Davy Crockett Trail Report

“Trip Report

On Saint Patrick’s day 2004 me and my friend Troy set out to Davy Crockett National Forest to hike the 4-C trail. We arrived in Ratcliff Texas at approximately 9:00 a.m. which is only an hour and half drive from my house. We entered the park and paid our 3 dollars to park my truck at the trailhead. I then got into Troy’s vehicle and we drove to Weches Texas and found the other end of the trail. We parked and got out only to discover that the freaking mosquitoes were out for blood and in large numbers. We did not have any bug spray so we got back in and drove to the Weches, which did not have a store so we drove another 9 miles to some small town that again did not have a store. We decided to just deal with the mosquitoes so we went back to the trailhead instead of driving any further. We got out and hit the trail as fast as we could but the mosquitoes were on us like crazy. The first few miles were bad because we were trying to swat them off but finally I just gave in and let them eat me. Mind of matter I did not mind so the mosquitoes sucking 10 pounds of my blood did not matter. This was a 20-mile trail and my first hike of 2004. I had a tumor removed from my foot in January and was testing my foot out for the first time. I was going very slow and told Troy to go on ahead and I would meet him at the camp. He took off and I took my time. The trail was very nice and very little elevation gain. I made it to camp by 4:00 p.m. and Troy was sleeping in a shelter. It was a very nice camp with an toilet (hole in the ground) a shelter and 6 tent pads also a large fire ring. There was a stream about 200 yards from the camp so Troy and me walked down to wash up. There was a big snake (water moccasin) in the water and Troy did not want to come down and wash. When I started telling him how nice the water felt, he finally got up the nerve and came down to join me. Then he lost his balance and almost stuck his foot in-between the rocks where the snake was. We got done washing our face, and hands, and went back to camp to start a fire. We had a big fire and the smoke helped to keep the mosquitoes away. Before it had gotten dark I used my knife and carved a checkerboard in a piece of wood. I used pinecones as my checkers and he used sticks as his. When we would get crowned we would use starburst candy as a king. Troy went to bed way before me so I lay out by the fire and watched the stars. I also read my Bible, which I always take with me. After a good night sleep in the tarp tent we got up and eat, packed up, and hit the trail. I was impressed by the trail but the map that they gave us at the ranger station was very inaccurate. We came to the conclusion that the Forest Ranger got bored and altered the map just for his personal amusement. The weather was great and my foot was doing good. We hiked at a good pace and stayed together. We were not in any hurry so we enjoyed the trail and stopped several times. We made it to the trailhead around 3:30 p.m. and there was a concession stand at the end of the trail and I got me a snow cone, which was awesome. There was also a lake and we soaked our feet in the cool water, which felt great. I had to swim a little but the water was cold so I did not stay in long. Over all this was a good trip, 20 miles, and one I would like to do again sometime.”

“watch out for that snake!”

“Sounds like a good time. Thanks for the trip report.”

“I will be doing this trip (Davy Crockett National Forest to hike the 4-C trail 20 miles) and also some trips on the Lone Star Trail which is a 96 mile trail. I do not have dates set but if anyone is interested in joining then let me know and I will put a trip together. There are other trails in this area so I am open to any ideas.”