Ridge Runner Trail, North Fork Loop

A couple weeks ago the Wife asked, "Do you want to do something fun for Labor Day?"

I don't think she regrets it, but she is paying for it in bug bites and sore feet.

Sunday afternoon we drove to Springfield and spent a free night in a hotel (TripRewards points are our friends). We enjoyed the hotel pool and hot tub, strolled around Springtown's lovely downtown then had a very good dinner at low-key Italian joint Bambino's.

Monday, after tracking down a gourmet coffee restaurant and waiting til 8 a.m. for Chick-fil-a to open, we drove to the Ridge Runner Trail near Dora, MO. The southern terminus is at Hammond Mill Camp, a.k.a. North Fork Rec Area. I chose the 12 mile "North Fork Loop" as our trail. Here's a 20 photo slideshow:

Trail review: Well blazed and well maintained, but it was lots of hard work for very little natural majesty. There were two best parts:
1. The pine grove section (high, pleasant, aromatic, and no poisonous plants).
2. Swimming in the river when we were finally done hiking.

Lots of poison ivy, never-ending woods, and seed ticks. No sweeping vistas or impressive scenery of any worth-your-while. This is what we Midwesterners call "intimate." It's our fancy word for justifying all that hiking for no grandeur. "The beauty is in the little things." Well enough, but I would wait til the leaves are changing, or til they're off altogether for some redeeming scenery.

The trail was well marked and maintained, with the exception of the mouth of Steam Mill Hollow. We wound up in a patch of stinging nettles and lost the trail. Glad I had my compass and topo map.

National Weather Service says the high was 88 with a dewpoint of 70. Not even close to the hottest day of the summer, but not exactly comfortable for strenuous outdoor activity, either. I drained 3 liters of water, Sue did 2. The activity plus the heat made our lunch of rich Italian food leftovers nauseating so we settled for peaches and granola bars.

At the end of our hike we drove up to the springs near the campground at North Fork Rec Area. This made all that frustration melt away. The spring was beautiful and cold, the river massaging and relaxing. I even saw a couple small trout.

In summary, I'd recommend it during leaf changing or leaf-off for the scenery, or any time if you're hardcore or just like walking in the woods. Go swimming at the spring!