in Hollow" trail from the Compton trailhead. I knew it would be tough for him, but grant me the much needed gauge for his hiking abilities.

     We arrived at 11:00 A.M., and unloaded. I used trekking poles since we had a steep descent into the river valley from high above the falls. Of course, he had to pick out a walking stick. You know how it goes. The trailhead is at about 2250 ft elev., and we had to hike down to about 1000 ft. The early going has a 250ft descent over .8 miles. This isn't so bad on the way down because there is several sections with rock staircases. You can still see plenty of damage to the trees from the ice storm of 2009. At the .8 mile mark, you proceed through a trail intersection. The Bench trail takes off to your left(east), with the Sneeds Creek trail going to your right. The Bench trail will take you down river towards Camp Orr Adventure Base(BSA) and onward to Erbie. The Sneeds Creek trail heads on a much longer route towards the river, past Granny Henderson's cabin and along the top of Jim's Bluff.

     As you head through the intersection, you begin an almost 1000ft drop over the next mile before you reach California Point. Again, more rock stairs, and several sections where using your hands for balance (or to slow your descent) is a good idea. There are several overlooks where you can see the river, and several where you can see the bluff line that houses the tallest waterfall between the Rockies and the Appalachians. I have seen pictures of the falls from one of these overlooks, but we didn't see it on this trip. I had kind of hoped that there would be good runoff from our recent snow melt, but this was not the case. Even though the falls have some notoriety for their 209ft drop, there is rarely a lot of water, though there is almost always some.

     We passed an empty rustic campground before California Point, then saw 2 tents set up at the point. There were people out in droves on this day. I have probably been on this trail 30+ times and never seen more than a few people, but we saw about 20 or more people on our hike. We spoke to a very nice pair of ladies while taking a break on the way down, and another group on the way back out. Hiking in the Ozarks always seems to be a social event. It's one of the charming things about being an adventurer here. When we arrived at the falls, my son was a little under-impressed because of the lack of water. I let him make his own judgement. The water was coming down, but the wind was catching it and turning it to spray. If there had been more sunlight, it would have been more inspiring. 

      At the base of the falls, it has carved a very pretty basin in the rocks, and has a nice pool of cool water. In the summertime, it is nice to put your feet in, but you need to watch out for snakes. No snakes today. We had our snacks and headed back up the mountain. It needs to be said that the falls are only about .5 mile from the Buffalo river and it is easiest to reach it by canoe. It can also be reached from trailheads at Centerpoint, Steel Creek, or Kyles Landing. 

     The return trip was exactly the same climbing out. I don't feel the need to re-describe it, but I have to say, it is RUGGED. No kidding. 1000 ft climb in one mile is about as steep as I have ever hiked. The climb just doesn't seem to stop. In a way, I was glad that my son was dragging his feet and whining. That way, it made it seem like I was much tougher. It kept me slow enough that I kept my wind. Kind of nice in that way. I gave him a piggyback ride for about an eighth of a mile at the end. He was a trooper. If he can handle that hike, then I can take him on some overnighters. I feel kind of like he's graduated to actual "boyhood". All in all, a great trip. And a great warmup for our AT trip next month. With my son, it's about building traditions. Maybe some year when I can no longer hike with him, he will remember it fondly. I know I will.

     More information on this and other waterfalls in Arkansas can be found in Arkansas Waterfalls Guidebook by Tim Ernst.