Kelly Krause

Sky the Puppy and Her First Hike

Sky is our six-month-old Australian Shepard. She’s smart and full of boundless energy. Living with a puppy through the pandemic has been equal parts extra trouble and blessing. Like most high energy pups, she demands a lot of attention.

puppy routine – covid 19

As morning light begins to shine through the window, Sky starts whining until my husband gets out of bed to take her on the first walk of the day. She spends her afternoons chasing birds and butterflies around the backyard, trying to eat my girls’ favorite toys, learning new tricks (sit, stay, shake!), and napping in the warm sunshine. In the evening, I get my turn to take her on her second walk around our neighborhood.

Last weekend we decided to bring her on her first official family hike.

Lake sequoyah

We decided to head to Lake Sequoyah in Fayetteville, Arkansas because of the proximity to our house. This was our first visit to Lake Sequoyah. According to the Fayetteville Parks website, the lake was originally built in the 1950s as a water reservoir. Now the park is used for bird watching, picnics, hiking, fishing, and boating (fish and boat permits required). Swimming is not allowed.

trails of lake sequoyah

Shoreline Trail – an easy 2 mile trail around the lake.

Kingfisher Trail – a moderate 3 mile trail.

Rookery Trail – a moderate almost 5 mile trail.

*trail links take you to recent reviews on AllTrails.com.

From our parking spot, we could hear the rush of a waterfall down the hill. We decided to walk towards the water expecting to find the Shoreline Trail on the way.

The cascades were impressive. However, recent rain showers meant the trail was VERY muddy and challenging to follow.

The forest was drinking up the spring rain and seemed to be growing right before our eyes. After attempting our way through the mud, we decided to take a path that was partially gravel back up towards the main road.

We walked happily back to our car on the paved street.

From the road, we could still enjoy the flowering dogwoods and redbud trees that are beginning to bloom in early spring.

Although the hike was cut short by the weather, I’d like to think Sky left with muddy paws and a full puppy heart.

Hiking Arkansas: Elise Falls in the Smith Creek Nature Preserve

I’m writing this post on an afternoon ‘break’ from my little ones. They are happily playing in their playroom with each other.

How many weeks have we been practicing social-distancing now? I’m starting to lose track. We barely leave our house these days (I’m sure you can relate). When we do, we try to find quiet areas in nature to explore. It’s restorative.

Today, I’m happy to share a recent hike we enjoyed near the Buffalo National River.

smith creek nature preserve

Smith Creek is a tributary of the Buffalo National River. This land is protected by the Nature Conservancy. There are several destinations to explore in the preserve which is located near Boxley, Arkansas. We decided to hike from the main gate to Elise Falls which is .75 miles each way.

The trail begins going downhill. Keep in mind that you have to go back up this hill on the way back, which is a lot harder.

We enjoyed spotting a variety of colorful wildflowers.

Signage points towards Elise Falls. Head left at the junction.

Sections of the trail are narrow and fairly steep, but it was well maintained and easy enough for our preschoolers to hike (mostly) on their own.

Our girls found a nice boulder to rest on to enjoy a snack and water break.

Soon we crossed down into the creek bed. It’s easy to lose the trail at this point. We spotted a waterfall spilling into the pool on our left and headed towards it by crossing over the creek.

Your feet may get wet at this point. Once across the creek, we hiked uphill following the cascades.

This section of the trail looked to be more challenging for our little ones, so my husband went ahead to scope it out.

He arrived at Elise Falls and took a few pictures before heading back.

We decided that he would stay back with our youngest who is 3-years-old while I took our 5-year-old up to see the waterfall.

We held hands and took careful steps over mossy rocks and tree roots. The waterfall wasn’t far. This felt like an adventure for our daughter. She loved it!

We headed back along the same trail towards our car. We passed (from a safe social distance) a few other people and pups along the trail, but it wasn’t very busy.

If you are looking for a family-family adventure this spring. We think Elise Falls is a great waterfall hike.

Additional resources

I was first intrigued by this hike from a report I read from arkohiker.org. I also found a recent post on lostintheozarks.com and we read some reviews on AllTrails.com. I appreciate the hiking community here in Arkansas. It’s nice to know what we are getting ourselves into when hiking with kids.

more hikes in buffalo national river area

Twin Falls

Lost Valley

What is your favorite spring hike in Northwest Arkansas?

Outdoor Activity Idea: Host Your Own Family Fishing Tournament

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission waived all fishing license and trout permit requirements for residents and nonresidents Saturday, March 21 through Sunday, March 29, 2020. (read more about this announcement)

free fishing week

That means it is free to fish this week. Fishing is probably one of the easiest activities to do from a safe social distance. I know I want to stand several feet away from my kids when they practice their casting! I think it would be fun to host a family fishing tournament this weekend.

Here’s how we will organize our family’s fishing tournament:

Grab a pole and some bait – our girls use Disney themed fishing poles like this one. We add a bobber and clip down the barbs on their hooks. We typically use kernels of corn as bait, which works pretty well for perch and bluegill.
Divide into teams; our 3-year-old will need a little extra help, so we will split our family of four into two teams.
Find a fishing spot, keeping in mind that parks probably won’t have restroom facilities open.
Take a picture of any fish we catch. Try to hold them up to a measuring stick to see how big the fish is.
Create fun prizes for biggest fish, most fish caught, and best attitude.

If you catch your first fish, you can print an official AGFC certificate here.

My plan is to pack snacks, sunscreen, bug spray, hand sanitizer, and some folding camping chairs. I’ll also probably grab a backup activity like these butterfly nets.

I hope I see (from a safe social distance) other people taking advantage of the free fishing week and spring sunshine. If you live in Northwest Arkansas, please share your favorite fishing spots!

The Keyhole – One Slow Step at a Time

9,500 people per year climb to Longs Peak. I am not one of them.

At 14,259 feet in elevation, Longs Peak is the highest summit in Rocky Mountain National Park. Years ago (7 to be exact), my husband and I took a trip out to Colorado with some of our best friends. We went on several amazing hikes during our vacation. The grand finale was our hike to the Keyhole. I wanted to see what the guys had been bragging about when they talked at length about their epic adventure up Longs Peak.

I started out in a cranky mood. I don’t like waking up early.

There are several routes of varying difficulties that lead to Longs Peak. The Keyhole is the most popular. The National Park Service recommends to start before 3 am in the morning. You will see a lot of head lamps heading up the mountain when you start that early. The average time to complete the summit and return trip is 10-15 hours. You have to start early so that you miss afternoon thunderstorms. (Longs Peak via keyhole route)

It’s only an adventure if you travel through a Goblin Forest… that’s what I always say.

Since we weren’t going to the summit, we had a little more flexibility with our start time, but we still had to start early because we would be above tree-line and more vulnerable to lightening for a large portion of our hiking day. The hike to the Keyhole is approximately 12 miles round trip. (add 1.5 miles/way to Longs Peak)

Once you arrive at the Boulder Field, the Keyhole is in sight. At this elevation, each step was slow. It took a lot of energy to keep moving and we had to be careful to choose our steps wisely to avoid turning an ankle.

Stepping over rocks soon turned into more of a scramble up them.

Finally, I climbed up the Keyhole and looked out over the vast views on the other side. It was beautiful! I could see the trail continuing on my left side. There were large bullet marks painted on rocks to help people stay on the trail. If you are politely wondering why I didn’t just go the extra 1.5 miles to the summit, the answer is I’m scared of the exposure. I have a lot of respect for everyone who ventures on after seeing the drop off. I was ready to turn back.

I’m writing about this hike 7 years later because I woke up this morning facing another day of being stuck at home because of the coronavirus. Living through this fear and uncertainty is something I never imagined. I started thinking of the tough things I’ve done in my life:

-The first few weeks of track practice in high school

-Running a half marathon

-Biking 150 miles for the MS 150

-Child birth

-Climbing to the Keyhole

I may be smiling, but this picture captured my relief from getting down from the Keyhole.

My list isn’t all that impressive or unique, but it helps me remember that I can do this. I can reflect back on when I purposely pushed myself to do more than I thought was possible. I think the ‘Keyhole lesson’ for me is trying to take one moment at a time, using the legitimate fear I’m feeling to take appropriate caution, relying on family and friends for pep talks (the people who still love me when I get cranky), and remembering to appreciate the beautiful moments too.

*I found information about the Keyhole route on the National Park Service’s website.