What a perfect day for a hike and camp, too! I'd guess the temperature was in the upper 60's. There was a nice breeze. The trail was mostly empty. We ran into a couple of people but it was pretty easy to get a sense of isolation out there. The trail is a beaten dirt and rock path along various ridges, really. There's no paving or landscaping on this trail.
My brother and I went off the trail at a few points. At times we were going up 70 degree inclines which made it feel more like climbing than hiking . We hiked this way for at least four miles, maybe four and a half or five. Oh yeah - the whole time we were carrying packs that weighed in at 65 lbs.
By one PM we were looking for a campsite. We found a spot off the trail, dug a fire pit, lined it with rocks, gathered and chopped firewood, cleared the site, and then began setting up the tent when tragedy struck. As we were attempting to setup the tent we realized that the poles were way too short. We had the wrong tent poles!
The last time I went camping, my other brother (or maybe my sister) collapsed the tents and packed them away. I'm betting that's when the poles got mixed up. Of the three tents I had the largest two. My brother's tent was smallest by far. Since I brought the middle sized tent with me this weekend and the poles we had were too small, I'm betting my poles are with my brother's tent.
So we were left with three options, as we saw them:
- Build our own shelter
- Sleep on the ground
- Hike back
Option one we dismissed. The method of shelter construction I am most familiar with requires thatching materials and we were on the side of a forested mountain. Gathering enough material to construct a shelter whilst on a slope was not very appealing.
Option two was out since we knew there was a chance for rain that night. Option three is what we chose. But we couldn't leave before we had achieved some sort of victory. We decided that victory would take the form of a fire we'd start and then immediately put out. I mean we had already built a stone-lined fire pit and everything. We got the fire going after two tries (not bad!) and then thoroughly doused it and got on our way.
I can tell you this: what started as a camping trip turned into a Bataan Death March of a hiking trip. I am so out of shape it isn't funny. The way I looked at it was like this: I was carrying a 65 lb pack and about 80 extra pounds of ass. That's me carrying 145 lbs all over the mountain.
At two o'clock we hit the trail again. We stuck to the trail on the way back (after climbing a steep slope for 150 feet to find it again!). Since we had used most of my water to douse the fire we were on the lookout for water on the way back. We found a great little spring full of cold, fresh water bubbling right out of the side of the mountain. Oh, yeah! I cannot think of a time in my life when water was so cold, pure, and refreshing.
After recharging our water stocks we ground on. My right heel was really starting to hurt by the time we tried to pitch camp, so it was less than pleasant to hike the entire way back on a sore foot. I tried not to be too much of a pansy about it.
When we got back I was not mocked by my wife. I have to give her credit on that one. Thanks, hon. She did make a good point, though which made me think a lot. She said, "Maybe the Universe was testing you. Maybe you were supposed to build a shelter and tough it out."
Next time we will not bring a tent at all. The entire point next time will be to camp with the idea that we must construct shelter if we want it. I'll have to see if my brother will be into that. I think he will be.
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1 comment:
Don't you just LOVE those 'lessons learned'?
Not having been to the Shenandoah Mountains, I feel I've missed one of the great places to visit. The Smokies are beautiful and as far East as I've been. The Rockies are an ultimate trip in the Lower 48- but I'll never go to Alaska to learn what it's like.
Still, camping is camping regardless where it's done and packs can get heavy. Especially true if you're out of shape- but the camping out of a pack will get you into shape.
Next time, don't be in a hurry to go without a tent, though. Get to that point slowly, if you'd like some advice.
We used to teach 'survival' camping in the Boundary Waters and started out slowly with it. Bring all you think you'll need, then discard as you go/learn. (Just be sure all the gear is the right gear, in the right place- test at home before packing.) Once on site, with all the coomforts required, begin to practice the survivsl techniques. Learn each lesson well before going to the next.
Like, build your fire without modern ignition sources. Do it three times a day while there. Next trip, work on the shelter, or finding foods- always carry some survivl fishing tackle and half a dozen snares at least. Work on getting water from the wild- solar still, plants, springs (you did well to find the spring), etc.
In your tent experience- might it have been possible to utilize a bit of rope or paracord to either suspend the tent from trees or to have tied some sticks to the poles to make them the proper length?
Good blog- lets me know I ain't the only one who has fun learning new things. Keep it up- you'll have lots of fun. We can't always have things go perfect all the time- where's the fun in that?
Shy
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