Long Distance Hiking: Taking a Break or Getting Broken?

For many people, hiking means finding a local trail on a weekend afternoon to enjoy a couple hours of fresh air and perhaps a respite from the concrete, asphalt, and work cubicle that surrounds their normal everyday life.  Others seek a more all-consuming experience: a physically and mentally demanding long-distance hike that takes them hundreds or thousands of miles through feral wilderness and punishing terrain.

There are valid reasons not to attempt such a feat. Consider: blisters, swollen joints, stress fractures, torn ligaments, muscle cramps, tendonitis, heat exhaustion, hypothermia, abrasions, sore knees and hips, emotional stress, shin splints, an occasional broken bone, and a plethora of famished insects.  There are however, rare individuals known as “thru hikers” who attempt and ultimately complete these arduous treks.  According to Wikipedia, “Thru-hiking is hiking a long-distance trail end-to-end within one hiking season.”

Jim Warnock, a “Thru hiker”, will tell his story at Hobbs State Park.  He recently completed a back packing trip on the 210- mile long John Muir Trail.  This trail runs south through the High Sierras from Yosemite National Park to the summit of Mount Whitney.  The trail never dips below 7,000 ft. and crosses numerous 11,000 ft. passes.

Warnock will bring his back pack, and explain what it took physically and mentally to complete the hike.  His adventure was documented in breath taking photographs which we will see.  He will then transition to the Ozarks while making the point to show that there is no scenic "let down” with local scenery.  Warnock said, “Our Ozarks are on par with scenic regions anywhere in the United States.  I give a descriptive overview of the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri with specific scenic highlights, springs, scenic rivers, and waterways we can easily explore from Northwest Arkansas.”

If you are a short distance hiker or a “Thru-hiker”, you’re not going to want to miss this program.

Others Details

For more details and updates please visit website.