Happy trails: See you in September

The 2.8-mile northern loop of Earthquake Ridge Trail near Mena is a beautiful hike in the fall.
Happy Trails Photo by Michael Storey
Photo by Michael Storey


Hikers can enjoy stretching their legs on the Earthquake Ridge Trail at 
the eastern end of the Talimena Scenic Trail, just a mile north of Mena 
on Arkansas 88.
The 2.8-mile northern loop of Earthquake Ridge Trail near Mena is a beautiful hike in the fall. Happy Trails Photo by Michael Storey Photo by Michael Storey Hikers can enjoy stretching their legs on the Earthquake Ridge Trail at the eastern end of the Talimena Scenic Trail, just a mile north of Mena on Arkansas 88.

Be back in the fall

To quote Noel Coward, “Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.”

It makes for a dandy little song lyric, but Happy Trails is neither a crazy dog nor English, so we take the hottest part of the summer off to hug the air-conditioning vent.

August in Arkansas, even on the trails in the (relatively) cooler woods, can be a hot, sweaty affair peppered with mosquitoes, chiggers, ticks and those nasty little noname bugs that get under your sunglasses.

When you have to carry more than one sweat band, it’s time to keep the walks short, in the shade and near water fountains.

Meanwhile, here’s a photo of cool Earthquake Ridge Trail near Mena. It was a crisp 62 degrees when I took it in November 2005, and the trail was a colorful carpet of fallen leaves.

Need another fix? There are about 20 short Happy Trails videos at arkansasonline.com/happytrails.

See you in September.

ActiveStyle, Pages 23 on 07/29/2013

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