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26 BACKPACKER 03.2014 Basecamp Trips: From the Field P H O T O S B Y ( F R O M T O P ) L I N C I K A S / I S T O C K P H O T O . C O M ; A A R O N P E T E R S O N ; T O M A N D P A T L E E S O N . T E X T B Y S A R A H L . S T E W A R T Say it like the locals On the Buckeye-Caney Creek Loop (above), wander through the “Wash-it-taw” Mountains. Yo u’re welcome. Our trail scouts’ top local hikes CENTRAL YOUR ARKANSAS FIELD SCOUT Tom Trigg, band director at Dierks High School, tallied (precisely) 376.97 trail miles last year. The 61-year-old founded backpackingarkansas.com, an Arkansas-specifi c hiking forum.  Overnight near a cataract on this 10-mile loop in the Ouachitas. From the Buckeye trailhead, ascend 2,254-foot Buckeye Mountain where views of the surrounding wooded crests await. Breathe deeply for sweet wild plum blooming in March. Continue 2.5 miles west, descending to camp near 12-foot, rock-cradled Katy Falls at mile 4.6 (no per- mit). Day two, cross crystal-clear Caney Creek six times to close the loop. Trip data bit.ly/0314Buckeye  Trace the Lake Superior shoreline on this 10.6- mile out-and-back. Follow the forested path 1.8 miles to a series of lake overlooks. Frozen waves, ice columns, and dripping icicles adorn the 50-foot sand- stone cliffs January through March. Cold warrior? Find a beachside campsite at mile 5.3 (permit required, $10/night). If not, return to the trailhead and check out the cave passageways formed by wave action and freeze-thaw cycles. Trip data bit.ly/0314LakeshoreTrail  Follow the St. Francis River past whitewater on this 6-mile out-and-back. Hike 1 mile through a shortleaf pine forest to see Class IV and V rapids, where car-size granite rocks clog the river. (Time it for the Missouri Whitewater Championships occurring March 15 and 16.) Listen for barred owls hooting (even at mid- day) and pileated woodpeckers drumming en route to a sandbar picnic spur at mile 2. Turn around at Silver Mines Recreation Area. Trip data bit.ly/0314Tiemann  Wind through bottomland forest on this 4.7-mile lasso loop. At .7 mile, cross a wooden bridge surrounded by 10- to 15-foot-tall river cane. Watch for feral hogs foraging in the hardwood lowlands and cross two more creeks (via bridges) to a meadow of little bluestem and feathergrass at mile 2.5. See frilly, white Queen Anne’s lace and spiky, green antelope horn (blooming in spring), then close the loop and retrace your steps. Trip data bit.ly/0314CoyoteRun “See the best views in the Ouachitas from the Buckeye Trail; it’s mile after mile of rolling mountain ridges.” “The cliffs face north and west, so the best lighting for photography is late in the afternoon.” “At mile 1, detour .3 mile west to see a bizarre, 30-foot cedar tree that’s grown in the shape of a curly straw.” “Early March is best, before the mosquitoes and chiggers get really bad (in April and May).” Coyote Run, Coo- per Lake SP, TX Kody Waters Sulphur Springs, TX Buckeye-Caney Creek Loop, Caney Creek Wilderness, AR Tom Trigg Dierks, AR Lakeshore Trail, Apostle Islands NL, WI Neil Howk Bayfi eld, WI Tiemann Shut- Ins Trail, Mill- stream Gardens CA, MO Dan Zarlenga St. Charles, MO Medium Loop, Carleton College Cowling Arbore- tum, MN Nancy Braker Northfi eld, MN THE BETATHE HIKE SEE WILD PLUM BLOOMING IN MARCH, OR WAIT UNTIL JULY WHEN IT FRUITS.  See the first signs of spring on this 2.6-mile ski or snowshoe (with options to extend). Set out along Spring Creek, home to mallards and Canada geese. Continue along the partially iced Cannon River (begins melting in March), where bald eagles soar once the trout- and bass-filled water flows. At the fork at mile 1.3, either head back or turn right to add a 1.8-mile spur to a cattail marsh and mature oak- walnut forest. Trip data bit.ly/0314MediumLoop “If it’s a good snow year, expect to ski through mid- March; after that, bring snowshoes or traction spikes.” FIND SEA CAVES A MILE NORTHEAST OF MEYERS BEACH. MALLARDS BEGIN NESTING IN WATERSIDE FOLIAGE IN MARCH.