Norris Dam 25K Race, 11-4-23

This has been a tough year for my running habit. Soon after Barkley I realized that I’d come down with Plantar Fasciitis. I’d had soreness in my feet for a while, especially in my left heel while running downhill, but I didn’t relate that to what I’d heard about PF. Then one day I woke up with pain in the center of my heels that was serious enough to make me realize the connection. Luckily, this was well after Barkley, and its subsequent bookmobiles, so I had a lull in my schedule coming up. I started to do the stretching, icing, etc. that Leonard and other friends had recommended. The pain didn’t go away, but at least it didn’t get any worse.

Passing the Grist Mill (photo from KTC).

Before our May trip to the Black Hills, (Black Elk Pk) I took about two weeks off from running hoping for a cure, but early on in the trip I found that any hike over 6-8 miles would aggravate the PF. After I got back, I made a quick trip to my doctor who sent me to physical therapy. At PT we tried most everything in the book. I got 2 sessions of dry needling, the first helped a lot, the second didn’t. Each session he did some soft tissue massage, scraping, cupping, and a taping job that would last 2-3 days. I got a Superfeet insole and a regime of stretching and strengthening. I also cut back on my running distance and frequency. I got better up to the point that I could run normally, but I still had the pain and couldn’t increase my running. For the next step I added the “night split”, in this case a Strasburg sock, went on Meloxicam (NSAID) daily, and added more stretching and strengthening. Things were looking good when I got released from PT, but I still had the PF.

Next up I was scheduled to sweep the Barkley Fall Classic in late September. Sweeping is a bit of crap shoot, but I figured I needed to go as far as 18 miles. My longest training trip was ~14.4 miles on FHSP’s North Boundary Trail, out and back to Bald Knob. My heel hurt badly after that run, but it was OK the following day. At BFC I did 18 slow miles and didn’t have much PF Pain.

My PF stayed about the same through our ND Badlands hiking trip in early October (Achenbach Hike). I was still able to run my usual 8 mile greenway runs. Then it was just month to the Knoxville Track Club’s Norris Dam Hard Trail Race. The last two years I’d run the 50K at Norris, but I’d put in lots of training. I knew the 25K would be tough on the PF, but made it my goal just to finish. I did several 10-12 mile training runs at the Townsend Y in the Smokies, South Knoxville, and at Norris, along with a couple sets of hill repeats from Armes Gap at Frozen Head. My fitness was good going in, but I knew from my final training run at Norris that the PF would be the toughest challenge.

Race morning was cold with the start near freezing, but warmer temperatures forecasted by noon. The race this year was on the clockwise loop, which meant we would do the flatter Lakeview section first, and would have the hills toward the end of the loop. From the start the runners got bunched up descending the stairs below the Tea House. The second set of stairs on Kerry’s Revenge had been bypassed by a new trail relocation, so we had a much gentler descent to Lakeview Trail. I soon ended up at the head of one of a small group. I asked a couple of times if people wanted to pass, and since there were no takers I just kept to the front and tried to run a decent pace.

Early on I could tell I would be able to run well. Maybe not fast, but I could go steadily, and could climb the short rollers on Lakeview when I wanted to. Not too far into the run I realized Kathy Smith was in the group, so that confirmed that I had to be running well. The Lakeview section of the course is long and rolling, so it seems to take much longer than it should. Most of the runners ahead of us were walking the “steeper” climbs so our group did the same. Much of the trail at the start in the State Park had been blown clear of leaves, and this was a great help. We all could run faster with less worries about rocks and roots, and I could do more even foot plants which would delay the flare up of the pain from my plantar fasciitis. The group stayed together through High Point Trail and began to split up along Arnie’s/Benny’s trails, just before the Clear Creek Road section.

Our group on the Lakeview Trail (Photo from KTC).

Kathy and I stuck together to the first aid station at the base of Eli Nine, coming in around 1:27, which was about 10 minutes ahead of what I hoped was a 4 hour pace. We continued a walk/run up Eli Nine, but maybe cut back more than I should have. But it was all running down Red Hill and on the more technical trail on White Oak Spring Trail. After Red Hill we would see no other runners until the top of Ridgeline. There were no leaf blown sections in the watershed. Somewhere on Clear Creek Trail I went knee deep into hole just about a foot wide. Luckily I just took a tumble without hurting anything. We went back and cleared away the leaves around the hole for other runners to see, and then headed for the water tank.

Kathy and I running near Lower Clear Creek (photo from KTC).

Kathy called the aid crew at the water tank aid station (~2:15) the dream team (Brian W, Tim H, and Alondra M.) and I commented that the race had more talent at the aid stations than on the course. We cruised down Lower Clear Creek and then to the Grist Mill, still moving well. But I chose to walk almost all of Cliff Trail. The trail is uphill, but not all the way, and is narrow with a drop off, but not dangerously so. My caution here might have cost me the few minutes I needed to have broken 4 hours.

Kathy and Leah have a ritual of sipping of Fireball at Observation Point when they run this race together, and Kathy asked me to join her in Leah’s place this year. A lone hiker at the gazebo got a laugh at our “Shot and Selfie.”

Celebrating at Observation Point.

We ran steadily, if not so fast, down from Reservoir Hill to the dream team at around 3:20, too slow I thought to break 4 hours. But Kathy and I still could climb, and we hustled up Ridgeline though not quite at the ”back in the day” pace. Near the top we caught one runner worn out by the climbing. My foot was too sore by now to run fast, but I could still sort of pussy foot along. The new single track to Camp Sam was great to run, not so much so for the paved road through the cabin area to the finish. We swung into the finish just over four hours, but had more than enough fun to make up for the slower time.

Painted Canyon Trail, TRNP, 10-6-23

Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s Painted Canyon Trail in its South Unit is an in betweener, too long for most visitors in a hurry, but not long enough to fill the day for regular hikers. So, it was the perfect fit for our last half day of hiking. For most visitors driving on I-94 it is their introduction to the park, but it would serve as our temporary goodbye.

Park sign at Painted Canyon.

The visitor center and overlooks at Painted Canyon are the perfect place to capture the deep, rich light of magic hour, though at first they don’t look the part. The visitor center doubles as a rest area for I-94, with semis and campers littering the parking lot, and often spending the night there. We arrived early for photos of the Badlands in the canyon below us, and then headed east on the rim of the canyon.

Morning light, Painted Canyon.

Before dropping into the canyon, we spotted four horse grazing in the lush grass. The start of the trail into the canyon is steep, but the trails had fully dried from the most recent rain, and the steep grade doesn’t last long. Once in the canyon we spotted a large fossil stump right alongside the trail. Jean was more observant than I and spotted some stumps on clay pillars off to the side of the trail that we would explore on the way back. We’d been down this trail several times before and I wasn’t expecting much from these fossils, though Jean’s pictures painted another picture. 

Petrified wood on the Painted Canyon Trail.

The trail next wound around some buttes before crossing deeply incised Paddock Creek. In the past we’d had problems here with bison crowding the trail looking for good wallows at the edge of the grasslands. This time we managed to cross without making any long detours. But there was a lone bull on the near side.

Bull bison along Paddock Creek.

The Painted Canyon Trail ends at the junction with the Upper Paddock Creek Trail, which we had hiked the day before (Paddock Creek Hike). We turned around and decided to explore off trail on our way back. Our first diversion was west into a grove of junipers to look for signs of the elk that the rangers had told us about. It had been several trips since we’d last seen the park elk, and all we found this time was some scat piles.

Descending to cross Paddock Creek.

Our big surprise of the hike was seeing another hiker, we had been averaging less than another party a day so far on the trip. This hiker was a truck driver from Arkansas who had discovered the trail after spending a night in the rest area, and now made it a regular stop on his cross country journeys. We had a full conversation with him before noticing that he was barefoot! We could see how he might handle the cold and the rough footing, but barefoot through the prickly pear would have been another matter. 

A barefoot truck driving man.

Next we diverted again to check out Jean’s fossil location. We made a beeline for a large stump perched precariously on a tall pillar of clay. 

Petrified stump capping a tall hoodoo.

These are a type of hoodoo, where a hard cap rock protects a pillar of softer rock by acting as a natural umbrella.

The "Hoodoo Forest."

Jean’s site proved to be much larger than it appears from the trail, with several dozen large, petrified stumps, many of which were standing in place, and most of which formed hoodoos.

Some of the larger fossil-capped hoodoos.

It appeared the site covered much of the west side of the large butte adjacent to the trail. We spent a full hour exploring and taking pictures, though the light had grown much harsher. While the official fossil forest on the South Unit’s namesake trail is much more extensive, the “presentation” of these fossils as hoodoos allows this site to rival its far better known companion. 

The largest of the fossil hoodoos.

It took some effort to tear away from such a magic spot. We took some route reminder photos and marked our GPS for a return visit. It was a marvel that we had not noticed this site previously. After some brisk climbing back up to the canyon rim, it was time to rejoin the rest of the world back on the busy interstate.

A final look down into Painted Canyon.

Upper Paddock-Talkington via Buck Hill, Theodore Roosevelt NP, 10-5-23

As we were planning our 2023 Badlands trip, the hike around the Upper Paddock and Upper Talkington trails made the top of our wish list. We had last done the loop in 2011 and wanted to get out again to enjoy its scenery and abundant wildlife. After spending a couple of days on the Maah Daah Hey Trail waiting for the ground to dry following a rainstorm we were ready to tackle the last long hike of the trip. 

Feral horses around the Scenic Loop Road.

The South Unit Scenic Loop Road was still under repair following the 2019 slump damage, so we had to drive the long way around. At TRNP its usually not the traffic that slows you down, but the wildlife. We drove out in the spectacular light of early morning past herds of bison and feral horses. At an hour when every photo is a great one, we couldn’t resist several stops for pictures. The horses behaved themselves and happily posed for pictures. The bison were much less cooperative, with one small band occupying the roadway. We eventually wove the rental car through the herd, though not without some grunting and snorting from some of the bison.

Bison on the loop road.

We parked at the Upper Talkington Trailhead, just below another herd of grazing bison. The park, and my guide (ND Hiking Guide), describe the Upper Paddock Creek and Upper Talkington trails as a 16 mile loop that also uses the Badlands Spur and Rim trails. Together the NPS refers to this as the East Loop. Typically, I split the loop into a shorter trip by hiking the Loop Road to Buck Hill, and then descending cross country down Buck Hill to the Lower Paddock Creek Trail. Jean also prefers the Buck Hill Route, with the exception of one short steep pitch on the descent of Buck Hill.

The park does not have valet parking.

To reach Buck Hill, we walked a half mile clockwise on the Loop Road and then 0.8 mile up the side road to Buck Hill. There isn’t much traffic around dawn on the road in October. There is a short, paved trail to an overlook and bench on the hilltop. Typically, we descend the south ridge of Buck Hill directly in line with the Painted Canyon Visitor Center on the horizon, but this time we wanted to avoid any steep descents, in case there would still be wet ground. Early on Jean spotted the start of a gentle ramp leading east and we decided to try that as a descent route off the hill. 

Hoodoo marking the end of the ridge from Buck Hill.

The route worked wonderfully. We walked through some juniper, and past one petrified tree stump to reach the creek bottom level without any technical terrain. There were bison in the valley ahead of us, but we managed to weave to the south side of a long butte to avoid disturbing them  We passed another low butte anchored by a distinctive hoodoo before emerging out on the valley floor.

Looking off to the Painted Canyon Visitor Center on the skyline.

Once in the valley we headed south cross country, and mostly through open grassland. Again, we aimed for the Painted Canyon VC on the skyline. We had an easy crossing of the north branch of Paddock Creek, then a well worn bison trail brought us to the intersection with both the Upper Paddock and Painted Canyon trails and to the successful conclusion of the off trail portion of the hike.

Approaching a fossil location along Paddock Creek.

With a beaten path and trail posts to follow we headed east up Paddock Creek. There was a fossil wood site with some giant stumps that we barely remembered from previous trips.

Petrified tree stump along Paddock Creek.

in 2011 we’d battled ravenous ticks racing up our legs like through hikers going for a buffet. But with the cold weather they were thankfully long gone. This was still prime bison country, especially for lone bulls.

Bull bison near Paddock Creek.

Near the east end of the Paddock Creek Trail is Southeast Corner Spring. I’d often been confused about its exact location; was it hidden in some suspiciously lush trees along the trail or near some old, abandoned tanks? The NPS has done better job marking the trail here and there is now a well beaten game trail leading to the spring and its tanks where the NPS trail turns right up a small ridge with a view down to the spring. Just beyond is a post marking the end of Paddock Creek and the start of the Rim Trail. 

Small buttes below Paddock Creek.

The temperature when we started the hike was 47F, and it hadn’t warmed up much. Now we were exposed to the wind whipping across the grassland with no hope of shelter for the next two miles. Trail markers on the Rim Trail are notoriously short lived because without trees they are only available scratching posts on the rim for bison. Consequently, hikers often take direct paths across the grassland, rather than attempting to play hide and seek with the posts just to follow the trail. This time we found most of the markers in place, and were able to keep moving quickly to get back down out of the wind without getting completely chilled. 

The trail in the southeast corner is next to I-94.

Once off the rim we followed the Upper Talkington Trail back to our trailhead. The trail soon enters a long prairie dog town, not Jean’s favorite habitat, but I don’t mind the chirping of the dogs as they warned of our arrival. With the posts in place this is easy scenic walking.

Even the natives need to stop for a break occasionally.

Towards the end of the hike, we passed a young couple hiking with a little purse dog. They mentioned two small prairie dog towns ahead which we passed close to the Scenic Loop Road. I hadn’t noted either town previously, so the towns may mark an expansion of the dog towns in the park.

I walked right by this guy, but luckily Jean spotted it.

Back at the car, the trailhead bison had moved across the road to graze, fortunately without using the rental car to scratch as they passed it by. We packed up and drove back to the Trappers Inn, with only a few stops to photograph more bison and horses. 

Bison herd near the trailhead.

 

The Big Plateau Loop, Theodore Roosevelt NP South Unit, 10-2-23

One of our goals for our 2023 hiking trip was to finish the trails in Theodore Roosevelt National Park that Jean had not yet hiked. Earlier in the trip we had walked the North Achenbach Trail and the CCC Trail, leaving just the Big Plateau and Ekblom trails on our list. We always seem to visit during the wet years, and the loop connecting these two  trails is best done starting with a ford of the Little Missouri. 2023 was a wet year, but by coming in October we knew we would find an easy crossing. We’d had a long hike the day before, and opted for the shorter Big Plateau Loop, rather than the longer Lone Tree Loop.

Jean fording the Little Missouri.

Though these would be the final trails to mark off on Jean’s map, they were among the first that I had hiked in the park. Way back in 1988 I’d made a trip to TRNP with Craig. On day one we did the Upper Paddock-Upper Talkington loop on the east side of the South Unit, and the next day we crossed the river from Peaceful Valley and hiked the Lone Tree Loop. This was the hike that really sold me on the park. We saw tons of wildlife including bison, prairie dogs, mule deer, and coyotes, plus more exotic badlands and lots of fossil logs and stumps. I’ve been coming back to the park ever since. 

Across the river!

Even when the flow in the Little Missouri is low enough to ford, the water is still cold.

The loop starts from Peaceful Valley with a short hike across the river bottom. Thankfully the bottom was hard, and  it remained below my knees, and we were able to cross before we got chilled. 

Mule deer enjoying the people watching.

Our next feature was a stop at the old Ekblom Spring in an almost deserted prairie dog town. Most of the springs in the park were used to water cattle before the park was created. This one has an old tank, plus a well that discharged more water than I’d seen before in TRNP.

Ekblom spring was flowing.

Our “loop” was really a lasso, and at the end of the feeder section we turned left to follow the Ekblom Trail. Near the junction with the Maah Daah Hey Trail along Knutson Creek, is the site of our only backcountry campsite in the South Unit. In 1999, we’d hiked the Petrified Forest and Lone Tree loops from the west side, and camped along Knutson Creek which is one of the more reliable side creeks flowing into the Little Mo. On that trip we had attempted to ford the creek and got stuck in thick gumbo as a small herd of bison began to move through. As motivated as we were to move, the gumbo held us fast as the bison easily powered their way through. A small bridge now makes the crossing is much easier, but even it is starting to sink into the muddy ground.

The sinking bridge at Knutson Creek.

We stayed on the MDH as the Lone Tree Loop branched left and began the gentle climb to Big Plateau. A small band of mule deer crossed the trail ahead of us, a few curious enough to stop to check us out. We heard the bugle of an elk off to our west, but weren’t able to reach a spot with a view of it. Elk were easy to find when I first visited the park, but don’t think we’ve seen one since at least our visit in 2011, around the time that the park began to thin their herd. Just below the intersection of the MDH and Big Plateau trails there’s an awesome collection of fossil trees and stumps. 

Approaching the fossil beds.

We’d just finished a day of off trail exploring for a fossil forest, but this trailside occurrence was nearly as good. The core was a pair of giant specimens with another dozen or so logs and stumps strewn about the hillside.

Some huge fossil stumps!

With the exception of the well-known forest along the Petrified Forest Trail, this is one of the largest sites in the park adjacent to the maintained trails.

Another large fossil stump.

We took more photos and then sat down for a lunch break, grateful to be among such wonders.

Jean at the fossil site.

We reached the top of the upper plateau at the junction with the Big Plateau Trail. Curiously, there are only a few wood fragments exposed in the same rocks where the trail descends off the plateau. But while the fossil were waning, the wildlife was waxing. We entered the giant prairie dog town that seems to consume all of Big Plateau. To the west a coyote was howling, probably in annoyance at our disturbing his potential prey. And off in the distance seven pronghorn bobbed across the prairie.

It is always fun to watch the prairie dogs.

The rest of the hike was a long walk across the impossibly level plateau, followed by a descent down to the river bottom. 

Hiking across Big Plateau with the Antelope.

Sadly, we passed a dead bison just as we dropped off the rim. 

Coyote at maximum resolution.

Once back at the river, we had another quick ford of the Little Missouri River, and it was time to celebrate Jean’s accomplishment of hiking all the park trails!

The Wolf Trail Hike, Little Missouri National Grassland, 10-1-2023

Sometimes getting to the trailhead is half the battle. One of my goals for our revised North Dakota hiking guidebook (NDGuidebook) was to have detailed descriptions of all the major new hiking trails in the Little Missouri National Grassland. I had under three weeks to make the trip, and needed to ride or hike the 47 miles of the Maah Daah Hey II, the Long X Trail, the Bennett-Cottonwood Loop, and the Ice Caves Trail, plus a bunch of national and state park trails. All that travelling made for a fun, but busy time. Of all the trails on that “to do” list, I only missed one, the Wolf Trail at the northern edge of the LMNG.

Jean at the start of the Wolf Trail.

The Wolf Trail was designed to provide a recreation option for the Watford City community, though it doesn’t seem like that idea caught on. The original plan was to tie the Wolf Trail into a trail that would be built alongside US 83 from north of the park to Watford City as that road was widened to four lanes. The massive construction project is well under way, but I’m not sure of the status of the roadside trail.

Trail head Sign.

The Wolf Trail was the last of the major LMNG trails to be built, and remains the least known and least used. On the day I first planned to scout it, I drove in from Watford City via County 30, only to find the two mile dirt access road too rutted and muddy for our then brand new Subaru. I was able to write only a brief synopsis of the Wolf for the guide, but kept it on my list for future visits.

In the meantime, the Wolf Trail sat little used and unmaintained. While Jean and I were planning our 2023 visit to the area, I saw a Facebook post indicating that the LMNG had mowed the Wolf Trail that summer. The timing was perfect, and the Wolf Trail was back on the top of my list. But I soon realized that an out and back hike on the full 8.75 miles would be too much for us in a single trip, and settled on hiking just the north half of the trail from the LMNG north boundary down to the boundary with the North Unit of TRNP. 

Wolf Trail marker post.

But our 2023 trip started in the window where an Oct 1 US Government shutdown was expected. We spent our first two days in TRNP, assuming that the LMNG would stay open even if the government shut down closed the park. Coming off a hike in the North Unit we talked with a NPS ranger who had hiked the start of the Wolf Trail, and reported it was in great condition. We slotted the Wolf Trail for Oct 1.

Luckily for us the dirt two mile access road was in good shape this time, and we arrived at the Trailhead with our rental car in perfect shape! Only four years late, but we were finally there. To the north of us lay the busy oil field around Watford City, while to the south was the quiet grassland.

The oil field plant across the road from the trailhead.

The start of the Wolf Trail is it’s least interesting section, just a mowed path over some much abused grassland with widely scattered wooden trail posts. About a half mile in we crossed some old ranch roads by a stock tank and quiet little prairie dog town. Migrating geese flew a V-formation above us. But the route beyond was a little clearer and we reached the edge of a cluster of small buttes after a mile.  

Badlands along the trail.

This section was surprisingly nice as it wandered through eroded lignite and bentonite similar to much of the TRNP North Unit. Next up was some mid-slope forest dotted with small aspens where we walked below trees whose shade would surely be a blessing in summer. Our ranger friend had described the trail as getting overgrown near where she turned around, so we were a bit nervous about being able to go much further on as the trail got a little brushy. 

Migration.

But soon the trail punched through the forest up to the rim of the grassland. Here the mowing resumed, presumably facilitated by a two track road just above us. With continued views of the badlands below, we eventually popped out on the grassland at two track LMNG Road 851, just a little more than three miles in. We hiked a bit more along the grassland rim then followed Road 851 to the four mile mark where the trail turned west, and continued across a self-closing gate at the end of our hike. 

Our turnaround point.

Our return hike was a pleasant review of the features we had seen on the outbound leg. My newer GPS had failed early in the hike out, but my electronics behaved themselves on the return allowing me to enjoy the scenery better.

Back through the aspens.

The highpoint was being serenaded by a coyote hidden somewhere in the grasses around the small stock pond just southeast of the trailhead. But we never could spot our songster, just maybe it was a phantom wolf rewarding our efforts to finally hike its namesake trail.

Though I wasn’t able to hike the entire Wolf Trail, we went far enough for me to write a description of the hike to add to my ongoing book manuscript. And more importantly the hike was interesting enough for Jean to be on board for another trip, knowing that this would not be just a boring hike across the grassland.

North Achenbach Trail, Theodore Roosevelt NP N Unit, 9-29-23

For our 2023 North Dakota trip Jean and I decided  to spend more time in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The backcountry of the North Unit is wilder, more remote, and less travelled than even the wild, remote, and little visited backcountry of the South Unit. For our first hike we picked an out and back hike on the North Achenbach Trail between Riverbend and Oxbow overlooks. One goal of the trip was to help Jean’s finish hiking all the trails in the park. This was the only trail section Jean had skipped in the North Unit when we were working on our hiking guide in 2019. (ND Hiking Guide)

Riverbend Overlook

Riverbend Overlook is variously described as “The most photographed place in North Dakota”, and as the “View that launched the National Park.” The modest CCC-built shelter perched on the canyon rim high above the Little Missouri River lives up to these lofty expectations. Coming from the eastern time zone, we especially like to get there near dawn to capture the wonderous light in the early morning magic hour. 

Riverbend Overlook.

From Riverbend, we had a short walk on the Caprock Coulee Trail to reach Achenbach Trail. Then there is a steep, two-tiered descent down to a terrace above the Little Missouri River. The descent passes through layers that contain fossils in other areas of the park contain fossils, but we saw just one lone tree fossil. 

Fossilized tree stump on North Achenbach Trail.

Once down on the terrace level the trail is relatively flat out to the base of the corresponding climb to Oxbow Overlook. Flat, however, does not mean easy. For one thing, the NPS lists this segment as 4.2 miles long. But I’ve now measured it three times by GPS and think the true distance is more like 5.2 miles. Measuring by GPS isn’t as accurate as some measures just because of the variability of signals and the accuracies of GPS units. But trail mileage in the river bottom lands of TRNP has some added complications. Bison frequent the river bottoms, and the wise hiker will circle well around them and adding some distance if they are grazing in the trail. Bison also make their own trails, which are often more prominent than the park trails. The bison are also fond of using trail markers as scratching posts, often rubbing exuberantly enough to knock over tall wooden posts, or to break the smaller carsonite posts. Without standing trail posts, navigating across the river bottom becomes a game of hide and seek to stay on the trail.

The bottom lands along the Little Missouri River.

Though we passed one small herd, this section of North Achenbach seems to attract few bison, so the trail markers were frequent enough to keep us on course. Around 1.8 miles we crossed Appel Creek and soon dropped off the terrace down to the river level. Near the southernmost point of the trail, we stopped to examine an old piece of farm equipment hidden just off the trail in the sagebrush. The device had many cups and springs and was likely pulled by a tractor. There were two steel rims that probably protected wooden wheels. The park was first preserved as a national wildlife refuge in 1946, so the equipment likely predates that designation. Our guess was that it was used for planting or harvesting hay. Jean and I were so excited by the find that we promptly rushed off on a bison trail, not returning to the designated trail for another quarter mile.

Pre-WWII farm equipment along the Little Missouri River.

Near the end of the river bottom the trail drops down to the edge of a grove of cottonwoods. In the park cottonwoods typically mark the edge of the river, as this is the only place the trees can find enough water. But in this case, the cottonwoods are a relic. Interpretive displays at Oxbow Overlook explain how over time meanders in the Little Missouri develop tight loops that are eventually cut off as the river changes course. Here a long meander, shown on the park topo as a stippled area, has been cropped off leaving the abandoned channel and its outline of trees still in place. While there are plenty of fine tent sites here for campers, river water would be still nearly a half mile away. Though backpackers would be unlikely to camp here, we did spot a lone coyote trotting through his backyard.

Close up of the farm equipment. Any ideas on what this is?

Not long after the cottonwoods, a sign marks the start of the 400’ climb up to Oxbow Overlook. We passed again through the fossil layer, seeing just a few out of place stumps of petrified trees. The overlook is a favorite grazing area for bison, and we were lucky this day that the herd was off in the prairie to the north, rather than hanging out in the parking area.

Jean approaching Oxbow Overlook.

After enjoying Oxbow Overlook we started the long return hike. This time we passed a pair of day hikers, and stopped again to try to puzzle out the use of the farm implement. Despite the length of the return hike, we made good progress and had the energy to appreciate the amazing scenery along the way. We exited the river bottom, just before the arrival of a roaming bison pair. After passing two more day hikers on the Caprock Coulee Trail, we were back at our rental car after an 11 mile roundtrip. 

The trail below Oxbow Overlook in 2019.