Team Rock Monkey recently went on a team-building retreat near Heber Springs, AR with RMO sponsored fishermen, Beau’s Guide Service. We spent the night in one of Beau’s cabins at Lobo Landing, the morning on the Little Red River, and the afternoon climbing at Sugar Loaf Mountain. Something special happens when people bond through nature. It’s common to share appreciation and enjoyment of the things that people have built, but nature allows you to gain a better perspective on what built us. This is our experience and we hope you can share in it with us.

Words by Tanner Burge | @tgburge | www.ozarksandonward.com
Photography by Tanner Burge | @tgburge // Hunter Herrera | @hunter.robert

Cabin Life at Lobos Landing

The weekend started as we got to Beau’s cabin at Lobo Landing just in time to chow down on some BBQ and get the campfire started. There’s nothing quite like connecting with like minded people around a fire pit. We spent a lot of time telling stories, sharing passions, quoting movies, and laughing until our faces hurt. Spending hours around a campfire in 60 degree weather until your eyelids get heavy is ALWAYS a good idea!

The Little Red River with Beau’s Guide Service

After plenty of campfire jokes and stories, 6:00am came pretty early, but we were eager to spend time on the Little Red River, which at one time boasted a world record Brown Trout right here in Arkansas! It was a calm, cool morning on the river. Perfect for Beau & David to gear up with some of our Spring ’16 gear and take it for a spin. Fishing is a practice as old as mankind, and there are few better ways to gain a connection with and patience for nature. Go explore and discover your own local waterways, or come set some hooks with Beau’s Guide Service and we promise you’ll understand what we’re talking about!

Cabin Brunch

Before we called it a wrap on the bulk of our retreat, we whipped up some much needed grub to follow our several hours on the river. After a late night and an early morning, we took our sweet time hanging out on the porch and enjoying the sunshine. Lobo Landing treated us right and we’re excited to return next chance we get!

Free Solo Climb at Sugar Loaf

After leaving the cabin, we went just a couple miles back up the road to Sugar Loaf Mountain in the middle of Heber Springs to meet with a 17-year-old rock climber. Cole James is a talented teenager out of Northeast Arkansas with big plans for climbing professionally. He and his classmates were shooting a short film of him climbing in Arkansas, so we showed up to outfit him with RMO gear and get some shots of him doing what he does best. Cole free solo’d (no ropes or harnesses) a gnarly line on Sugar Loaf that is at least 70 feet tall. We’ve all done some risky things in our youth, but this feat should make just about anyone nervous! While the things Cole is capable of are very impressive, we do encourage you all to use best climbing safety practices and take care of yourselves out there while you grab life by the rocks.

Check out this drone footage that Cole’s classmate Jack Conroy capture by drone of his free solo ascent!

Weekend Wrap

We all stuck around for a couple hours before heading our separate ways and calling it another successful weekend of “living the dream.” Our activities left us physically tired, but mentally renewed and ready for the next adventure. The Spring ’16 apparel shown here is online and in stores now, and Beau’s Guide Service is ready to help make your next trip to the Little Red River unforgettable. We hope you take us with you and share your next adventure with us! #TeamRockMonkey #ExploreandDiscover #GrabLifeByTheRocks