It’s Day 16 and after a night spent in Ironton, Missouri at an AirBnB with Abby for my final resupply, I’m back on the trail for the final push of my Ozark Trail thru hike. Abby dropped me off at the HWY DD / 32 Trailhead which is near the Middle Fork / Trace Creek connection. I’m hiking north half the Trace Creek Section from Trace Creek mile 17 to Hazel Creek Campground.

I hike passed Missouri’s tallest waterfall, Mina Sauk Falls (132ft), and summited Missouri’s tallest peak, Taum Sauk Mountain (1,772ft), all with in a 6.2 mile hike on the Taum Sauk Section of the Ozark Trail.

Possibly the most beautiful day on the Ozark Trail, and the most physically demanding. It’s Day 14 of my Ozark Trail Thru-Hike and I cover 13.4 rocky and rugged miles on the Taum Sauk Section from Goggins Mountain to Proffit Mountain (1,703ft) straight through the heart of Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park.

It’s still Day 13 on the Ozark Trail. I’ve just finished breakfast at Ottery Creek and I’m about to set out on the Taum Sauk Section from the Hwy A trailhead. The next 10 miles will take me through the Bell Mountain wilderness, past several Missouri glades, and up Goggins Mountain for a beautiful night camping with a view.

At 1.1 pounds the NEMO Tensor Trail Ultralight was pretty great keeping my pack-weight down. 3.5 inches fully inflated also gave me ample ground clearance and supported my 6’1, 165lb frame. Add in the 2.8 R-Value and it’s a great 3-season sleeping pad.

Day 13 on the Ozark Trail started on the Trace Creek Section hiking 5.6 miles from Panther Branch to Ottery Creek on Highway A, which happens to be Mile 0 of the Taum Sauk Section. I figured it was a good idea to split the day into two posts to give the Taum Sauk Section two dedicated posts. But that doesn’t mean this stretch of Trace Creek doesn’t have anything to offer!

It’s Day 12 of my Ozark Trail Thru-Hike and I complete the Middle Fork Section and head back south on the Trace Creek Section to make my way to the Taum Sauk Section. Along the way I pass Wolf Pen Hollow, a beautiful waterfall, and twice cross the surprisingly small Middle Fork. Turning south onto the Trace Creek Section is tough knowing that the end of the thru-hike is a mere three days hike further north.

It’s Day 11 of my Ozark Trail Thru Hike and I’m embarking on the Middle Fork Section, heading 14.1 miles from the Highway J Trailhead to Henderson Creek. Along the way I’ll pass by the John C. Roth Memorial kiosk (founder of the Ozark Trail Association), Strother Creek, Little Creek, Gunstock Hollow, and Barton Fen, habitat of the endangered Hines Emerald Dragonfly.

It’s Day 10 and it’s a short day of hiking for me on the Ozark Trail. I’m only going 7.2 miles from just north of Sutton Bluff to Brushy Creek Lodge & Resort on the Karkaghne Section where I’ll meet my wife Abby for my second resupply. I’ll also learn what happened with the abandoned puppy we found on the Ozark Trail.