IO:VMO+ Ouachita Trail (223 miles)

The Arkansas trails have been calling to me for a while, and late fall sounds like a good season to hit them. Figured the Ouachita (WOSH-ih-tuh) will be the first one tackled, starting at Talimena State Park in Oklahoma and heading east to Pinnacle Mountain State Park, about 30 min outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. Planned daily mileage will be in the high teens. Expect ridge walking with regular water carries similar to what you'd expect on the Massanutten, with many in the 10-15 mile range and a couple potentially being around 20 miles. Current plan is to have resupplies mailed to locations at miles 51 and 122.

I'll be flying into Tulsa to visit a cousin who will give me (and potentially 1-2 others) a ride to the trailhead. The normal way for most OT hikers to get to the western trailhead is to fly into Fort Smith, AR, and take a shuttle from there. I plan to finish up a day or two before Thanksgiving, then spend a few days in Little Rock. FarOut has a trail guide and there are several resources available around the web with Friends of the Ouachita Trail (FoOT) being a good start.

To join you should be VMO+ and ideally have hiked with me previously, already have done a thru-hike, or regularly have tales of your backpacking exploits sung around the campfire by the DCUL bards or recounted with awe and respect over pints of cold ale. This will definitely be run thru-hike style where each person is expected to be self-sufficient and able to extricate themselves on their own if needed.