I book-ended the summer of 2010 with float trips; one on Memorial Day and one on Labor Day. I used Bass River Resort for both floats, the first of which was along the Courtois Creek from Highway 8 to Bass River, and the second of which was from Bass River to Onandaga State Park.
You may not know this about me, but I’m also an avid hiker. One of my goals is to hike the Ozark Trail – a 340-mile through trail system connecting Missouri and Arkansas – in its entirety. The Courtois Section of the Ozark Trail runs along the same sections of Courtois Creek that I floated this summer.
Trail, photo by MilliGFunk Photography
Because I’ve hiked that section of the Ozark Trail from Onondaga to Highway 8, it’s fun to float down the Courtois. Each time the trail comes near enough the creek to become visible I recall that same spot in a hike along the Ozark Trail. The most notable memory so far was of crossing the Courtois on a very cold day in early March 2010. You can read that story here.
Specific memories aside, floating along the Courtois this Labor Day reminded me that with cooler weather right around the corner, it’s time to start hiking again. I’ve hiked approximately 50 of the Ozark Trail’s 340 miles, so I need to plan for the remaining mileage over the coming months.
Come back to A Small Town Girl’s Guide or visit the River Hills Traveler blog for future posts on floating, hiking and all other things outdoors in Small Town Missouri.
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More Small Town Girl writing on the Ozark Trail, please visit my Ozark Trail page.
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