Buffalo Point -- Indian Rockhouse Trail

About a week ago Sue and I made the two-hour drive over to Buffalo Point on the Buffalo National River. This is one of the most develop parks along the river with wonderful camping sites, several rustic cabins, and a spectacular little snack shop on a high bluff  overlooking the entire river valley.

Perhaps the biggest attraction in the park is the Indian Rockhouse Trail--a 3 1/4 mile loop that descends about 500 feet into the valley and then heads upstream along Panther Creek, past a variety of attractions to the Indian Rockhouse Cave. We took the loop in a counterclockwise direction. The first labelled attraction comes about 1/4 mile in: the "Sinkhole Icebox." Sink holes are fairly common in these limestone mountains, and this one is fairly typical. It is much larger than -- but not nearly as deep and impressive as -- the sinkhole on the Gunner Pool segment of the Sylamore Creek Trail. Perhaps another half-mile along there is a nice waterfall. There was a mere trickle of water flowing when we were there, but I'm sure it is impressive in the spring. The high flat ledge towering above and the rocky bluffs were somewhat similar to the even more striking waterfalls in the Leatherwood Wilderness Area of the Ozark National Forest.

Then the trail heads upstream along Panther Creek for about 3/4 of a mile. There are a number of unusual features of the streambed. At one point you can see the remains of an abandoned Zinc Mine. A little further along there is the "Small Cave," which is really quite large and liveable. There is a natural skylight on one end and ample sleeping space for back-to-nature types. One spot further upstream is called the "Natural Bathtub" for reasons that are obvious. Another spot ("Sculptured Bedrock") is a miniature version of the impressive bedrock sluices of the Lost River Gorge in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

At the half-way point in the hike we reached the Indian Rockhouse Cave itself. Apparently there is evidence that Indians resided in this cave and one can easily understand why they would do so. The cave itself is very spacious with a tiny stream providing a source of pure water at one end and plenty of room for campfires and even teepees beneath the towering roof of the cave. I climbed through a hole at the upper end of the cave and was able to make my way to a path allowing the adventurous to hike along the ledge that forms the rim of the cave opening.

Apparently, there is a side trail that leads up a steeper hillside to a third cave ("Bat Cave"), but we failed to notice it, so that bit of adventure awaits us on some subsequent hike in this lovely area. 

Small Cave "skylight"

Small Cave Entrance

Tower within Indian Rockhouse Cave

Interior of Indian Rockhouse Cave

Looking Out from Depths of Indian Rockhouse Cave

The Hiking Trail in Autumn

The View from the Snack Shop

iPhone4S Comments on the Meaning of Life

Steve Jobs died last week, and his death has led many people in his age group to reflect on the meaning and brevity of life. As it happens, one can scarcely find more thoughtful or more poignant reflections of that nature than the ones Jobs himself provided in his "Stanford Commencement Address" (2005). (Full text here.)

Coincidentally, the iPhone4S--perhaps the last Apple product to be developed by Jobs--has a Voice Assistant (a female named Siri) who provides a more light-hearted take on the meaning of life. This brief piece by John Blackstone of CBS Evening News concludes with the Siri's answer to life's most important question (about 1 minute, 30 seconds into the piece):

"Try and be nice to people. Avoid eating fat. Read a good book every now and then."

It is good advice, but as a retired English Professor, I can't get the voice of William Strunk out of my brain:

Omit Needless Words
Vigorous writing is concise.
A sentence should contain no unnecessary words,
a paragraph no unnecessary sentences,
for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines
and a machine no unnecessary parts.
This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short,
or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline,
but that every word tell.

Is "Try and be nice to people" meaningfully different than the more pithy and direct, "Be nice"? And why dither about reading a good book "every now and then"? Let's make that "Read good books."

Finally, there is "Avoid eating fat." I think someone at Apple probably had a first draft with much better advice: "Don't get fat!" Then the corporate bigwigs panicked at the thought of offending all the fat people with iPhone3's. So the good advice was twisted into something harmless and almost meaningless. Carbohydrate, fat, sugar, and protein are all essential in a balanced diet. As a vegetarian, I accept the prohibition--"Don't eat meat"--but I'd be a fool to attempt something so universal as "Don't eat fat" or "Don't eat protein." It is impossible to avoid eating fat. . . . Besides I have just switched from drinking 2% milk to whole milk; it tastes so much better!

But even my revision--"Don't get fat"--has problems. Who is to define getting fat? Should everyone strive to be as lean as a cyclist at the end of the Tour de France? Here is a revealing photo of Andy Schleck, one of the best cyclist among the current crop of TDF competitors:

I think he looks great--but some might consider him a bit scrawny--chacun à son goût!

In any event one need not bit as skinny as a Tour de France cyclist. No, I think the final revision to the iPhone's comments on the meaning of life should be: "Be nice. Stay fit. And read good books." Good words to live by.

Climbs and Descents

The Hike up Lassen Mountain

The road to the top is grinding, laborious, and slow; but if you are lucky and have planned well, your route will then wind along an undulating ridge with challenges that are more pleasant than punishing and with lovely vistas to reward your previous efforts. Sooner or later, however, you must face a final descent that is too often both swift and terrifying.