I know I shouldn't but......

Now I know better than to go backpacking in Arkansas in the middle of August. However, I needed an outdoor fix so I thought I would do a short solo trip (my wife certainly knows better). My pick was the Shores Lake/White Rock Mountain trail in the Ozarks. My plan was just to hike the west loop (six miles in and six miles out). Upon arrival the temperature was a balmy 90 degrees and the humidity was way up so I was drenched with sweat when the rain began. I put on some rain gear but the humidity was so high that it felt like it was raining inside my clothes! The rain finally stopped right around the time I made it to the falls which was approximately the half-way point. I was soaked and it was so gloomy in the valley that it was terribly oppressive. I decided to stop for a bite to eat and rest up anyway. I actually thought about setting camp and trying to dry out but I figured I would stand a better chance of getting some sun and a nice breeze on top of the mountain. So I soldiered on through the muck with soaked boots that were grinding my feet to mush. It felt like the night jungle scene in the movie Platoon. As I marched on the sun came out and started to lift my spirits even as the trail and the insects attacked them. The trail was terribly overgrown and my socks were now covered in cockleburrs and if I need to climb over another fallen tree in the next week I'm going to get sick! The worst part of it all were my companion horse flies. They just kept circling me and were even able to bite me through my clothes! The last mile and a half was a monster elevation gain right at the time I was most worn out but let me tell you it was all worth it when I reached the top! The clouds had cleared out and there was a nice breeze. I got my tent set quick and got into some dry clothes, Ahhhhhh! At the top is an old CCC camp so there were great shelters to enjoy the sunset from. I'll post some shots soon that will in no way do the view justice. I didn't get any shots of the falls on the trail because everything was so wet. On the way back my feet were so torn up from wet boots (which were still wet by the way) that I decided to take the easy way out and detoured down the fireroads.