In Pursuit of a Hike

"Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth." -Walt Whitman When the forecaster said we would be having more seasonable weather later in the week, meaning full winter gear is on the horizon, we headed for the trails. It may possibly be the last fare-weather hike we take in a while - or maybe not - Missouri weather can be fickle. But any excuse to hike, right?  This is the third time we've been to this location, on the south side of Mark Twain National Forest. We were here first when we were scouting a location for our family pictures. We came back a second time to take our family pictures. It was on that trip that Eli spotted a trail head and we immediately made a mental note to come back. Which brings us today, our third visit.  This is seriously the third abandoned metal frame bridge we've come across in this area, while exploring a new area.  The beautiful view of Cedar Cre...

Oh my goodness. We seriously went on the most incredible hike a few weekends back.  Every once in a while, I just crave a hike that kicks my butt. You know that kind of workout that gets all of your endorphins to kick in? I totally wanted and needed that kind of hike that weekend. And holy smokes people, Ha Ha Tonka was the perfect combination of workout intensity and incredible landscapes. A great last summer hike for sure. It wasn't the longest hike we've taken, but by far the most rigorous in terms of trail conditions and elevation changes. I'll save the specific stats for the end of the post. If you've never been to Ha Ha Tonka, it's a state park in Missouri with an incredible display of geological features including caves, a natural spring, sinkholes, a natural bridge, rock walls, and a turn of the century castle overlooking the Lake of the Ozarks. There is a view almost everywhere you turn. I highly recommend stopping at the Visitor's Center fi...