“Pay attention, be astonished, write about it.” ~ Mary Oliver

When I walk into the Ozarks, I expect to see some beauty, but again and again, these woods astonish me. Whether walking a repeated trail or bushwhacking into a valley for the first time, the Ozarks always give more than I expect.

Today, Lindsey Hollow might fall into that typical pattern of exceeding expectations. Steve, Chris, and I each drove in separately and maintained our distance while hiking, which is easy to do. Hiking cures all that ails me during this challenging time of COVID-19 and “social distancing.”

By the end of our walk, my eyes were full of beautiful scenes, I felt zero stress, and my muscles achieved a pleasant level of exhaustion. Best of all, I was left with questions that entice me to return. These woods always leave me loaded with gifts!

What follows are a few photos in the sequence of our walk.

Sure footed Hiker-dog

We crossed a couple of waterfalls pouring into Lindsey Hollow from surrounding streams.

Chris and Hiker-dog above a waterfall

We saw large rock walls. I reached across one of the smaller sections and estimated it to be three-feet on top.

Chris and Steve admiring the builders’ work

Lindsey Creek was a beautiful place to explore. We soon realized that we’d need return trips to give this place an honest look.

This close-up of one of the rocks we stepped on to cross the creek isn’t concrete as it first appears, but a conglomerate that includes a variety of pebbles and small fossils.

Lindsey Creek disappeared underground for about twenty yards then emerged in the creek bed and a couple of adjacent “springs.” They appeared as springs, but the water was similar to the creek water, so I doubt that the underground flow was long. Still, they were intriguing.

“Spring” next to Lindsey Creek

A massive rock wall ran alongside the creek. We didn’t see structure footings nearby as would be expected. We might find footings away from the creek to avoid flooding. That exploration would have to wait for another day.

This piece of a wood-burning stove was leaning facedown against a flat rock in the creek bed. After taking photos, I placed the heavy piece of cast iron back where I found it.

Piece of a stove with my shoe for scale.

I wondered if I might learn when it was made by the ornate patterns in the iron. Did it belong to those who built the rock wall next to this creek? Did it belong to another family upstream? This artifact left me with fun questions to ponder while huffing and puffing out of this hollow.

Thanks for coming along on this Lindsey Hollow walk. If you have an idea about the date of that stove, please contact me, and I’ll update this post.

Steve enjoying the view before the hike out.