Whew!! My feet, my muscles and my back are worn from hiking (and probably also from sleeping on the ground). But boy was it worth it!!!
My best friend, Morgan, and I had been trying to organize a trip together for this summer since over a year ago (the original plan was 2 months in Greece... but we're both broke). We wanted to take a few days or more to spend time together since we were both going to be headed separate directions in life yet again. Morgan is moving to Chicago in late September to spread her wings in film production and, as you know, I'm headed to Puerto Rico in a few...more.. days. Thus, with a frugal plan in mind, we packed up my VW bug with a tent, sleeping bags, backpacks, hiking shoes and food and we hit the road for Petit Jean Mountain in Arkansas. For around $100 a person, we spent 4 days and 3 nights at the state park and loved every minute!!
The first thing you'll notice about this area is that it's very country. The people are country, the homes and buildings are country, the food is country.... Hey, no problem, I am from the country (notice anything about our tent?)! Do you want to meet some people that really love nature? Head to Arkansas!
Through the winding roads that paced up the mountain and around, we made our way past Rock Shops and Country Stores, way up to the top of the mountain where our adventure awaited.
Each morning consisted of a light breakfast of cereal and milk, some protein and some multi vitamins. Forget Brita, we filled our water bottles from the local source and packed granola and toilet paper in our daypacks. Of course, the setup wasn't complete without our Girl Scout preparedness of our First Aid kit, sunscreen and bug spray. And Morgan was armed with a just-in-case-we-see-a-bear-or-creepy-man flashlight/tazer combo. Hey, two women hiking in the woods, mountains, valleys and canyons need to be safe!
The landscape was littered with pine trees, oak trees and massive rock walls, holding up the past and present of that lush mountain community. From one point, you can see the wide Arkansas river that brought the first settlers in contact with the Native Americans who called that mountain home. American Indian presence is hidden amongst the foliage; their rock art paintings are gently fading from cave walls, but their story remains.
Do you know the legend of how Petit Jean Mountain got its name? I have visited this mountain as a child several times, and was always entranced by the story itself. It goes like this: a French girl was engaged to a captain of the French explorers and when she discovered that her lover was to set sail for the new world (America), she begged him to wed her before his trip so that she could accompany him. He feared for her safety and refused her request. So, she did what all determined woman in that era would do - she disguised herself cleverly as a working boy and applied for the ship's crew. She was called Petit Jean, which in French means "Little John". She reached the new world with her lover, but of course he did not know of her true identity. They sailed up the Arkansas river and were greeted by the peaceful Native Americans of the mountain. The explorers and Indians became friends and vowed to return within the next year. As the ship prepared to depart back to France, Petit Jean became ill with a fever and convulsions that were followed by a coma. Her identity was exposed and she requested she be buried on the mountain that she had come to love during her stay with the Indians. When the first American settlers discovered her grave site, they aptly named the mountain Petit Jean. Beautiful story, huh?
It was a wonderful trip with a great friend! That's my last adventure before I start the major move. Stay tuned, I head back to Florida on July 27th!
