Out and Back into De Soto National Forest

by: Sam Trapp

I think this Forest Service hype video for Black Creek is what sold me on the destination for my first backpacking trip. The drive is an easy 2 hours from the Reily Center. Google Maps directed me right to the Fairley Bridge Landing, which is the southernmost point of the Black Creek Hiking Trail– a 39 mile backpacking point to point trail along Mississippi’s only nationally protected Wild and Scenic River. Parking was ample, and although there was a notice about no overnight parking, I had no trouble and confirmed with a ranger that I could leave my car.

Before I get into the hike- I think my biggest tip for a first-time solo backpacker is to give your ranger station a call before you go. You can carry 65L of gear, but you can never fit enough peace of mind in your pack. Just chatting with someone who knows the area, typical challenges, and current trail conditions goes a long way when your other point of reference is a Forest Service digitized map from 2003.

I chose to start at Fairley’s Landing and head north on the trail. Since I was a first-timer, this route looked like it would give me the most options for water sources and easy stopping spots.

I set out and after about two miles of tight rope walking over fallen branches to keep my tennis shoes dry, I came to an impassible puddle. Take two: I hiked back to my car, swapped out my sneakers for my residual always-ready-for-Ohio-weather snow boots, and hit the trail. Now that I could peel my eyes away from tiptoeing across the trail, I started to appreciate the scenery!

Although it hadn’t rained in a few days, the first two miles of the trail was through swampy lowlands. My glutes and a small wooden sign alerted me that I had entered the Red Hills, which rolled along with the trail away from and then back towards the creek for another three or four miles.

The terrain started to level out and my damp boots picked up sand from the trail- it felt like I was getting close to something. A small offshoot of the trail to my right led me out onto a generous bank of the gently meandering Black Creek. I set up camp in a stand of trees opposite the trail with the beach as my front porch for the sunset and sunrise.

For dinner, I tried out a DIY camping pad thai- instant rice noodles, jerky, sriracha, peanut butter, and crushed mixed nuts. Delish.

March was the perfect time of year for this hike. The sleeping situation was ideal at a cool 55 degrees and I was near water but didn’t see a single mosquito. Although the trail was swampy, white markers on the trees made the path easy to follow due to the total lack of underbrush which also gave way to beautiful vistas down the sides of the Red Hills and across the creek. Perhaps the most pleasant part of the trip was that I only saw one other group of hikers.

All in all, I hiked 9 miles out (self-inflicted) and 5 miles back. The 5-mile hike took just under 2 hours and, with the right shoes on, I think I could comfortably double this and dive deeper into De Soto National Forest in the fall.