“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
Jon Muir
A couple of years back, Mountain Man and myself were planning a big Colorado trip. Not just a let’s go to Colorado and vacation kind of trip. We were planning on a four day backpacking trip in the wilderness with some friends. The idea being we would hike in a few miles in the San Juan Mountains and stay the night for a few nights, then hike back out at the end of the trip.
Now, I had only ever been to Colorado once in my life prior to this, and that trip was only a weekend trip to Denver without the option of hiking or exploring beyond downtown. My husband on the other hand had already done a similar backpacking trip, plus he had gone on some elk hunts with family. Needless to say, he was far more experienced than homegirl over here. He knew how strenuous and physically demanding it was going to be. Our trip was set for the middle of July, so six months prior to leaving we decided to start getting in shape for our adventure. We did a decent amount of weight training, but our main focus was cardio and endurance. Since Oklahoma winters are unpredictable we spent the first three months trying to keep up with Shaun T in Insanity. But once winter was finally over, we moved it outside and would find different places in the state to hike.
Background
The first place we decided to hike was the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Southwest Oklahoma. We had camped in the area before, and during that trip we did short hikes from our campsite with our little boy. The Wildlife Refuge is just over 59,000 acres and home to American Bison, Rocky Mountain Elk, Texas Longhorns, prairie dogs, and numerous birds and reptiles, so there is always something to see when on the trails!
There are a few trails to choose from in the WR that range from easy, to moderate, to hard. Since we had been building up our cardio for a few months already, we decided to go with a moderate level trail that would push us, but also not murder us in the process. The hike that we kept coming back to was the Kite Trail to Bison Trail Loop. The trail from beginning to end is 6.8 miles and considered to be moderate. Another selling point for us was that the trail was dog friendly as long as the dog was on a leash, which meant we could take Murphy with us! This trail is considered a heavily trafficked one because of it’s location. It is easy to access some of the other trails from Kite Trail and Bison Trail.
Overview
This trail proved to be both challenging and enjoyable. We started out as early as possible, and for good reason. The weather was beautiful and sunny and unseasonably warm for early Spring. We parked the truck in the Lost Lake picnic area, and actually started our hike by crossing the dam onto Bison Trail.
During the first half of our hike we came to 40 Foot Hole. This is more of a mini canyon rather than a hole, but none the less beautiful. There were a number of people down in the water swimming, again it was unseasonably warm (on the verge of hot!), but we decided not to climb down since we had Murphy and still quite a ways to go on our journey. As we ventured further and further along the trail, it seemed that the terrain and foliage became less prairie-like and more barren, almost desert like. There were fewer trees to hide from the glaring sun, but more cactus flourishing with yellow and purple blooms to brighten the trail. We came along boulders that were the beds of beautiful Collared Lizards basking in the warmth of the sunshine.
Advice
There are a few things that should be noted when going on the Kite Trail to Bison Trail Loop, or any trail for that matter. Being in tip top shape isn’t a requirement for hiking as it is a great way to exercise and get your body moving, but going on this particular hike can be strenuous if you are not conditioned for it.
Here are a few things to remember when hiking, especially on the trails in the Wichita Mountains:
- Make sure you bring plenty of water and packable food items to stay well hydrated and replenish burned up calories. This should go without saying, but there were NUMEROUS people that we came across along the way with only a single bottle of water! My husband and I each wore a pack with a Camelbak AND brought extra water bottles for Murphy, and by the time we made it back to the truck it was all empty!
- Wear good footwear. That doesn’t mean go out and buy the most expensive pair of hiking boots you can find (although I do LOVE my Oboz Women’s Sawtooth with ankle support boots!), but wear something supportive, comfortable, and reliable. There is nothing worse than getting to the halfway point and a very large, very painful blister develops, making the remainder of the journey miserable.
- Be aware of your surroundings and mindful of the wildlife you may encounter. This area is a Wildlife Refuge, meaning it is the protected home of the inhabitants that roam the area. There is always the off chance of running into a Bison, wild turkey, or even rattlesnakes.
- Have a sense of direction. Whether that be a traditional paper map (if you know how to use one and can point North), or download an app that can access trails offline. The AllTrails app has been the one that we have used for several of our hikes.
There are many trails to choose from in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, but Kite Trail to Bison Trail Loop is a wonderful reminder of the unique beauty that Oklahoma possesses!
Okie Momma 