If you are driving the back roads in southern Carroll County, Arkansas, you might be surprised when you come across a sign indicating the location as the "Pension Mountain Trails/Johnson Spring Preserve". Although it is just six miles from Berryville, one feels like they are definitely "out in the boondocks"! The site consists of 390 acres, and has 10 miles of designated ATV trails, plus 4 miles of trails dedicated for hiking, biking, and horses. You can see a map of the area by visiting their website at www.parks.berryville.com .
So, it is reassuring when one sees the sturdily-constructed, covered "stall" that has a laminated copy of the trails you are visiting. The brochure will tell you that the trails go through both pine trees (shown behind the sign), and deciduous forests of oak and hickory. (I learned years ago from my high school biology teacher, that where I live in the Ozarks, is part of the "oak-hickory biome".)
In addition to the information kiosk in the parking lot, there is another kiosk at the trail head, and we were thankful to see that it included an even larger laminated map, as well as several copies of a brochure that told about the trails on one side, and had a complete map on the other side.
Our hike started out at the beginning, going down the very steep trail, that put us at the base of the bluff. Although bluff lines such as this are numerous in the Ozarks, we took the time to get some closeup views of it, since it had some characteristics not always seen on our previous hikes.
There were colorful layers of orange and dark blue, complete with little bumps that remided me of the "popcorn ceiling" treatment seen inside some homes. 
The trail we were on below the bluff allows horses, but because of its narrowness and steepness, I was thankful to be walking on my own two feet, rather than on the back of a horse or mule! (I got my fill of sitting perched atop a giant mule, trying to navigate narrow bluff/cliff trails, when my husband and I took the two-day mule ride to the bottom of the Grand Canyon! That is one "bucket list" item, I have no intention of repearting!)
As is typical of Ozark bluff lines, these bluffs had some "pass throughs" on their walls. However, I was too bundled up with coats and a backpack, to get anything, except my head, into this opening!
The brochure promises exploring the trails will enable the visitor to see some beautiful bluffs, and this photo of my LIKE-MINDED friend, Leslie, shows their boasting is not false advertising!
This photo shows my LIKE-MINDED hiking companions, standing within the area of the Johnson Spring Preserve. In front of them, you can see that two large stone slabs have been placed across the overflowing water of the spring, to form a bridge.
In this photo, they are taking a closer look at the green plants growing in the spring, to see if it might be the tasty herb, watercress. One can see similar plants in the stream run-offs of the famous Victorian "spa city" of Eureka Springs, which is very nearby, and is also in Carroll County, Arkansas. 
The brochure shows an original advertisement for Johnson Spring, that assures readers that the water is not chemically treated in any way whatsoever. It goes on to say that a low, narrow cave out of which flowed Johnson Spring, is completely sealed up, preventing contamination. The door (shown in this photo) was still locked shut, when we visited in 2021!
This photo shows LIKE-MINDED explorers, Leslie and Amy, standing on top of the concrete structure, that is just beyond and below, the locked door leading into the cave.
The pipe is still visible, even though the original piping was done in the midst of America's Great Depression, in 1934. 
This photo shows that the location of the Johnson Spring Preserve, on Pension Mountain, is much higher that the surrounding landscape. To be exact, The Johnson Spring was 176 feet higher than the top of Berryville's downtown water tower, allowing engineers to develop a plan to create a gravity-fed water system. At the time, it was the largest such system, in the Midwest. 
The tree limbs that form the "frame" of this photo are deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves in the winter time. This characteristic highlights the benefits of winter hiking---the contours of the landscape are much easier to determine. The green colors you see in the photo are evergreens---mostly cedar and pine. 
The Johnson Spring promoters were so enthusiatic about their water, that they put out publicity that the town's new water supply had curative agencies and would help ailments of the kidneys, bladder, stomach and intestinal tract. Some went so far as to hint that the "Fountain of Youth", which Pnce de Leon searched for, might be Johnson Spring! And, if so, I think Leslie (shown in photo) must have partaken in its youth-restoring properties, because she was a tireless leader, climbing up steep switchbacks along the trail, without ever getting out of breath!
The equally youthful companion for this expedition, was my LIKE-MINDED friend, Amy, whose bright orange jacket made her easy to spot, if a rest stop caused me to lag behind her a few paces!
We carried out this expedition in January, 2021, in the midst of the COVID19 Pandemic, so there was no "huddling up together", to stay warm for our lunch stop! The three of us were LIKE-MINDED about avoiding the spread of unwanted viruses, and maintained our "social distance". In addition, since there was an expansive parking lot, we each took separate cars to the trail head, so we were not sitting close together in a vehicle for an exteneded drive. 
I appreciate that the Berryville Parks Department has made benches from some of the fallen timber, and placed them at strategic points, so that guests can sit and "contemplate their existence"! I also appreciated that their brochure included this quote from John Muir: "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumm leaves."
Once hikers get to the top of Pension Mountain, it gets a little more complicated to know which trail goes where, as there are multiple choices, and the trails do not have names or numbers. These two LIKE-MINDED map readers stopped multiple times to look at the map, and try to reconcile where we were, in regards to what the map said. I was of absolutey no help to their efforts, so I just rested and took their picture!
I was especially thankful that the Berryville Parks Department Trail Patrol Team, had made a "throne chair", from a downed tree! I took the opportunity to try it out, while Amy and Leslie studied the map. 
My arms are uplifted in praise to God for giving me these LIKE-MINDED friends who enjoy hiking! They are a blessing in my life! The phrase "LIKE-MINDED" is the trigger to help me remember my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verse that says, "Then make my joy complete by being LIKE-MINDED, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind." Philippians 2:2
The blessing of having LIKE-MINDED friends, who have the same love of hiking as I do, gives me "LIKE-MINDED MILES OF SMILES"!! Tricia
Note: Photo credits to Amy Johnson for the photos in this blog post that show me, because she is the one that took those particular pictures!
