Men's Verto Jacket

These beautiful days just keep coming.  Will Winter ever arrive?  I’ve given up trying to figure that out and am just going with the flow.  This sunshine makes me want to hit the trail and I’m going to.  We know you are feeling the same and have brought in some really fantastic new athletic apparel that’s worth a second look…even though it’s January   Elite runners (and the rest of us), check out this amazing collection of new North Face Summit Series jackets designed specifically for high energy sports.  The North Face Verto jacket featured here is just a sample.  It’s the lightest weight wind and water-restistant jacket they make weighing in at a minimal 3.2 oz.  Zero CFM (cubic feet per minute), which means wind is just NOT passing through this amazing material.  A stretch loop in the chest pocket compresses the stowed jacket into the size of an energy bar.  Sporting simple low-profile elastic bound hem, cuffs and hood and reverse-coil zips, this jacket is one slick piece of gear!

Bois d'arc trail

I have started to realize that whenever I want to go hiking or paddling or just get outside, I usually start thinking of places South of the Springfield area.  I think about what Arkansas has to offer and the deeper Ozarks.  I wanted to explore a little bit of what there is to be found in the way of outdoor activities to the North of Springfield or at least somewhere closer to home.  I decided to see what the Bois d’arc Conservation Area had as far as hiking trails.

Yesterday was nice and warm with clear skies and I was wanting to try out my Merrell shoes on a trail, so I headed out.  I thought about wearing shorts because of the temperature, but not knowing the trails well I decided on pants, which I’m thankful for.  Convertible hiking pants would have been a great choice.  Many brands make quality convertible pants including The North Face, Royal Robbins and Columbia Sportswear.

Zone 5 of the Conservation Area has several miles of trails ranging from well kept to quite primitive.  After Watkins Cave entrance, which is gated and requires a permit to enter, there was a small pond with a lot of good bird watching to offer.  Beyond that the trails quickly became overgrown and harder to travel.  The trails at times became even difficult to see.  I guess not many people venture out to Bois d’arc to hike.  I guess the area caters more to the hunting crowd as I saw a lot of big turkeys cross my path.  Besides good eaten’, bird watchers would have had a fun time.  There were many different varieties of wood peckers and song birds as well as some wood ducks in the pond and kestrels hunting from the trees.

As far as testing out the shoes, I was very pleased with my Merrell Chameleon Stretch.  Besides being just really cool looking they kept my feet happy on some pretty uneven and hard to navigate terrain.  I wear mine as every day shoes all the time and keep the elastic laces loose.  The descents on the trail made my feet slide to the front so I tightened them up around the ankle and was pleasantly surprised at how well they stayed in place.  With all the Fall leaves on the ground, the rocks in the path were impossible to see, so I was thankful for the rubber toe, sides and heel on more than one occasion.  The Vibram soles were handy there too and made my feet stick to the exposed rocks and hold on.  I will say that on a day as hot as yesterday, my feet got a little warm, but with the easy to loosen laces I slid out of them in a few seconds during water breaks and let my feet breathe.   I was extremely happy with them and can see why they are somewhat of a cult classic among Merrell lovers.

Things had not gone as planned that day.  My husband, Shaun, was not able to join me, nor was he able to meet me in town with the gear I had expected to use, So, my “gear” this day consisted of an old pair of Patagonia sneakers (do people call them that anymore?) and a big Maglite.  Thankfully, I had a few trusted companions with as little caving experience as my own.  My sister Penny, best friend Kelsey and my Dad, Steve.  Going first, I backed down into the funnel-shaped opening and it immediately became cooler and damper and considerably more dark.  I thought what any self-respecting person would have thought..”is there something creepy in there?”  I peaked under a shelf near the entrance and shone my light into the darkness there.  “Oh great” I thought, “bones.”  The rib cage of some long gone small animal gleamed ivory-like back at me.  I pushed the goosebumps back into the flesh on my arms with a quick assertive wipe.  The entrance was small enough that I had to crab walk into the hole.  Luckily, the ceiling opened up quickly into a height that I could stand.  On either side the cave descended sharply into two steep passages black as night.  My natural tendency led me down on the right.

My light kept resting on reflective objects that my mind in high-alert mode interpreted as the reflection of light in animal eyes.  Each time (and there were several) it turned out to be a tea candle left behind by others come before me, thus wrecking my hopes of a first discovery.  The descent eventually ended in a level passage much like a hallway running left and right.  Again, right I go.   Eventually the light reflecting off of the damp rock walls beside me disappeared as the reflective rock grew farther away.  The passage opened into a room.  The light from my flashlight would not reach the back wall it was so large.  The ceiling also was so high above that the light wouldn’t illuminate it well enough to see clearly.  Near the back of the room I could hear a very slow drip of water hitting rock and locating it, I saw the stump-like stalagmite that had formed here over time. It sparkled like a collection of tiny jewels.

At this point I noticed that Kelsey and Penny were walking back toward the entrance.  Penny was taking Kelsey back up.  She had had enough of the dark.  I realized that my own breathing was very fast and attributed it to the adrenaline.  It was 99 degrees above ground, but down here the chilly air caused my breaths to puff out in front of me like little bursts of steam.  At one point, the remaining 3 all turned off our lights together and sat in complete and total darkness.  I have never seen such blackness before.  My eyes in this place were entirely useless.

There were other passages and rooms to see and wonder at as well as many interesting cave formations and fossils in the walls and ceilings.  I realized that I would have to come back when I had more time to spend and learn more about this amazing place.  Crawling back through the entrance the air outside hit my face like hot breath.  Sitting around on the rock outcroppings after all had made their exit, I wondered why I had never been caving before.  This was truly a fantastic adventure and one I think will develop into many more underground forays in the future.

-Lesley