I’ve heard of Gist Ranch, in Texas County, ever since the Missouri Department of Conservation purchased the 11,240 acre property from Smith Flooring in 1997. I had never laid eyes on it until last month when friends invited me to tag along on a side by side ride.

Gist Ranch lies 5 miles west of Summersville and 14 miles east of Houston. The area is one contiguous tract of hardwood forests, rolling hills and steep hollows. The area is home to deer, turkey, and small game. I also heard Bobwhite quail whistling near one of the large, limestone glades, which are abundant on the area. 

Glenn Ogden, of Steelville, is a brother to Don Ogden, who spent his youth on a family farm that joins Gist Ranch. Several members of the Ogden family inherited the beautiful hill country farm, and have now retired there. 

Glenn invited Spencer Hutson, Rodney Harrison and myself to come down for a couple of days to explore Gist Ranch. We all met at Don and Linda Ogden’s farmhouse, a charming connection to the family’s long history in the area. Giant oaks and a stately old shortleaf pine cloaked the farmhouse in a protective umbrella of shade.

Don Ogden met us in the front yard. A man of impressive stature and an equally impressive handshake, he appeared as if he should have spent a career in the NBA rather than financial planning. Regardless, he recently retired and obviously enjoyed his return to the family farm. His first words to us as we exited Spencer’s truck was, “You boys have a flat on your trailer.” I laughed aloud. 

Don immediately went to his shed, which was a view into the past, to retrieve a hydraulic jack and tools. I hadn’t finished goading Spencer about having had yet another flat tire on a trailer (that’s another whole story) and Don had the flat tire off. After a group inspection and many words of wisdom about taking care of tires, Spencer elected to purchase two new tires. Don graciously hauled Spencer and his tires to town. On their return all Spencer could talk about was the delicious ice cream he had enjoyed.

Linda Ogden treated all of us to cold cut sandwiches, chips, soda and homemade cookies. Don’s brother-in-law, Rick Spacek, who is married to Linda’s sister, Donna, joined us. He is a retired school superintend and Baptist minister. He ministered in every community where he served a school district. That’s an interesting career combination that more communities might consider. 

Don’s son, Danny and three boys, joined us for lunch as well. They had ventured up from Denton, Texas. Everyone picked on the boys a bit, but I struck upon a conversation with the lads. In true Texas style, one of them reminded me that everything is bigger in Texas, including fish.

In the course of our lunch time conversations, which were extensive, informative and hilarious, Rick made it known that Glenn Ogden had attended numerous knife making classes, and spewed quite a discourse of conversation about why Glenn should make him a knife. I concurred, but pled my own case as well. Please, everyone who sees Glenn, mention that Cooper needs an Ogden knife.

After tires and lunch were taken care of, we formed up a caravan of side-by-sides and one small, fat tired motorcycle. With the lunch conversation having been so stimulating, I held great expectations for the adventure that lay ahead on Gist Ranch. 

Don, in super tour guide fashion, gave us a quick overview of Gist Ranch and its history. The area had a long history of logging culture, as has most of the Ozark plateau. Smith Flooring logged it heavily before selling to MDC. In the logging process, a network of fire roads had been established along every major ridge and down every hollow. MDC has done an incredible job of maintaining the roads and provides about 12 miles of marked trails. The major roads are covered in white chat, and some of the lesser roads as well. The general consensus is that if the roads are chat covered they are open to side-by-side traffic. 

As we followed Don Ogden over hill and hollow, he stopped often to point out places of local interest, like Rattlesnake Cave. A faint hand-painted sign indicated a path leading to the cave. With temperatures approaching 100 degrees, we elected to listen to Don’s stories rather than hike into the cave. He told stories about his father exploring the cave, and seems that few enter it because of the voices that are heard there. Personally, I’d be more worried about the rattlesnakes.

Over the course of two days we traveled over 50 miles across the high ridges with grand views and the stream valleys with luscious undergrowth and trickling streams. My favorite stops were at the limestone glades. They were covered with Black-eyed Susans, purple coneflowers and the faint fragrance of pennyroyal hung in the fresh, Ozark mountain air. 

At one point, Glenn Ogden asked me if I could find my way back to the farm. He admitted he couldn’t. I replied that I wasn’t lost, but might be temporarily disoriented.

Gist Ranch offers primitive camping, a gun and archery range, several lakes and ponds, as well hunting opportunities for deer, turkey and small game. Too, wildflower fans and nature lovers will find much to explore, including fens, which are a type of seep or wetland, with specialized plants such as bulrushes, sedges, mosses and cattails. For more information, go to the MDC website: www.mdc.mo.gov