Lisa:

• On the way to the trailhead, my overly excited lead foot on the two-lane highway earned us a $150 speeding ticket.
• Had some difficulty finding parking at Allegawaho Park (construction was underway and no signage).
• A shifty-looking guy with a dog was loitering around the trailside campsite when we arrived in Bushong (I assumed because of the water fountain and toilet, Marianne because of his plans to murder us in our sleep).

Marianne:

• Around 9 p.m., we settled into our sleeping bags because it was getting too cold to sit at the picnic table.
• About 10:30 p.m., someone started shooting off a gun. And for a minute I thought we might be murdered in Bushong, Kansas! Lisa wasn’t fazed at all. She was sure they were shootin’ possum. Just wished they could do it somewhere else!
• My sleeping bag was NOT warm enough for October weather!
• We didn’t interact with more peple in Bushong.

Lisa:

• We were giddy the whole 11 miles—our dream was happening!
• Discovered that most of the trail is tree-covered, providing shade
• The strollers were a stroke of genius: they rolled smoothly and easily along the crushed-gravel trail surface, even though I was pushing around 90 pounds and Marianne 50
• Getting to see the Sacred Red Rock of the Kaw Nation in its rightful place (just returned March 20, 2024)
• We intentionally left several things behind at the trailhead—regrets, worries, unkind self-evaluations—and didn’t miss them for the next nine days
• A group of bicyclists flew by us, and one guy stopped to chat. He’s a botanist with the US Forest Service and was in Manhattan, KS, for the 2024 Natural Areas Conference. His name is Steve Shelly, and he lives in Missoula, Montana, and said that the Flint Hills Trail was one of the most beautiful places he’s ever seen. I regret that we didn’t get a photo of him.

Marianne:

• The trail from Allegawaho to Bushong is shady, wide, and beautiful, and a bit uphill! Elevation gain is 311 feet with a loss of 157 feet.
• We ate our first freeze-dried meal on the trail—breakfast scramble on tortillas!
• It was such a beautiful day and it ended with a beautiful sunset in Bushong. There is a great campsite at the trailhead that includes a picnic table, vault toilet, and a freshwater spigot. Everything we needed…except beer! Bushong is a sleepy little town with no services that we could find. There were friendly people and a very cool WWII and Vietnam memorial.
• I was uneasy about camping at the trailhead camp area, so I walked down to a house with liquor-bottle art in her yard, and the owner told me there was a park up the street that allows camping. We went to the city park (photo below) and saw army tents set up for some church event. Glad we camped where we did!

• We crossed over several creeks/rivers throughout the hike, so if you don’t want to carry water (we carried four gallons), there’s water to filter. However, the trail is a railroad trail and the bridges over the creeks are generally far above the water. It’s a weedy hike down to the water, but it can be done.

• Founded in 1886.
• Population 27 as of 2020 Census.
• Named for St. Louis Browns catcher Albert J. “Doc” Bushong. Following the Browns’ victory in the 1886 World Series over the Chicago White Stockings, the Missouri Pacific Railroad honored several of the St. Louis players by naming some of their depots after the players. Bushong played every game in the series and was at bat in game six when the runner on third base stole home and scored the winning run. The city of Bushong is the only one still carrying its name from the 1886 World Series.
• Pronounced Boo-SHONG.