Guide gives hikers Devil’s Den tour

Walk along Yellow Rock Trail similar to ones planned for New Year’s Day

NWA Media/ANDY SHUPE - Terry Elder, a park interpreter at Devil's Den State Park, points out geological features as she leads a group of hikers Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, on a hike along the Yellow Rock Trail. "First Day Hikes" are scheduled at Arkansas State Parks on Wednesday to help people start the new year with an experience outside.
NWA Media/ANDY SHUPE - Terry Elder, a park interpreter at Devil's Den State Park, points out geological features as she leads a group of hikers Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, on a hike along the Yellow Rock Trail. "First Day Hikes" are scheduled at Arkansas State Parks on Wednesday to help people start the new year with an experience outside.

Terry Elder, a Devil’s Den State Park interpreter, described key features of the park Saturday as shadows from clouds drifted along the Boston Mountains behind her.

Elder was leading nearly 20 people on a guided hike of the Yellow Rock Trail. The park in Washington County hosts one or two guided hikes a week during the winter and as many as four a week during the summer. For the third year in a row, it will join other parks across the state in offering guided hikes on NewYear’s Day, known as “First Day Hikes.”

The hikes are intended to get people out and learning in nature, Elder said.

“We spend too much time with our smartphones and computers, and we don’t get out and get in touch with nature,” Elder said.

She said the public has been enthusiastic about the New Year’s Day hikes in the past. Nearly 30 people attended each one, she said.

She said Wednesday’s hikes will be similar to the guided hikes offered every week, but there will be a little bit of extra fun. She plans to give her hikers bandannas and their own Survivor-style team names.

Those taking Saturday’s guided hike in the park were from all over the United States. Along the trail, the hikers chatted and learned about one another while also learning about the park’s geological features.

“Who can tell me what this green stuff is on these rocks?” Elder said.

“Lichen,” responded Anna Blanchard, 9, of Pierre Part, La.

Elder went on to explain the symbiotic relationship of algae and fungus in creating lichen. She said a circle of lichen the size of an adult hand takes nearly 100 years to grow.

“Just remember that Alice Algae took a ‘lichen’ to Freddy Fungus, and their love has been on the rocks ever since,” Elder told the children on the hike.

Anna and her family took the hike on their first full day of visiting the park. Her grandparents and parents, all from southern Louisiana, said they have been traveling to Arkansas once a year to visit state parks since the early 2000s.

“We love the CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps] camps,” said Jane Boudreaux, Anna’s grandmother. “We love the cabins and the fireplaces, and it is only a day drive.”

Boudreaux said it was nice to take the interpretive hike on their first day in the park because it gave the family some knowledge before they explore other trails.

Debby Ohl of Mountain View was also taking the hike for the first time.

“It’s beautiful,” she said while standing on an overlook at the end of the trail.

Ohl said she was glad that she decided to take the hike in the winter. She said it is easier to see Lee Creek from the overlook because the trees had shed their leaves.

Monte Fuller, park superintendent, said the guided hikes give people an opportunity to learn about the park from a person who has knowledge of it.

“Think about it as an outdoor classroom with an outdoor plan,” Fuller said.

About 30 state parks in Arkansas will be offering First Day Hikes on Wednesday. More information is available by visiting www.ArkansasStateParks.com.

Arkansas, Pages 13 on 12/29/2013

Upcoming Events