Oakley’s First Hike: A Back-to-School Hike up Hughes Mountain
My “baby” Oakley turned 3 years old at the end of July and I decided it was time for his first “real hike.”
Up to this point, I would consider my youngest a pretty experienced hiker. I’ve taken him all over our great state of Missouri on many different trails, and last Christmas the kid hiked 20 miles in Joshua Tree National Park! But he did it from the comforts of one of the nicest baby carriers on the market!! So when I say it was time to try a “real hike,” I mean it was time for Oakley to do the work himself and hike on foot.
It wasn’t difficult for me to pick which hiking trail I wanted to take Oakley on for his first hike. It’s the same trail that my father took me on my first hike: Hughes Mountain. (It is referred to as Devil’s Honeycomb Trail on All Trails.)
So a little family history. My father grew up in a little town called Irondale, MO. He ran all over those mountains hunting before there was even an established walking trail. In our living room, strategically placed under the lights in our bay window, he placed a stuffed bobcat that he killed on that mountain. The bobcat, in an “attack pose,” also faced our stairs to the second floor, and I can still feel that rush of panic that swept over me almost every time I went up those stairs at night. You would hear my sisters and I running up the stairs as fast as we could because we were all picturing that thing coming to life and chasing us!! By the time I was old enough to walk, the trail up Hughes Mountain had been established, and it was with great pride my father took me up it and showed me where he had killed that bobcat.
I remember it being a “neat” place with some nice views, but we didn’t really talk about how special of a place Hughes Mountain is in relation to it being a natural wonder. I wonder if my father still even realizes that it’s more than just a mountain with some interesting shaped rocks. According to the pamphlet I picked up at the bottom of the trail, Hughes Mountain is a combination of igneous glades and three types of forests. The precambrian rock outcrops on Hughes Mountain are among the oldest (approximately 1.5 BILLION years) exposed rocks in the United States. The rhyolite formation, known locally as the Devil’s Honeycomb, is one of Missouri’s geological wonders and is the highest point on Hughes Mountain.
The out and back trail itself is only about a half to three-quarter mile hike to the top. The terrain can be a little tough in spots when you reach some of the tricky rocks, especially for little people. But the views are worth a little rough terrain.
The rock formations are interesting enough, but when you refocus to the surrounding countryside…wow! I’d say definitely one of the prettiest views in Missouri. Right up there with the Bald Knob on Buford Mountain.
Because of all these reasons, it was a no brainer to take Oakley up Hughes Mountain. However, I wasn’t prepared for the grumpy monster that awoke that morning. Thoughts of the perfect “first hike” quickly went out the window when he threw more than one screaming fit before even starting the hike!!!
Finally, in order to appease him, I packed his dinosaurs and up we went. It was slow going and we carried him in several different areas. My husband actually had to play “dinosaur” many times along the trail. Enrique would act like he saw a dinosaur, which would immediately grab Oakley’s attention, and then they would throw a stick or small rock at it to scare it away. It worked good enough to get a few giggles out of him and a few more steps without whining!
Once at the top, he was fine climbing on the rocks and playing with his dinosaurs. The rock formations are some of the most interesting natural sights I’ve ever seen. I would compare them to a 3D version of Tetris. They are truly unique to this area and I don’t know of anywhere else that has a similar landscape.
My family was well represented for Oakley’s first hike, including my sisters, Mom, and stepmom. Besides children, this an amazing hike for beginners of any age. If you want to get somebody interested in hiking, take them somewhere easy that has a view. Hughes Mountain has all of those qualities.
After taking some time to visit, rest, and play dinosaur, we headed back down. He went down a little easier and only needed to be carried a time or two. I was thankful that my husband, Enrique, could share this trip with us. He’s got a lot more muscles and helped with Oakley so much.
Looking back, Oakley didn’t have the perfect attitude for the hike, but I do believe it was the perfect trail to take him up. The footing may have been a little difficult in some places for the majority of 3 year olds, but it was a nice distance for the age.
We will be making many more trips up Hughes Mountain I’m sure.
This mountain is a part of our family history. If he gets nothing else out of hiking up Hughes Mountain, he can at least say he started hiking up the same mountains that his mother and grandfather hiked as children.
Side note: Caroline and I decided to host a “Back to School” hike that same hike we took Oakley up Hughes Mountain. We promoted it as an easy hike that families and children could enjoy together, even amateurs.
We were very pleased with the turnout. We met several new families and other adventurers that we’d only known through social media.
We were most pleased with the amount of kids who attended. Besides my three boys, Sarah from “Kick Some Dust Up” drove quite a distance to bring four girls from her area, and the Kletti family joined us from up North! It’s very exciting to see these young adventurers out enjoying the trails! (Though my August told Caroline I made him come and he would have rather have stayed at home and eat pizza in bed!) Oakley was by far the youngest hiker that day.
These kids are the future and we believe it’s important to expose them to nature and let them experience the world through their own eyes and actions and not through a television or phone screen. They are our future environmentalists and conservationists, and some day it will be up to them to preserve these amazing wonders that we get to explore today.
Do you remember your first hike? What about the hike makes it most memorable? We’d love to hear from you!
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