News Archive

The Youngest Volunteer

Daniel Symons, age 8, son of Eric and Chris Symons of Greenbriar, AR and grandson of John Symons and E.J. Pangle of Hot Springs Village, AR became the youngest member of FoOT to adopt a section of trail to maintain. For Christmas, Danny received a new pair of loppers, leather gloves, safety glasses, day pack, and a certificate from FoOT.

Dan’s section is Mile 181 to 183.1 and includes a nice wooden bridge and the Brown Creek Shelter.

Eureka! We’ve Found It

Billy McMillen of Hot Springs Village, AR and Bo Lea of Glenwood, AR were part of a Ouachita Trail re-route scouting party when they discovered a lost section of trail between Big Bear Shelter and old Forest Road 107. That section of trail has now been restored by FoOT members from Hot Springs Village, Little Rock, Hot Springs, and Glenwood for hikers and mountain bicyclists to use.

Tom Ferguson, Wilderness Manager of the Ouachita National Forest, participated in the outing. Tom said he believes this section of trail could have been abandoned as long ago as 20 years. Trail users had begun following an old roadway and over time the true trail section was lost to the forest. The trail crew lopped, chopped, dug, hauled rocks, cut fallen trees, blazed and installed signage to open the path. Check it out on your next OT hike/bike.

The Tool Master

After several years of dedicated service to FoOT, our Tool Master, Billy McMillen, has retired from that position in search of other maintenance pursuits on the Ouachita Trail. Gene Kerr, Dreaded FoOT Patrol member, has agreed to take over this important task. THANK YOU, GENE.

Gene will keep the tool inventory and oversee the maintenance and distribution of the tools. Our tools, which are available for FoOT members to use, are stored at various locations in tool caches with the USFS and with our District Captains. Tools include weedeater machines, chainsaw, Pulaski, fire rake, Fanno saw, etc. If you need to borrow tools, check with your District Captain:
Section 1-2: J.D. Blackwell
Section 3-4-5: Ed Hawkins and Seth Buys
Section 5: Todd Henne
Section 7-8: Glenn Wortham
Section 9-10: Bill Mooney

Give Me a Sign

On November 20th Billy and Kris McMillen, Gene Kerr and Glenn Wortham installed the new wooden trail signs that the Village Woodworkers Club, Lanny Mabus, created for the Ouachita Trail. There was a great deal of work involved in the preparation of these signs. The signs were placed on the trail at various locations in Section 8 off FR 132/Winona Scenic Drive from Hwy 7 through to North Fork Pinnacle. The old signs had either rotted, burned or been eaten by or knocked down by bears.

Give Me a Hand(hold)

Kayakers go swimming (not on purpose); hikers aren't supposed to---ever! In early 2007, the cable handhold over Reece Creek (on the eastern portion of the trail) broke and a backpacker floated away (but was uninjured). FoOT to the rescue! Richard Boston and Maria McClead donated the new cable and in late May 2007 Bill Mooney piloted his boat with passenger-volunteers Glenn Wortham and Richard Lawrence across Lake Maumelle to dock near the mouth of Reece Creek. The hardy group bushwhacked to the trail with the new cable, plastic hose covering and assorted tools to repair the much-used cable. Many Thanks to these members for their efforts.

Support Our Sponsors

In the Spring of 2007, two very generous sponsors donated some much-needed chainsaw safety equipment to FoOT. Special thanks to Lakeside Lawn & Saw, Inc., 995 Shady Grove Road, Hot Springs, AR 71901 501-262-3938 and Nations Small Engines, Inc., 3017 Albert Pike, Hot Springs, AR 71913 501-767-6345. Please remember these local business sponsors when you need any type of power tools, equipment or repairs. Also thanks to Billy McMillen and Glenn Wortham for their efforts on FoOT's behalf.

Also in Spring 2007, the Ben Meadows Company, a nationwide forestry tool supplier (www.benmeadows.com) donated a number of chainsaw safety gear and tool items to FoOT.

Give Me a Sign

Two non-profit organizations, Friends of the Ouachita Trail (FoOT) and the Hot Springs Village Woodworkers Club, working together, have completed a project for the Ouachita Trail. Several of the directional signs on the trail have deteriorated or burned. Thanks to Lanny Mabus (for use of his woodworking shop), Billy McMillen, Kris McMillen, Lenny Melancon, and Glenn Wortham the signs will be restored to the trail.

We Love a Challenge!

Despite a rainy Saturday, the 6th annual Ouachita Challenge was held on March 31-April 1. FoOT volunteers manned aid stations, token and check stations for the two-day event hosted by Ouachita Cycling Club. The 60 mile course made use of the Ouachita Trail, Womble Trail and Forest Service roads in the Oden/Sims, AR area. This is a very exciting event attended by riders nationwide with a tour ride on Saturday and race on Sunday. Many of the FoOT volunteers participated for the second year. Due to the efforts of our volunteers the mountain bicycle community made an extremely generous donation to FoOT for on-going trail maintenance and re-route construction efforts.

Ice on the Mountain

On January 19, 2006 14 members of the Dreaded FoOT Patrol came to the rescue on the section from Blue Mountain Shelter to Ouachita Pinnacle, recently adopted by Jack Newman. The section had not been maintained in over two years so the DFP lopped, chainsawed, blazed and built three waterbars. Larry Ross of the USFS mowed the 1.5 miles of old roadway that is part of the trail there. Ouachita Pinnacle was an icy wonderland. It was a beautiful, clear day and the views of Lake Ouachita were outstanding. We were greeted at day's end with hot soup and hot chocolate. Thanks to all who shared another glorious day on the Ouachita Trail.

Eastern End Extravaganza

Friends of the Ouachita Trail (FoOT), led by Kris McMillen and Bill Mooney, were in Perry County on December 8, 9, 10, 2006 to tackle some major projects on the Ouachita National Recreation Trail from Mile 201 to 209.3. FoOT was based at Coffee Creek Resort and RV Park on Harris Brake Lake. FoOT completed three re-routes in three days, installed one small wooden bridge, blazed, lopped, chain-sawed and hand-sawed downed trees, installed wooden steps at Hwy 10 crossing, removed debris and litter, repaired tread, opened drains, repaired the cable hand-hold at Reece Creek crossing, moved "boulders", visited with hikers, named a hunting dog: "Rockhound" and phoned her "parents" to come get her, cooked hamburgers, got cold, got warm by the fire, told stories, and just plain had a wonderful weekend on the Ouachita Trail with Friends.

Oklahoma Here We Came.......

Another three day project was completed November 3-4-5, 2006 when the Green Country Outdoor Club, led by J.D. Blackwell, made some trail maintenance progress on the club’s adopted section of the Ouachita Trail. Their adoption spans from Mile 8.0 at Deadman’s Gap to Mile 30.5 at Hwy 259 Trailhead. GCOC has been maintaining the OT in Oklahoma for a number of years, even pre-FoOT. This hardy group travels from Tulsa, OK and places thereabouts at least twice a year, sets up camp and kitchen at Cedar Lake Campground and hits the trail running (or should we say lopping and digging). J.D. reports: "nice days, good friends, good meals, great campfires, and a lot of fun working the trail!"

Get Ready! Autumn is coming! (from Autumn 2006)

Autumn is approching quickly and in the Ouachitas, that means hiking season! We will have outings planned soon (see the outings page for more information) and many of our members are out checking on their sections and sizing-up fall maintenance jobs.

Fall also means that it is time for our annual election of FoOT Directors and our annual membership meeting. We have three Director positions open for election this year. The annual meeting will be on Saturday, November 18, 2006 so please start thinking now about attending. We had a great time last year. You will receive more information soon about the election and the meeting.

Also, FoOT is starting to develop a GPS waypoint data base for the Ouachita Trail. Anyone who has good track information, even for portions of the trail, let us know and we will try to fill in the holes we have. Once this data is complete, hopefully we can publish it on our website.

Many of our members are also getting ready to hike! FoOT VP Kris McMillen sends this picture to prove it:

Sporting new trail shoes all around are FoOTers Loretta Melancon, Kris McMillen, Billy McMillen, Maria Boston, Donna Price, and Bobby Price at Peak One Camground out of Frisco, CO. Let the fun begin!!!

Forest fire in Flatside Wilderness affects areas of Ouachita Trail

A rather large forest fire burned in early April 2006 in the Flatside Wilderness. About 15 miles of the Ouachita Trail was involved in the fire and the trail was closed from Hwy. 7 to Lake Sylvia for a time. Firefighters were able, however, to successfully save the Oak Mountain Shelter near mile 167.4.

Kris McMillen, FoOT VP of Maintenance reported then via email: "The fire is mostly out now. Tom Ferguson, the Wilderness Manager, recently went out to evaluate the damage to the Ouachita Trail. He reports that the OT is like a green pathway through the burned area. He said that due to the fact that the trail was clear and that we had removed debris from sides of the trail that there was nothing to burn and so the trail was not affected. He said it was in great shape. He was very proud of FoOT and the work we have done."

By late April, the fire was out and the trail open again. Trail users are advised that the fire affected the trail from approximately Sugar Creek (Mile 163.9) to possibly as far east as Crystal Prong Creek (Mile 177.2). The picture above right was taken April 24, 2006 near Oak Mountain Shelter (Mile 167.4).

New 4th edition of Tim Ernst's Ouachita Trail Guide now available

The newly updated 4th Edition of Tim Ernst's excellent guide for the Ouachita Trail is now available. Ask your local bookstore if they don't already have it on the shelves, or order direct from Tim where FoOT members get a 20% discount! See details on the offer in FoOT Notes Vol 1 / No. 2.

Ouachita Challenge Mtn. Bike Event a Great Success!

The 2006 Ouachita Challenge was held March 25 & 26, 2006. This terrific mountain bike tour and race utilizes part of the Ouachita Trail and many FoOT members served as volunteer marshals to help make this event one of the "epic rides" so many mountain bikers dream about. See www.ouachita-challenge.com for race and tour results.

DFP Multi-Tasking

Saturday, January 21, 2006 the Dreaded FoOT Patrol was at it again. Twelve members and guests replaced downed signposts in several areas on the trail on the Jessieville Ranger District, removed litter, cut downed trees off the trail, cleaned up a roadway needed for the AmeriCorps Team to access the trail, and helped one of the team members by doing some lopping in Section 7. Many thanks to this outstanding crew for making a complicated battle plan work so well. It was a beautiful day in the forest. We accomplished all our tasks and had oodles of fun.

Nancy Mountain Shelter rebuilt!

Nancy Mountain Shelter on the Ouachita Trail (near Lake Sylvia) was destroyed by fire in 2004, but with the cooperative efforts of the Ouachita National Forest and Friends of the Ouachita Trail, funds were found and the shelter has been rebuilt.

The effort was spearheaded by USFS personnel Robin Vaughn, Mike Bean and Larry Ross with help from FoOT volunteers. FoOT members volunteering for work on the shelter reconstruction included Sid Wood, Jim Gifford, Billy and Kris McMillen, Glenn Wortham, Bobby and Donna Price, Dave Hair, Josh Lane, Travis Short and Mike Sims. Thanks to Darrel Schwilling of the Ouachita National Forest for applying for and receiving the grant that made this possible.

This is another example of what can be accomplished for the Ouachita Trail with cooperation between the Forest Service and our motivated volunteers!

Friends of the Ouachita Trail holds first ever Annual Meeting

Friends of the Ouachita Trail (FoOT) held our first ever Annual Meeting Saturday, November 5, 2005 at the restored Great Hall of Camp Ouachita near Lake Sylvia.

Several FoOT members gathered at Camp Ouachita before the meeting for a hike along the Ouachita Trail or a bike ride to Flatside Pinnacle. FoOT member Dewayne Hall also arrived early to display the new OT Trail Hankies his company has made and offered them to FoOT members for a $20 donation to FoOT.

After everyone returned from the hike and bike ride, the meeting was called to order by President Jim Gifford at approximately 12:30 pm. Gifford gave a brief overview of the accomplishments of the organization since its founding and since its incorporation as an Arkansas non-profit corporation in February 2005. He mentioned that the organization now had 144 members and had contributed 1,972 volunteer hours of work on the trail in government fiscal year 2005. Gifford mentioned successes in fund raising, with a bank account now over $2200, and in obtaining commercial sponsors. Publicity received by FoOT and awards given to FoOT members by state and national trail associations were cited as recognition of our success. Most important, Gifford said, was the condition of the trail now as compared to three years ago, and the fact that only seven miles of trail remain in "Red" condition.

Upcoming projects were identified, including the Nancy Mountain shelter reconstruction, new mile markers, and the Americorp Team scheduled for February 2005. Challenges for the future were identified, including better communication as the organization grows, continuous learning about trail maintenance and managing an organization, constant recruitment, and obtaining IRS exemption under section 501(c)(3). Most important, according to Gifford is perpetuating the organization, so that as the initial enthusiasm wears thin, the mission will continue.

The primary item on the agenda was the election of three Directors. The Board had recommended the re-election of Ed Hawkins and Kris McMillen, and the election to a full term of interim director Mike Sims. The ballots were counted and these nominees were all elected to three-year terms (2006-2008).

As a last item on the agenda, President Gifford recognized several people for their contribution to the organization. Each was presented with a traditional brown and yellow "OT" trail marker.

• District Captains JD Blackwell, Ed Hawkins & Seth Buys, Glenn Wortham (not in attendance), and Bill Mooney (not in attendance)
• Mike Sims for his work as FoOT webmaster, his initiative in replacing the mile markers east of the national forest and other contributions
• Susan Wortham (not in attendance) for leading the first FoOT fund raiser in April 2005
• "EJ" Pangle for her effort in handling the maintenance work reports, keeping volunteer report data required by the USFS and AR State Parks, and in redesigning the work reports to make them simpler and easier to use
• Celia Storey for providing the first state wide publicity in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette and then becoming a volunteer herself
• Dewayne Hall for design of the Ouachita Trail "Trailhankies" and a generous contribution to FoOT for each one sold.

At approximately 1 pm, the dinner bell rang and President Gifford adjourned the meeting to lunch. Lunch was a feast of jambalaya, catered by Steven Hawkins.

Friends of the Ouachita Trail Board Members (L to R): Seth Buys, Loretta Melancon, Mike Sims, Kris McMillen, Todd Henne, Jim Gifford and Ed Hawkins. Not pictured are Glenn Wortham and Roy Senyard.

Kris McMillen Recognized by American Hiking Society

Kris McMillen, FoOT Director and Vice President for Maintenance, was named by the American Hiking Society as the 2005 Trail Volunteer of the Year for their Southern District.

Kris has been active in trails work for years and was one of the founding organizers of FoOT. She has been active in trails work across Arkansas. She has been a member of the Ozark Highlands Trail Association, building and maintaining trails in the Ozarks. She was chairperson of the Arkansas Trails Council in 2002 and she currently adopts a trail in Hot Springs National Park. Kris is also the current President of the Ouachita Mountain Hikers, a Hot Springs based hiking club with a long record of trail stewardship.

In 2002, FoOT Member Martha Doty received this same honor from AHS.

Congratulations Kris!

US Forest Service Recognizes Ouachita Forest Staff

The USFS Regional Forester's Partnership Award was presented to the Ouachita National Forest Recreation Section for it's partnership work with FoOT during 2004. Tom Ferguson and Darrel Schwilling were both recognized and received the award in Atlanta, GA, home office of the USFS, Region 8 (Southern).

FoOT Workday at Pinnacle Mountain State Park a Great Success

March 12, 2005 was a great day, with over fifty people working the entire thirty miles of OT east of the Ouachita National Forest boundary. This was the first significant work done on this stretch in a long time.

This project included a training day two weeks prior to the workday, which was the first time FoOT has trained volunteers that were not FoOT members. This was an important step in our growth as a credible organization. It was also the first major coordination we had had with Pinnacle Mountain State Park, and hopefully will be the start of a long and fruitful partnership with the park. We are certainly off to a good start.

Ron Sallye, Pinnacle Mountain State Park Superintendent, said in a thank you letter: "Words simply cannot express my thoughts or feelings for what you have done with regards to preserving, enhancing, and presenting a high-level stewardship on the Ouachita Trail. Pinnacle Mountain State Park, the AR Department of Parks and Tourism, and the State of Arkansas are so very fortunate to have citizens like you. You have set an example that should be followed, on some level, by us all. You have manifested a great deal of respect for this great state of ours and its resources."

FoOT Members Hold Bake Sale

Susan Wortham, wife of FoOT Secretary/Treasurer Glenn Wortham, was chair of our first formal fund-raiser this year, a bake sale March 25, 2005 at the Hot Springs Wal-Mart. Thanks to some very tasty goodies cooked up by lots of FoOT members (and/or spouses) the sale netted $275. With lots of help from bakers and folks to set-up and sell the goodies, Susan made this a great success.

Thank You, Susan and everyone who helped.

FoOT Patrol in Oklahoma

The weekend of March 5-6, 2005 the "Dreaded FoOT Patrol" joined the Green Country Sierra Club led by Charlie Transue and the Green Country Outdoor Club led by J.D. Blackwell, both of Tulsa, OK for some fun and trail maintenance. We camped free at Cedar Lake and received visits from District Ranger, Kelly Russell, and Trails Coordinator, Jared Johnson. We had a 30+ group of trail workers who managed to turn some sections of trail "GREEN". Green Country Outdoor Club provided some great food. Lots of deadfall trees were removed from Wilton Mountain and the area east of Deadman's Gap, not to mention all the lopping, blazing, and removal of trail debris. Also, thanks to Olen Heflin, Campground Host, for his support.

Arkansas Trails Council Recognizes FoOT Principals in Yearly Awards

The Arkansas Trails Council presented their 2004 awards for trail stewardship to two principals in the FoOT - USFS partnership in January, 2005.

The Trails Professional of the Year award went to Mr. Tom Ferguson, of the Ouachita National Forest, primary contact for FoOT in the Forest office.

The Trails Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Jim Gifford, President of FoOT.

Although FoOT was not specifically mentioned in either case, the fact that these two awards went to these two people is not a coincidence. It is a reflection of the hard work of everyone involved in our effort to help maintain and preserve the Ouachita National Recreation Trail. Coming at the end of our organizational year, it is also a reflection that FoOT is off to a good start - not only in our trail work itself, but in our efforts at teaming with the responsible agencies.

FoOT Members Complete Thru-hike

Kris McMillen and E.J. Pangle, both of the infamous Dreaded FoOT Patrol and John Cramm, member via Ouachita Mountain Hikers Club, left on October 22, 2004 to hike the entire Ouachita Trail, starting at the Western terminus at Talimena State Park near Talihena, OK. These hardy three day-hiked the entire trail and finished at Pinnacle Mountain State Park on November 13, 2004. Camping along the way was in various campgrounds near the trail. The three seasoned hikers braved the wettest fall season in recent memory, wading creeks and rivers to complete the trek. In addition to having a wonderful trip, Kris took notes along the route and submitted an itemized report of trail conditions to FoOT members, the USFS and Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

Kris says: "This is a premier hiking trail and there are no easy parts on it. This trail is an asset to Oklahoma, Arkansas and to all hikers."

AmeriCorps 2006

A FoOT committee is currently working with James Wilborn of Lake Ouachita State Park to share an AmeriCorp Team in January-February, 2006. If our application is accepted, the team will be housed at Lake Ouachita State Park and FoOT members will supervise them for approximately 2.5 weeks on sections of the OT that need tread work due to erosion. Anyone interested in this project should contact Mike Sims.

Go, Go Mile Marker Man

Mike Sims has completed his project to obtain and install 30 new mile markers on the Ouachita Trail from the USFS Boundary east of Hwy. 9 to Pinnacle Mountain State Park. This section (miles 192-222) was marked only by the markers that Tim Ernst put up many years ago when he wrote his first guidebook to the Ouachita Trail. They were in pretty sad shape after years of exposure. Pinnacle Mountain State Park picked up the tab for materials, Mike did the leg work and Mike hung the new markers.

They are 6-inch anodized aluminum 'diamonds' with the mile number etched into the metal and also highlighted with 1.5-inch numbers. Thanks to Mike and to PMSP.