Found AR - Clinton Preston Smith, hiker, missing at Buffalo National River; Oct 2022

[Grok]

Clinton Preston Smith = CPS

CPS is from Baton Rouge LA. He went hiking on October 27 2022, on the Hemmed-in-Hollow Trail at Buffalo national River. Reported missing at 9:00 pm October 28.

At approximately 9:00 p.m., October 28th, 2022, Newton County Sherriff’s Office received a report of an overdue hiker. Clinton Preston Smith, age 67 from Baton Rouge, LA, was reported missing after failing to return from an October 27th planned hike on the Hemmed-in-Hollow Trail in Buffalo National River, Newton County, AR. Mr. Smith was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black shirt.
Newton County Sherriff’s office began the search for Mr. Smith on the evening of October 28th. Park rangers, Buffalo National River Search and Rescue volunteers and Mennonite Disaster Services continued the search the morning of Oct 29th. Arkansas Alliance of Bloodhound Search Specialists provided canine search assistance. Rainy conditions at 2:00 p.m. caused the search to be temporarily postponed. No further volunteers are needed for the search at this time.

Buffalo National River Completes Second Day Of Search For Missing Hiker

At approximately 9:00 p.m., October 28th, 2022, Newton County Sherriff’s Office received a report of an overdue hiker. Clinton Preston Smith, age 67 from Baton Rouge, LA, was reported missing after failing to return from an October 27th planned hike on the Hemmed-in-Hollow Trail in Buffalo...

www.nationalparkstraveler.org

 

[Breaking Trail]

I know squat about Buffalo National River, but we could start with maps…

 

[Nitty Gritty]

Hike to Hemmed-in Hollow (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

The Hemmed–in Hollow Trail begins in the heart of the Ponca Wilderness at the Compton Trailhead and winds down the mountain side descending nearly 1,400 ft. to the sandstone bluffs along the Buffalo River. The trail opens up along the way, giving visitors outstanding scenic views of the Buffalo River and the Ozark Mountains that surround it. The gem of this hike is Hemmed-in Hollow Falls. The picturesque Hemmed-in Hollow falls cascades nearly 210 feet over the rugged Ozark bluffs, making it the highest waterfall between the Rockies and the Appalachians. This waterfall only flows after a considerable amount of rain, so please be mindful of recent precipitation before you attempt this difficult hike. The Hemmed-in Hollow Trail is an extremely steep and strenuous trail that will humble even the most experienced hiker. Visitors will need to plan to take the entire day to hike this trail, due to the rough wilderness terrain. The Hemmed-in Hollow Trail intersects with many of the other trail systems in the Ponca Wilderness, creating multiple spur trails for the more adventurous hiker. The spur trails connect the Hemmed-in Hollow Trail with the Sneeds Creek Trail, Centerpoint Trail, Bench Trail, and Old River Trail. For this reason, it's essential to have a detailed topographic map of this area in order to avoid confusion at trail intersections in the Ponca Wilderness. The Hemmed-in Hollow Trail can also be accessed via the Centerpoint Trailhead located on Hwy. 43. This option is not quite as strenuous as Compton Trailhead, but visitors will still need to plan an entire day for this hike, due to the rough wilderness terrain.

WARNING: The hike to Hemmed-in Hollow is one of the most frequent Search & Rescue (SAR) locations at Buffalo National River. Steep and strenuous trail conditions, coupled with a hiker's lack of preparation, can lead to dehydration, overexertion/exhaustion, and heat related illness.

 

[Naughty Pine]

The hike to Hemmed-in Hollow is one of the most frequent Search & Rescue (SAR) locations at Buffalo National River. Steep and strenuous trail conditions, coupled with a hiker's lack of preparation, can lead to dehydration, overexertion/exhaustion, and heat related illness.

Snipped

Oh. This does not look good.

And they're on their third day of searching. Yesterday they only had half a day because of rain. This has got to be a very risky search for SAR, too.

Search continues for missing hiker on Buffalo National River

The search for a missing hiker along the Buffalo National River has entered its third day.

katv.com

Photos of the falls here:

Hemmed-in-Hollow Falls (Compton) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

www.tripadvisor.com

 

[She Made Me Do It]

Wow, now I want to go there. It's never even been on my radar.

Oh, another hiker was found dead on that trail pre-COVID. NPS warns not to wear cotton. It for sure would get soaked on that trail. CPS was wearing jeans. Oh dear.

Note: the following is NOT about CPS.

Deputy: Dead hiker wasn't prepared for cold, wet weather

Man's body found off side trail near the waterfall.

www.news-leader.com

 

[Nitty Gritty]

Wow, now I want to go there. It's never even been on my radar.

Oh, another hiker was found dead on that trail pre-COVID. NPS warns not to wear cotton. It for sure would get soaked on that trail. CPS was wearing jeans. Oh dear.

Note: the following is NOT about CPS.

Deputy: Dead hiker wasn't prepared for cold, wet weather

Man's body found off side trail near the waterfall.

www.news-leader.com

This doesn’t look good. Plus, the trail has many places where it splits, and you could go in the wrong direction. I’m sure SAR accounts for this, but with the likelihood of falling off a cliff, the search area must be huge and very hard to search.

This Park looks fabulous, though. I wanna go!

 

[She Made Me Do It]

No news today, although the search continued. This is going to be recovery, unless CPS left the area. No one even said anything about a daypack.

Looking at the map ^^^, I wonder if CPS went on the Sneeds Creek Trail by mistake? It has the same trailhead. It's even higher up on the bluff. But CPS could have decided to cut over to the Hemmed-in-Trail once he realized his mistake. He'd basically be going down a cliff. It's not quite as steep right there—there's a sudden drop off below the Hemmed-in-Trail—but, man, I'd never risk that. But this guy's a newbie if he's wearing jeans: not yet to Hiking Basics 101.

This is gonna be very sad.

 

[Cabin Fever]

He’s found alive??? Unbelievable. He must have burrowed under a fallen tree or something.

HIKER FOUND! Rescue crews locate hiker along Buffalo National River missing for several days

Clinton “Preston” Smith, 67, of Baton Rouge, La., on Thursday did not return after hiking along the Hemmed-in-Hollow trail in Newton County.

www.ky3.com

 

[She Made Me Do It]

This is mind-blowing, but I can't find any follow-up details on where/why he went missing, how he handled the 5 nights while lost, etc. I'm very curious.

 

[Twiglets]

This is mind-blowing, but I can't find any follow-up details on where/why he went missing, how he handled the 5 nights while lost, etc. I'm very curious.

I want more details, too, but I can't find any. He must have found a way to stay dry, but SAR did say he must have moved around, because they had already searched the area where they found him.

 

[Hates Ramen]

I wonder if he'll write a book? This survival seemed so unlikely, because he sure wasn't prepared for the elements.