“You just missed it. The water is
usually high enough this time of year.”
You simply can't float a river that
doesn't have any water in it. But the river valley has more to offer
than float trips. We were looking at the river bed when I struck up
a conversation with some backpackers. They were hiking three days on
the Buffalo River Trail (BRT). I appreciate a cold beer after
backpacking, so I offered one to them. In return they mentioned a
hike that winds up a narrow canyon to a waterfall.
Indian Creek, and the Indian Creek
trail, runs through a karst landscape. Water dissolves the
carbonate rock forming sink holes and caves. This means that the
creek isn't always visible. It drops beneath the surface and
reappears here and there. It takes a heavy rain to sustain a surface
flow. As the miles went by, the canyon walls closed in. For us, the
trail ended at the base of a cliff and waterfall. For others, it
continues up that wall. Unlike desert canyons, this one is full of
lush green vegetation. Trees overhang the canyon and ferns grow out
of the rocks. This place is alive.
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