Cross Timbers

On the way back from fieldwork in the Flint Hills, I stopped at Cross Timbers SP on Toronto Lake. It's about 155 miles, or 3 hours, from Kansas City. I hiked 1.5 miles on the Overlook Trail, and 3.5 miles on the Chautauqua Hills Trail.



Notes:

It was most enjoyable to get out and stretch the legs again. I wish I could do this on a weekly basis. The sunshine was warm (while it lasted) and a walk in the woods always does the mind good.

I was very surprised to see the whole lake frozen. I didn't dare walk on it, but that's a sight I never see south of I-80. I really love the 4th photo in the album, taken from the Overlook Trail.

Bring cash so you can pay for a $4 daily vehicle permit without driving all the way to the park offices on the south end of Toronto Lake. They take plastic, but I wasted almost an hour paying for my vehicle pass.

I thought of seven reasons to love winter hiking: no orb-weaver spider webs covering the trail; no ticks; no snakes; no poison ivy; no crowds; it's much easier to see a way through the woods when you've lost the trail; thermal comfort is achieved through adding/subtracting layers.

Speaking of losing the trail, the Chautauqua Hills red trail (west) was in sore need of a good raking. Half my walk there was spent searching for the trail, or just picking my own way through the woods.

I saw several non-native invasive species along the trail, including a sofa, a chest freezer (with door removed, how considerate!), and several melted plastic barrels. I marveled at (1) the effort it must have taken to bring this junk out here and (2) the laziness it took to just leave it.

If I ever did backcountry camping at Cross Timbers, I'd be sure to pack in all my own water. I wouldn't try to boil or treat the lakewater for consumption. There are several backcountry sites along the Chautauqua Hills Trail (west).

I saw an armadillo, and scared up a flock of quail. Cool!

Views were nice, though I'm beginning to doubt the wisdom of these US Army Corps. of Engineers reservoirs (e.g., Kanopolis Lake, Truman Lake, Mark Twain Lake, Smithville Lake, and Toronto). The Toronto shorelines were utterly desolate, miles of limestone formations stripped clean of topsoil, and thousands of acres of deadwood washed 200 yards offshore during flood stages. I kept thinking, "I wonder what this would have been like if they'd just let the Verdigris River do its thing, and what benefit is derived from this use of natural resource?" Maybe someday I can research the history and philosophy of these USACE projects.