"The time we thought it would be a great idea to take a cooler and camp on one of Missouri's most challenging hikes"
Two days before Halloween unseasonable temperatures brought another backpacking opportunity. On a whim Travis, Glyn and I head to 1740ft Buford Mountain near Bismark with 3 bags 3 chairs and a cooler. Buford Mountain named after the family who settled the area was a hotbed for coal production and remnants of charcoal kilns still remain on the mountain.
From the trail head it's a 10 1/2 mile loop trail but for today we are headed straight up to our campsite for the night on Bald Knob. Buford is known as one of the toughest hikes in Mo. Mostly due to it's first mile and a half of steep incline over large rocks. It didn't take long to realize this might not of been the best idea. Travis started off with the cooler and after a bit it was my turn. I started off on 1 shoulder and then to the next and even right on my head. I repeated this process for the next mile or so up brutal terrain. Glyn didn't get off so easy either. He had the 3 camp chairs and his forearms were on fire. After many stops and cooler hand offs we finally had the idea of a large stick and 2 men spread the weight. This helped greatly but our shoulders were roasted.
We had a late start on the day. We didn't hit the trail til 3:30 and got camp setup just in time to catch an amazing sunset. The view from atop Bald Knob is an experience I would recommend for anyone willing to do the 6 miles out and back. The back half of the trail is very lackluster. There is one large rock in particular that stands out on the glade. Everyone climbs to get a panoramic view of the valley. What happens next is some of the fanciest footwork I have ever seen. Travis proceeds to slip off the rock and off an instant 6ft drop and then another 7ft of backwards bolder hopping at full clip all the while perfectly protecting his Red's Apple Ale. We were in complete shock.. There he stands perfectly fine. Not a scratch or bruise. The idea of packing up camp and carrying someone down that mountain is the almighty hiker nightmare.
We shared many drinks around the fire that night and made many lifelong memories that we all will cherish. With a low of a perfect 68 deg. that still remains the best night of sleep in the hammock I've had. If we had to do it again we would no question. I just think we would go with a smaller soft sided cooler and just sit on the ground.
Here are some more photos of the trip
MCD Buford Mountain website: https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/buford-mountain-ca
Alltrails Buford page: https://www.alltrails.com/parks/us/missouri/buford-mountain-conservation
My Sola page if you would like to follow. https://sola.ai/justin_ec6fc/