Ozark Trail: Blair Creek Section | Day 8
Finishing the Blair Creek Section of the Ozark Trail.
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My Ozark Trail Backpacking Gear List
It’s the morning of Day 8 of my Ozark Trail Thru Hike. I have 11 miles left of the Blair Creek Section before reaching Highway 72 Trailhead, where I originally planned to camp for the night. Do I stay or push onto the Karkaghne Section?
Blair Creek Section (Mile 11-0)
Day 8 - Part 1 - October 21, 2024
Laxton Hollow to Highway 72 Trailhead
Rate: Difficult | Traffic: Low
Distance: 11mi | Elevation Gain: 1,306ft
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Happy with my backcountry campsite just past Laxton Hollow.
Leaving Laxton Hollow
I spent the night backcountry camping off-trail about three miles north of Laxton Hollow. At this point in my through hike I’ve come to prefer camping at higher elevations out of the hollow. It’s less brushy, more quite, and there don’t seem to be as many woodland creatures roaming about. I’ll fill up on water at my planned stopping points, which were water sources, and then push on up out of the hollows to set up camp for the night.
Crossing Blair Creek for the Last Time
My breakfast spot today was the final Blair Creek crossing three miles into the hike. The creek was more of a woodland stream in this location, but it was a pleasant spot to stop for the morning and enjoy some Mountain House Granola & Blueberries. Fun fact: the first time I had this Mountain House meal I assumed it was oatmeal so I boiled water and poured it in to heat up. Nothing like hot granola. This was the one Mountain House meal that was prepared with unboiled water.
Crossing the 100 Mile Mark
While having breakfast I realized that Laxton Hollow was the 100 mile mark of my Ozark Trail Thru Hike. A pretty cool realization to have. The most amount of milage I had done prior on a backpacking trip was 35 miles hiking Kesugi Ridge Trail in Alaska. Hitting 100 on the OT was a nice little confidence boost.
Realizing I’d crossed the 100 mile mark.
What’s in the box?
An old wooden registry kiosk stands lonely in the middle of the woods just before you reach County Road 235. I would come across the registry kiosks periodically throughout the thru-hike, but almost none of them had an actually registry book, which was disappointing. I really wanted to add my name to those who came before me. To join the Ozark Trail Backpackers, Section Hikers, and Thru-Hiker community.
Cruising Alongside CR-235
Once I hit CR-235 the trail essentially ran parallel to the road. The flat single-track lined with pines made for very pleasant hiking allowing me to cover the next six miles to Highway 72 Trailhead very quickly.
Start of the Karkaghne Section at HWY-72 Trailhead
I arrived at the Hwy-72 Trailhead at 1:30PM; 11 miles in roughly five hours, including a breakfast break. Not too shabby. The original plan was to make camp here for the night and start the Karkaghne Section the next morning. But sitting around all afternoon just seemed silly so I shouldered my packed set out on the Karkaghne Section, with the goal of reaching Grasshopper Hollow. Little did I know, my first water scare would be waiting for me there.
Hwy 72 Trailhead, the start of the Karkaghne Section of the Ozark Trail.
Missouri’s Ozark Trail
The Ozark Trail contains over 430 miles of trail divided into 14 mostly connected sections throughout southeast Missouri. The established thru-hike covers eight of the connected sections and runs from Onondaga Cave State Park in Leasburg, roughly 84 miles southwest of St. Louis, to the Eleven Point Terminus near Thomasville, 23 miles north of the Arkansas border. Throw in the off-shoot Taum Sauk Section and you have nearly 300 miles of thru-hikeable trail.