Our last day began around 7am as we made some coffee and began to pack up. We packed the stuff up and were able to get the tents and tarp dry so it’s all ready to pack back up when we get home. We are sad leaving but so happy to have an awesome trip back to Mississippi! As I write this journal we are on the road, back in Mississippi. We have traveled through Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee today and have had a great trip. Subway for lunch and snacks in the car have topped this trip off greatly!
On the way home, we stopped at Mammoth Springs, Arkansas State Park. Gorgeous park, picnic areas, clean restrooms, visitor’s center – definitely worth a stop if you are in the area!
We had a blast and truly got to see this whole area of the Ozarks. The rangers at this national park were some of the nicest ones we’ve ever met. They provided lots of great information at every turn and were helpful in getting us where we needed to be at each turn.
Things forgotten this trip:
Not much, actually. I would have brought an extra long sleeve for both of us, and a jacket for Ryan, but really we only needed those the first day anyway because it warmed up a lot after Saturday.
Things learned this trip:
Food: Absolute win with using ziplock bags to mix the salads up and taking all disposable stuff. Our only meal requiring messing up a pot was the very last night – so, we rinsed out, tied up in a bag, and are taking it home to wash! No wash tubs!
Bottled Water: We just bought plenty of bottled water (I couponed!) so that we never had to FIND water and then hope it was clear and tasted good. We ran through 2 full 24-packs in our 3 nights but it was definitely worth it to never feel like we rationed water out.
Things we now want:
- A GPS Unit! We borrowed my dad’s for this trip – definitely worth taking – allows us to jump off the path or change our stops along the way!
- Camelback Water Containers – we love hiking and I think it’s time for some camelbacks to carry our water!