Whitaker Point / Hawksbill Crag
Kingston, AR
Or, just after sunrise—we miscalculated by 20 minutes or so, but the vibes were still sunrise-y so we’ll count it. We left our place at 5:00 a.m. sharp with protein shakes and peanut butter crackers and drove the 1.5 hours to Kingston mostly in the dark. The six mile gravel road up to the trailhead was insanelyyyy steep and had Syd clutching her seatbelt and praying for the life of her dear Kia Soul, which made the trek unscathed, because the universe looks favorably upon two girls in a big dumb clown car who just want to catch a pretty sunrise.
This was an incredibly lovely hike. The weather was perfect. So cool and breezy. Super quiet and empty trail right up until we made it to The Crag, where there were a few couples and families taking photos (and men hooting and hollering and being a nuisance). We found so many cool rock formations and overlooks along the hike!! Lots of spots to gaze out over the trees (lush as hell).
It took us around an hour to get up to The Crag, with multiple stops for photos and general awe along the way. We heard soooooo many woodpeckers which echoed eerily in the chilly, foggy morning. Syd said they sounded kind of like dinosaurs—this loud, sort of chittering sound in the otherwise empty quiet. I kept thinking of the song from Holes. If only if only the woodpecker sighs. Killer soundtrack.
Neither of us had ever hiked this trail before, despite it kind of being one of *The* quintessential Arkansas spots. I think it would be a stunning fall hike. Perhaps we’ll return. Syd found a leaf with a heart-shaped hole and a mushroom shaped like a little butt. Several big daddy long-legs were skittering around the trail and we made a note to research them more when we got home, which Syd is doing now and telling me cute fun facts, like how they have an extendable penis, and that they exhibit parental behavior by cleaning and protecting their eggs.
At the overlook, a couple got engaged while Syd and I sat awkwardly nearby. Everyone else had cleared out at this point and we were the only other people around, so it felt like we were intruding. It was a really sweet moment!! But also a little goofy. Syd said hearing their conversation reminded her of the uncomfortable, awkward way the couples talk on Love Is Blind when they’re all, “oh my gosh, wow, this is crazyyyyyyyy,” over and over again. Another couple shuffled in after them and changed into nicer clothes for their photos, which felt a little silly and inauthentic but who are we to judge (we did and will continue to judge, mercilessly).
It was warm and super bright at The Crag, so we were very squinty in all of our photos. Crazy view. Crazy cool rock. Hell of a good place to declare your love, honestly.
The hike back was much warmer and sweatier and steeper and rockier. We got a little turned around once (distracted cuz we were being haters and complaining) but it was easy to find our way back to the trail again. Back to the car around 9ish with the whole day still ahead of us!! Syd drove us home while I napped.
Some major topics discussed over the course of the trek included the following:
- we think gay people should start buying pickup trucks en masse in order to shift the demographic so that trucks become known as cars for gay fruity bitches instead of obnoxious straight men
- how skunks are more closely related to dogs than rodents??
- we think too many people are hanging out as couples and not enough people are hanging out as siblings
- how people should be required to earn a trail etiquette badge before they can go on any hikes
- how hiking playlists are always mountain granola winter cabin frozen lakes vibe and never arkansas mosquito southern sweaty creek and leech vibe
THE NITTY GRITTY:
Date/Time: August 2nd @ 6:30 a.m.
Drive time: 1.5 hours
Hike time: 3ish hours
Distance: 2.7 miles
Highlights: stunning views, lots of overlooks, shaded trail, lots of deer
Grumbles: people blasting music on speakers, blonde man wearing ugly brown polo, men yelling, lowkey poorly marked trail