Taum Sauk Mountain State Park #2

I arrived at Taum Sauk Mountain in the late afternoon. The temperature was 80 degrees. It felt like summer.

 

coatless in October

one after the other

the trees shedding their leaves

 

At 1,772 feet above sea level, Taum Sauk Mountain is the highest point in Missouri.  

 

running out of water

I welcome

the shade-covered bench

 

The mountain is named after Piankashaw Chief, Sauk-Ton-Qua. The name was later changed to Taum Sauk because it was easier to pronounce.

 

historical marker

a fellow hiker fills in

the missing words

 

Legend has it that the chief’s daughter, Mina Sauk, was having a forbidden love affair with an Osage warrior. The warrior was captured, tried, and condemned to death. 

The Piankashaws pushed him off a cliff. As he fell, spears were thrown at him until his blood stained the rocks. In despair, Mina Sauk threw herself off the ledge so her blood would mingle with that of her lover’s.

jagged outcroppings

the golden sunset

softens their faces

The Great Spirit was displeased with the Piankashaw tribe. Shortly after, the ground shook violently. The mountain cracked. Water flowed from the earth and washed away the blood of the lovers.

 

annoyed with me

a squirrel

swishes its tail

 

When the waterfall is just a trickle, those are the tears of Mina Sauk. When the waterfall is at full strength, the couple has been reunited in spirit.

Today, this area is known as Mina Sauk Falls; the highest waterfall in Missouri.

 

darkening skies

I leave the waterfall

for another day

 

The trail was getting harder to follow with the waning light, so I headed back to my car.

 

dry throat

the dust of my footsteps

beneath the pines

 

Johnson Shut-Ins

(Part Four: The Scour Trail.)

Before the reservoir breach, the scour trail did not exist. The path was created by 1.3 gallons of water washing down Proffit Mountain.

On sunny days, the heat can be relentless.  

 

hatless in the glade

I waste drinking water

baptizing myself

Even 20 years after the initial event, plants and trees struggle to get a foothold in the harsh environment.

mountain diaspora

the stones

take root in the valley

 

               ***

Additional Notes: The Scour Trail is 1.4 miles one way.

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Next in the Series: Taum Sauk Mountain State Park 

 

 

Johnson Shut-Ins 

(Part Three: Welcome to Missouri State Parks & The Shut-Ins Trail)

 

park entrance

in Missouri no one asks you

for an admission fee

 

At 2.3 miles, the Shut-ins trail is the most popular one in the park. Part of the trail is handicapped accessible. Once hikers leave the boardwalk, they can access the remainder of the trail via the steps or turn around and go back to the parking lot.

For those wanting to access the Black River, there are plenty of ankle-turning opportunities among the boulders. Signs warn that the park is not responsible for swimmers or those injuring themselves on the rocks.

The shut-ins are narrow canyons where the water flow is constricted by weather-resistant rocks. They usually contain a plethora of waterfalls, pools, flumes, rapids, and other features that can make any type of navigation challenging.

 

waterfall journey

I follow the path

of a skittish robin

 

in the reflecting pool

a frayed shoestring

before the rapids

 

pines, oaks, and hickories

my hair changing

with the seasons

Johnson Shut-ins 

(Part Two: Geology, Taum Sauk Reservoir Breach, Interpretive Center)

One of nature’s masterpieces, Johnson Shut-ins contains rhyolite formations that are over a billion years old.

 

into the fractured joints

of hoodoos

the fence lizard’s retreat

 

While the shut-ins are still there, most of the landscape was altered on Wednesday, December 14, 2005.

Around 5 am, the Taum Sauk reservoir collapsed. The dam was breached sending over a billion gallons of water tumbling down Proffit Mountain.

In the direct path of the water was the park superintendent’s house. It was a miracle that he and his family survived. Fortunately, the campground was empty.

 

what we remember

our broken sleep

and the thunder of water

 

Today, several boulders from Proffit Mountain sit outside the new interpretive center. They were pushed here by the same wall of water that swept away the superintendent and his family.

 

granite sentinels

their shadows

become my shadows