I’ve driven hours and hours for some good hiking, and all of this time I’ve neglected a great spot right down the road. A few hundred acres of woods and bluffs and streams cover Fayetteville’s Kessler Mountain, a 500-foot plateau that stands just inside the city’s southwest limits. It’s essentially a piece of Ozark forest about 5 miles from the university campus and downtown district. The city’s considering a plan to double the length of volunteer-built trails there, like the one above, while maintaining the place’s natural beauty and character, as my story today explains. So I went out there last week to get a good look. I won’t say no to hiking for work.

Some of you were around the first time I went to Kessler and posted some mediocre photos of it — my hiking partner wasn’t feeling good that day, if  I remember rightly, so we turned around early. I’m glad I could give trails with names like “Egg Beater” and “Crazy Mary” another try. Most of the time I was alone and it was quiet, with the late afternoon sun slanting between the trees and their new leaves. For any city residents who like this place or hope to visit at some point, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board is holding a public meeting tomorrow to see the trail plan and get comments from the audience. Maybe I’ll see you there.

Thanks for looking,

Dan