As in years past, 8:00am and 24 degrees in December along the shores of Lake Ouachita is downright frigid. But cold or not, December 10, 2011, was a beautiful, sunshiny day as 53 participants lined up near the Denby Bay trailhead for the annual Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT) Marathon. Observers doubted that the lycra shorts would be that warm but the runners were dancing in anticipation. At 26.2 miles, the LOViT Marathon’s path passes through the Tompkins Bend and Joplin trail heads heading for the top of Hickory Nut Mountain and then turns around for a return trip. The trail rises 900 feet in elevation along the way, with half the elevation being in the last mile to the summit. At the top, the runners were provided fluids and snacks by a group of Traildog volunteers who, between runners, clustered around a roaring fire and enjoyed a pot of hot …Click to read the full article
On Saturday, Dec. 10th,2011, Traildog volunteers again supported the annual LOViT Marathon. Approximately 60 runners left the starting line at 8:00 am in 24 degree weather. It just doesn’t seem to me that those lycra shorts would be that warm. The Traildogs at the aid station race turnaround point atop Hickory Nut Mountain seems to have solved the cold problem, which included a roaring fire and a pot of hot chili to warm their inards. Angelina did not make the race. Jerry
Nov. 9, 2011, was a beautiful fall morning, trees aflame in color, wildflowers in bloom. Fourteen fitness fanatics from the Montgomery County Strong Women program were in awe of the landscape as they hiked a total of just over five miles out and back on the Crystal Springs Trail Segment of the LOViT.
On Friday, October 7, 2011, the ADA Watchable Wildlife section of the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail was officially opened at the information Kiosk located on Old Highway 270, just one block west of Shangri-La Road. Approximately seventy people attended the ceremony including several seniors from the Montgomery County Assisted Living Facility in Mt. Ida. The featured speakers were Richard D. Stokes, United State Army Corps of Engineers, Gloria Chrismer, United States Forest Service, Kirstin Bartlow, Arkansas Game and Fish, and Jerry Shields, leader of the LOViT Traildog Volunteers. Jerry Shields spoke of the key support organizations who have contributed the most to the creation of the ADA Trail, the US Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Arkansas Game & Fish, both of whom have provided grants and other support activities critical to the development of this unique facility. He praised the strong effort of the Traildog volunteers in constructing the …Click to read the full article