Like a demented groundhog from its burrow, New Year's Day emerges again and again, sometimes bustling forth with a mile-wide grin, sometimes stumbling bleary-eyed and blinking.
And sometimes, the day after New Year's Eve would rather not budge.
Should that be the situation Thursday, a small army of Arkansas State Parks interpreters stands prepared to tempt New Year's Day into the outdoors, plying it with the prospect of uplifting hikes, warm cocoa and toasty campfires, black-eyed peas from Dutch ovens -- anything short of bodily hauling the groggy beast out by its furry feet and stub of a tail.
Thirty-three of the 52 state parks have embraced a national promotion called First Day Hikes, and so some of their employees will be banking their paid holiday Thursday to show up at work and present 55 events, mostly guided hikes.
"The park staff who lead First Day Hikes that day will 'earn' that holiday, full day or whatever hours of it they work that day, to be taken on an alternate day of their choice later," state parks public information officer Joan Ellison explains. "It's the same as when so many of them work in the parks on July 4, when the parks are busy with activities. They earn that holiday and take it later."
Several interpreters have made elaborate plans. For example, at Delta Heritage Trail State Park in Barton, interpreter Maggie Howard plans a Hike the Rails trail walk from 1 to 1:30 p.m. starting near the visitor center; and from 2 to 2:45 p.m., she'll show bicyclists how the trail connects to the area's Civil War history during her Lick Creek Bike Tour on flat, easy terrain.
Food is a huge part of everybody's heritage and so, office manager Amber Owens says, from 11 to 11:30 a.m., patrons can sample the past, Delta-style, with cabbage, black-eyed peas and ham cooked in a Dutch oven. Cost is $2 per person. More information is at (870) 572-2352.
"Just come show up and have a First Day Dinner and a First Day Hike with Maggie," Owens says.
Lake Fort Smith State Park at Mountainburg also plans to feed its hikers black-eyed peas and cornbread, but the staff wants people to call (479) 369-2469 so they know how many peas to cook. The park's four-mile hike begins at 9 a.m. and entails 3 1/2 moderate-to-strenuous hours on the Ozark Highlands Trail and Shepherd Springs Loop.
NIGHT AND DAY
Among three hikes at Mount Magazine State Park near Paris (see below) is a chance to watch the year dawn from the highest point in the state. For this sunrise hike, meet on the patio on the south side of The Lodge at 7:15 a.m.
Lake Charles State Park in Powhatan will embrace the darkness with a First Night Hike on the White Oak Trail from 7 to 7:45 p.m. Patrons can meet at the park nature center for a 1.5-mile guided walk under the stars on a loop trail that crosses streams and skirts the lake. Probably smart to take a flashlight.
FEED THE FIRE
Lake Ouachita State Park in Mountain Pine will offer a choice of four walks along the Caddo Bend Trail, beginning at the park visitor center picnic area: four miles (9 to 11:30 a.m.), three miles (9:15 to 11:15 a.m.), two miles (9:30 to 11 a.m.) or one-mile (9:45 to 10:45 a.m.).
"Pretty much any level of hiking experience or nonexperience is welcome," interpreter Susan Adkins says. But wait -- there's more.
From 8:30 or 9 a.m. to about 1 p.m., patrons can gather around a campfire to meet members of the Ouachita Mountain Hikers and Basecamp, an outdoorsy club from Hot Springs Village. Adkins planned the fire last year so nonhiking family members would have something to do while their loved ones were eagerly hoofing it through the woods, but "what we found was that after the hike everyone wanted to come back to the campfire and just visit and drink some hot drinks and snack."
A "goofy thing" Adkins offered last year at this campfire will also be back, by popular demand: Patrons can write their burdens on scraps of paper and consign them to the flames -- "and let it go. ... And," she adds, "we'll have the sheets of paper on the picnic table where you can write down your resolutions."
The Arkansas Geocaching Association also plans a presentation, and interpreters will give away a custom hiking stick at noon. Also, everyone who comes to this park's First Day Hike event gets a button.
"I want people to be aware that 1955 was our establishment year and 2015, throughout the year, we are going to be celebrating 60 years of Lake Ouachita State Park with a number of events," she says.
Speaking of anniversaries, Adkins has one on New Year's Day, "because during the summer we don't have time to get married and stuff like that. So my husband and I got married on Jan. 1, 2011" -- before First Day Hikes became "a thing" here.
Meaning she'll spend part of her anniversary at work.
"But it's a fun event and I enjoy it," she says. "It kind of restarts everything, you know?"
NATIONAL PROMOTION
First Day Hikes is a marketing campaign of America's State Parks (americasstateparks.org), an arm of the National Association of State Park Directors. The national association is an education-oriented nonprofit professional association; its members are directors of 50 states' parks as well as park managers from U.S. territories and Puerto Rico.
According to a news release, the original First Day Hike was in Blue Hills Reservation, a state park in Milton, Mass. For its 24th event, according to a flier posted online, that Massachusetts park will collect canned goods Thursday and serve free soup.
In the past few years, First Day hiking has proliferated across the nation. Arkansas' representative in the association, State Parks Director Greg Butts, says in the news release that in 2014, Arkansas parks employees led 44 hikes at 29 parks and, collectively, 536 hikers covered 1,122 miles on New Year's Day.
PARTICIPATING PARKS
Bull Shoals-White River State Park (Bull Shoals): 1.75-mile Big Bluff Trail from 10 a.m. to noon, moderately strenuous. Meet at the trailhead on Powerhouse Road beneath Bull Shoals Dam.
Cane Creek State Park (Star City): beginning at Pavilion 1, walk six miles along the Delta View, Timberland and Cane Creek Lake trails from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., or 2.5 miles on the Delta View Trail from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Cossatot River State Park-Natural Area (Wickes): Registrations were due Dec. 22 for a long afternoon hike on Harris Creek Trail.
Crater of Diamonds State Park (Murfreesboro): An easy walk on the Little Missouri River Trail from 10 to 11 a.m. begins at the campground; half of the trail is paved and barrier-free.
Crowley's Ridge State Park (Paragould): Meet at the basketball court for a walk on the barrier-free Lake Ponder Trail from 10 to 10:45 a.m. At 3 p.m., meet at the visitor center for 1.22 miles on the Dancing Rabbit Trail.
Daisy State Park (Kirby): One-mile nature walk from 1 to 2 p.m. begins at the visitor center.
Davidsonville Historic State Park (Pocahontas): From the visitor center, take one-mile nature walks on the Black River Trail from 10 to 11:30 a.m., or the Trapper Lake Trail from 2 to 3 p.m. Hot chocolate afterward.
DeGray Lake Resort State Park (Bismarck): Island Trail from 10 to 11 a.m.; meet in the lodge lobby. Or meet at the visitor center to walk Green Heron Trail from 2 to 2:45 p.m.
Devil's Den State Park (West Fork): From campground A, hike up, up, up Yellow Rock Trail from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for an unobstructed view of Lee Creek Valley. From the playground, walk the gently rolling Lake Trail from noon to 1 p.m. At 2 p.m. meet at the visitor center flagpole for a pet-friendly hike on the Devil's Den Trail to end around 4:30 p.m., followed by a campfire and s'mores.
Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area (Rogers): half-mile on Sinking Stream Trail from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Or join a half-mile stroll on the barrier-free Historic Van Winkle Trail from 2 to 3 p.m., from the trailhead on Arkansas 12.
Jacksonport State Park (Jacksonport): Tunstall Riverwalk Trail from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Meet at the trailhead.
Lake Catherine State Park (Hot Springs): From camping area C, walk the Falls Branch Trail from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Lake Chicot State Park (Lake Village): Join the walk behind campsite No. 127 at 10 a.m. for 45 minutes along the lake. Or meet at 3 p.m. at the visitor center for a 45-minute leisurely stroll on the Delta Woodlands Nature Trail.
Lake Dardanelle State Park (Russellville): Meadowbrook Trail from 10 to 11 a.m. Meet at the trailhead.
Lake Frierson State Park (Jonesboro): A mostly easy hour on Dogwood Lane Trail begins at 1 p.m. in the visitor center parking lot.
Lake Poinsett State Park (Harrisburg): For a leisurely hour on Great Blue Heron Trail followed by treats around the campfire, meet at the trailhead at 2 p.m.
Logoly State Park (McNeil): For a three-quarters mile walk on Crane's Fly Trail from 10 to 11 a.m., register by calling (870) 695-3561 by Tuesday.
Millwood State Park (Ashdown): Meet at the Waterfowl Way Trail trailhead at 1 p.m. for this 1 1/2-hour, 1.5-mile walk.
Mississippi River State Park (Marianna): An easy half mile on Trotting Fox Trail from 11 to 11:30 a.m. or a moderate mile on Bear Creek Lake Nature Trail from 2 to 2:45 p.m.
Moro Bay State Park (Jersey): Deer Run Trail from 10 to 10:45 a.m.
Mount Magazine State Park (Paris): Meet in the lodge lobby for the sunrise hike mentioned above. The lobby's also the place to join a walk on the Signal Hill Trail from 10 to 11 a.m. Later, interpreters will venture off the trail map, meeting patrons at the Brown Springs Picnic Area at 3 p.m. for an hour on the edge of the cliffs.
Mount Nebo State Park (Dardanelle): Walk the Summit Park Trail loop from 1 to 3 p.m., beginning at its trailhead.
Petit Jean State Park (Morrilton): Help do light maintenance on the Seven Hollows Trail from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.; meet at the trailhead. At 11:15 a.m., meet in the Rock House Cave parking area for 45 minutes of learning about rock art created more than 500 years ago. Hike to Bear Cave -- 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. -- from the lot off Arkansas 154; or meet in the lodge breezeway at 3 p.m. for an hour-long, quarter-mile hike to the Cedar Falls Overlook.
Pinnacle Mountain State Park (Roland): Take the West Summit Trail to the top of the mountain or walk the Base Trail, both from 9 to 11 a.m. After the hike, drink hot chocolate around the fire. Interpreters will also lead patrons on the barrier-free, half-mile Kingfisher Trail from 3 to 4 p.m.
Queen Wilhelmina State Park (Mena): Meet in the day-use parking lot to hike Lovers' Leap Trail from 9 to 11 a.m. As the name suggests, this trail has quite the overlook.
Village Creek State Park (Wynne): 1.5 miles along moderately steep hog-back ridges from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Lake Austell Trail.
White Oak Lake State Park (Bluff City): Meet at the Spring Branch Trail at 9 a.m. for 45 minutes on a third-of-a-mile trail.
Withrow Springs State Park (Huntsville): Meet at the Forest Trail trailhead at 10 a.m. for 45 minutes on a two-mile trail.
Woolly Hollow State Park (Greenbrier): Meet at the Huckleberry Trail trailhead at 9 a.m. for a 45-minute walk. Or, from 11 to 11:45 a.m., talk about your five senses during the Common Sense Hike from the Woolly Cabin. At 2 p.m., guides will take hikers on a 2 1/2-hour exploration of the Huckleberry Trail.
The news release suggests that participants dress for the weather, wear sturdy shoes and carry water. Binoculars, field guides, a camera and journal are smart options, too. Participants may share their experiences on social media using the hashtag #FirstDayHikes.
More information is at ArkansasStateParks.com.
ActiveStyle on 12/29/2014