Horsehead Creek Polyfloss

I am a big fan of Tim Ernst's "Arkansas Waterfalls - Second Edition" guidebook. I have spent countless hours reading through each and every page and memorizing details about the astounding waterfalls included. When I came across Brian's Polyfloss and Horsehead Creek Falls in the book, I first thought to myself, "Why have I never heard of this? It is so close to where I grew up." Let me tell you, when Ernst wrote "it is one of the steepest hills in Arkansas," he was not kidding.

This was one the first true bushwhacks that Thomas and I attempted. It was also one of the first hikes that we tried without an All Trails route running on our phones. We only had a map and a copy of Ernst's guidebook.

After a short hike down the closed road, we came to a small food plot that was surrounded by trees and incredibly thick brush. We searched around for a while to find an entrance point into the woods that was not engulfed with thorns. We eventually located a small creek that ran close to the direction we needed to go, so took off climbing down the rocks. Eventually, we came to a sheer bluff and had followed the creek bed as far as humanly possible.

We now had to follow the bluff line to try to find a break where we could hike further down into the valley. We came to a point where I thought we might be able to zig zag down with the help of our trekking poles. However, it is important to note that it was very steep. I seriously considered sitting down and scooting down the hill.

This is really where the story picks up. We knew that we were expecting some rain later that day. We had been diligent in checking the weather to make sure that we would be back before it starting significantly raining. Right as we started down the hill, a legitimate downpour started out of nowhere. Thankfully, I had already put up my camera. I always put my camera in my backpack if we are hiking through areas that I could fall easily.

In an attempt to stay partially dry, we quickly decided to try to find cover and wait out the rain. There was a small rock nearby that was really only big enough for my bag to sit under. We pulled out our $0.99 Walmart ponchos and sat for about 30 minutes, being pelted by raindrops.

With no sign of the weather clearing out, we decided to climb back out. We were both worried that the creek bed would be too slick to get up safely, so the alternative was to push our way straight through the brush. Our ponchos were quickly ripped off our backs. There were points that the brush was so thick we would have to turn around and try a different route. We eventually made it with thousands of little briar scratches between the two of us.

Looking back now, the funniest part of this whole trip was Thomas. To give a little insight to Thomas's personality, he's generally a super laid back, easy going guy. He's very logical and tends to really think about the most efficient way to do things. Walking through a patch of thorns, is probably about the last thing he would ever want to do and will never do again. I vividly remember at one point, him looking at me and saying, "I am not going any further." My sarcastic self responded with an, "Okay, I will just leave you here to die," and I kept on walking. He kept walking, too. ;)

Nothing can truly describe the frustration that we faced that day. Long story short, not all hikes are my definition of successful. However, our inability to locate the waterfalls that day have just created a challenge to one day return. We have learned a lot since this day and will do things a little different next time.

• November 24th, 2022

Disclaimer: In the event that you choose to pursue any adventure described on this website, please proceed with extreme caution. All opinions are subjective and will vary from person to person based upon experience and skill. Additional research should be completed before attempting any of the hikes portrayed in this blog.