Ozark Trail: Karkaghne Section | Day 10
Shorter hike today from Sutton Bluff to Brushy Creek Lodge to meet Abby for my second resupply.
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My Ozark Trail Backpacking Gear List
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.
Karkaghne Section (Mile 9-2)
Day 10 - October 23, 2024
Sutton Bluff to Brushy Creek Lodge
Rate: Moderate | Traffic: Low
Distance: 7.2mi | Elevation Gain: 732ft
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Brushy Creek Lodge & Resort
Amenities: Tent Camping, Electric Hook-ups, Cabins, Laundry
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Meeting Abby at Brushy Creek Lodge & Resort.
Completing the Karkaghne Section
I backcountry camped about a mile north of the Sutton Bluff Campgrounds, which meant I had a short 7-mile day of hiking to meet Abby at Brushy Creek Lodge. It was going to be my final push on the Karkaghne Section of the Ozark Trail. All-in-all it was lovely and a little nondescript; the highlight being crossing the Gunnis Branch off Brushy Creek at OTA Mile 3.
Off-Shoot to Brushy Creek Lodge
The off-shoot to Brushy Creek Lodge is between Karkaghne Mile 2-3. There are plenty of signs and trail blazes leading the way. It’s a short, roughly mile long hike down into a beautiful valley where the lodge resides along the bank of Brushy Creek. The only thing of note on this section is all the horse dropping from the equestrians who amble up on horseback from the resort.
Brushy Creek Lodge & Resort
Brushy Creek Lodge is a beautiful resort that offers all kinds of Missouri outdoor activities including hiking, horseback riding, and UTV riding. There is a campground that can accommodate tents, RVs with electric hook-ups, and well as several different sizes of cabins and tiny homes. The lodge itself also has a game room (named the John Wayne Room), laundry, and a restaurant, which operates seasonally at various hours.
Waiting for Abby to arrive and airing out my gear at our tiny home at Brushy Creek Lodge.
Our Tiny Home
Abby booked us a tiny home for the night and because it was a Wednesday night we basically had the entire resort to ourselves. We said hello to the horses and hung out in the John Wayne Room which I did some laundry. Then we headed back to our tiny home where Abby told me the incredible story of the abandoned puppy we found on the Ozark Trail at Peck Ranch six days ago. I was learning, in this moment, if I was now a dog owner.
Resupplying at Brushy Creek Lodge
The Ozark Trail Association website lists Brushy Creek Lodge as a potential resupply point when thru-hiking the OT. I had called the lodge prior to setting out on my thru-hike to see if I could mail myself a resupply package. I learned that wasn’t something the lodge did, though the employee I spoke with was very nice. I asked the front desk again which at the lodge if mailing resupplies for OT thru-hikers was something they could accommodate, and it was confirmed that the lodge doesn’t offer that service.
The good news is, Brushy Creek still has a campground with electric hook-ups that you can book on your OT thru-hike to stay for the night and recharge batteries. Add in the free laundry available in the John Wayne Room, plus the general beauty of the resort and proximity to the trail, and it’s a great option for a night’s stay. Or you can do what we did and plan on someone meeting you there for the night, which worked out well.
Just a couple of horses in love.
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.