Category Archives: Backpacking
Ozark Highlands Trail Photos
Here they are! Hit the link to see the gallery, and leave a comment if you want the full resolution of any of these…
Vacation Recap
I’ve returned to civilization safely, with my health intact and my mind rejuvenated. The woods treated us quite well for the most part, only deviating just enough to remind us of our place within it all, pushing our comfort zones a little bit. I was able to reflect about my life and the direction I want to take it. The woods were so quiet; and beyond the necessities – food, shelter, warmth – I could finally remove all of my auxiliary concerns and focus my mind on the things I really care about.
The trip started early. Ollie, our man with the transportation, picked me up at 5:00am. After circling around south Austin searching for Rami and Emily, we finally pointed the Toyota Tacoma north just before the clock hit 6:00. Conditions were cramped. The extended cab of the truck didn’t provide much leg room for Emily and I in the backseat. The bed of the truck was completely filled with our packs and Ollie’s world of stuff – he hadn’t “packed” the night before, he just threw everything he might pack into the truck. Thankfully our things were protected from the rain and storms we’d be driving through all day by his camper shell. It was a cold drive up though thanks to a missing rear window…
After a stop at a roadside winery in Oklahoma, we arrived in Fort Smith, Arkansas to pick up Eric. He’d been on a Greyhound for the last day and a half, starting in Rochester, NY. We grabbed some burgers on the town’s unexpectedly pretty main street, then headed out to the Dockerys Gap trail-head, to make camp where we’d start our hike the next morning. Through back roads, dirt roads, and forest service roads – now with five in the tiny truck – we somehow managed to find our destination after another 45 minutes of driving. The first night at camp was an eventful one. I brought a box of wine (4 bottles) to hike with, and Emily bought one in Oklahoma. We decided to not carry the weight in our packs as the campfire was burning, so between three of us we consumed it all. The hike hadn’t even started yet, but with my old friend Eric by my side, and the great company of Emily, Ollie and Rami, I was already having a great time.
It rained that night and hiking day one started wet. My gear preformed remarkably well the entire trip from start to finish, keeping me dry and relatively comfortable. On the other hand, Emily’s tent was unfortunately less than waterproof. We were headed to White Rock mountain, eight miles through the woods. It was cold and rainy all day. The ups and downs of the trail clashed with our heavy packs (packs get lighter over time, as you eat food), making things difficult. We did manage to make it to our destination, just too late and too tired to do anything but set up tents, cook dinner, and fall asleep.
We cut the second day of hiking short by a few miles. My fellow hiker’s bodies were a little sore after the first day, and after another moist night at White Rock, the free afternoon would let us dry out our gear a bit. The day turned out to be beautiful, and the hiking relatively gentle. We went seven miles to Spirits Creek, my personal top choice for scenic spots along the trail. Our campsite was well established, close to the creek, with a nice fire ring. Upstream from our campsite, the creek goes into a small canyon of small waterfalls more beautiful than I can describe. Eric and I walked up there to play around. I stood under a waterfall, arms stretched out, with all my rain gear on. I’m sure that will be my new favorite picture of me when I see it in a few days.
Before we left our work, we outfitted these two really great guys with all their gear, and they were planning on hiking the same trail the same time we were. They intersected us at Spirits Creek that evening, and would hike with us for the next two days. It was great having them around. Day three we hiked to the next big water source, Fane Creek, and made camp with our new friends from Austin. The night was cold and especially moist. I brought an ultra-light 40 degree sleeping bag. While I could wear all my clothes to bed and sleep in relative comfort for most of the trip, that particular night I was really chilly.
The next day all but Rami decided the Fane Creek campsite on the opposite side of the creek was too good to leave, so we decided to stay put and take some time off the trail. Rami hiked ahead, but was turned around by a wildfire and met us back at the Fane Creek camp that evening. That day was beautifully sunny, and our home in the pine trees was a palace of the backcountry. I washed clothes, my gear was clean and completely dry by mid-day, and we spent the afternoon lounging in the shade. We took the next day off as well to do more of the same.
Day five we turned around and headed back to Spirits Creek. It rained again the night before, and the day started wet. I hiked ahead of the group, alone, for most of the day. Besides the birds and a grey fox, the woods were empty and I was able to do some really deep thinking. I was alone in the world, carefree, and the feeling was heavenly. Our camp that evening was nestled in between the waterfalls Eric and I visited a few days before. Waterfront property that could quiet even the most restful of minds.
Day six took us back to White Rock, where we camped on top of the mountain again. Eric’s exceptionally heavy pack and lack of backpacking experience finally caught up with his knees, and the climb up White Rock left him in really bad shape. It was windy and cold on the ridge, and I pitched my tent to accommodate. I could have been safe and secure on Everest that night. We hiked to the very top of White Rock, the highest elevation in the area, at sunset, and caught some spectacular views. We speculated if it would storm as we sat around the campfire that night, me secretly hoping it would, and Emily with her fingers crossed that it wouldn’t. I won.
We had the hardest rain of the trip that night, with lightning off in the distance and some pretty decent winds. Emily was fed up, and packed things up before sunrise. I was up early too, like usual, anxious to get hiking and to get back to the car. Emily and I left before the rest of the group, as the rain came down around us. We hiked fast and consistently, spanning the eight miles and reaching the car after about three hours. It rained the whole way. A few hours later the rest of the group arrived, but without their packs, which they left at a road intersection in order to ease the strain on their legs. We navigated the forest service roads, and found their stuff with relative ease.
It was time to return to Fort Smith. We’d been dreaming about burgers and fries for the past few days on the trail, so we only had one destination in mind. We grabbed some beer and checked into the main street Days Inn for the night. Having hot water to shower in was a glorious thing after bathing in frigid mountain streams for the past week. Eric was glad he wouldn’t have to smell like a Greyhound traveler during his 35 hour bus trip back to NY, starting the next day, and the rest of us were glad we wouldn’t be smelling as bad during our cramped eight hour drive back to Austin.
And that’s where it all ends. Now I’m home, and I finally have a plot in my head for the next chapter of my life. I like to end/start things in big ways, and this trip certainly qualifies. I’ll try to post a few pictures in the next few days – I didn’t use my camera, but my fellow hikers definitely did… I have laundry to do, finances for the next two weeks to map out, and a bike calling my name. I hope you enjoyed reading – expect consistent, and probably shorter posts starting soon.
Neglected Words
I had these three paragraphs of text sitting on my desktop, waiting to be finished and posted, but I never got around to it. I have this odd aversion to posting things after the fact, after the words have lost their relevance. In brief, the now lost text picked up where we left off last. The lunch date was fantastic, munching tacos on the south lawn of the capitol, getting pink in the sunshine. We got most of the collaborative details worked out between us – the road-trip, shared gear, etc. It was great.
The trip is shaping up perfectly. I’ve finished my gear-list, and not counting food, everything I need is ready to go. A few things might change as the time gets closer, and I have a reasonably reliable weather prediction. If it’s going to be warmer, I’ll be carrying less weight; colder, I’ll be going with this. I bought my new titanium pot today – it weighs 4oz and is definitely a cool item to have. The little things excite me.
Tomorrow is a day off for me, and it’s supposed to be quite warm outside. I’m anticipating a bike ride for at least a few hours. Work has been dull at best, and I’m struggling to maintain my motivation. My job title is being phased out and merged with another department in the store. I’m now working and being trained in different areas, and training people to work in my previous area of expertise. I don’t know what this means on a longer term scale, but in the present it has me annoyed. I don’t like cash registers or customer service.
So again I’m looking for new things again, and moving forward on my long term plans (sailing big boats). I’m not really thinking about any of that right now though; I rather just enjoy this warm and breezy evening.
The Weekend
The day is still young. I was up early this morning to shower and eat breakfast, because rumor has it my water will be turned off soon for “repairs”. The person in charge of my property takes inept management to an entirely new level. I can just imagine her reasoning, or even the posted notices printed on multi-colored construction paper, and just feel my own intelligence level sinking. Her stupidity and ineptitude is contagious.
On a more cheerful note, my weekend was pretty good. Saturday was an especially leisurely day. I was out of bed early, having coffee and reading the news down the road from my place. I was waiting for the weather to warm up, dry out, and maybe for the wind to slow down before jumping on the road bike for a while. It was early in the afternoon before I finally headed out, but the sun was shining in full force, although the wind was blowing something fierce out of the north. I struggled against it for as long as I could tolerate, then turned south, shifting up into the fast gears. I was really moving along, never leaving my big-ring – it was great.
Yesterday, after a tasty breakfast of yogurt, blackberries and granola, I decided to walk towards my work to buy tent stakes and guy-lines. For some reason, MSR decided to ship their tent with one 4′ piece of cord, intended to be used as the tent’s only guy-line. (A guy-line is a supporting length of cord running from the tent’s shell to a stake in the ground, intended to keep the shelter stable in high winds.) The Hubba is a pretty tall tent by one-person tent standards, and would most obviously need more than one guy-line if conditions get nasty. Why they didn’t give me any, I don’t know… It did allow me some flexibility for cord choice though, and now I’m properly equipped with Kelty Triptease, and some MSR Groundhog stakes. The tent is ready to work.
I did end up staying at work for the afternoon/evening, which wasn’t planned, but will give me some extra vacation money. And now I’m back in action for another week. I’m excited about the upcoming backpacking trip, and have a lunch date in a few hours to plan things out a bit more.
What I’ve Been Working On
Yesterday I put a lot of effort into stopping blood flow from my thumb, after hitting it with the sharp end of a box cutter at work. I can’t remember the last time I cut myself, despite cutting many boxes, cooking a lot of food, and shaving numerous parts of my body. It was oddly fascinating watching the blood seep out. Now I’m sporting the Band-Aid with pride.
On a more serious note, I’ve actually been planning the upcoming backpacking trip on the Ozark Highlands Trail during my free computer time. I’m the only one in our group with experience here, and I also own the best guidebook for the trail… It looks like we’ll have six days of really great hiking, especially if the weather cooperates. March could be really wet, or really beautiful. I wouldn’t mind hiking in the rain, but everyone would agree that sunshine is preferred way to go.
It’s about time for me to walk down to work, but I’ll leave you with the beta product of my efforts. Hit the link to check out our probable itinerary. Read the rest of this entry
Gear List
I have plans for mid-March. A few of my co-workers and I will be heading to the Ozarks to do some backpacking, about a week’s worth of it, on the Ozark Highlands Trail. I wrote about this trail a bit after hiking there last December, and I’m pretty excited to be heading back. It’s definitely one of my favorite places to wander through.
Accordingly, I’ve updated my growingly popular gear list, adding in some new acquisitions and removing a few items as well. A couple more items will be changing before the trip (I’d like to add some lightweight down to replace the fleecy bits for the upper body), but it’s mostly complete.
It’ll be nice to escape for a little while, just walking through the woods with friends.
I had a long day at work today… That, and I haven’t consumed any caffeine all day, which I think is rubbing me in adverse ways. Seeing how I’m breaking the cycle by writing this evening, I think I’ll save the rest of this one for tomorrow morning. And it’s coffee.
Work in a Toy Store
I bought some new toys at work yesterday… First, I gave into temptation and picked up a REI Kilo Flash +40 sleeping bag. With 750 fill power down filling, it weighs in right at one pound, packs down to the size of a grapefruit, and should be the perfect summertime bag. I almost bought it two weeks ago, when it went on clearance for $60, and when it went down to $30 yesterday I would have been crazy to pass it up.
Next, I happened to find a MSR Hubba tent marked down to $80 as a result of our super clearance sale. That’s like $170 off the retail price for those of you not familiar with these things… It’s a one person, double wall, 3.5 season tent – tipping the scale at 3lbs. I set it up in my living room when I got home from work last night, and was reminded why I like MSR products – the build quality couldn’t be better. I’ve never seen the Hubba (one person) in the flesh before (all we’re stocked with at the store is the two person Hubba Hubba), but it definitely met my expectations.
So, as soon as I buy another sleeping pad to replace my old Thermarest Prolite 3 – the casualty of an unfortunate careless moment near a campfire – I’ll be fully operational for backpacking once again. And, with all of my own gear this time. I could probably use a new water purifier soon; my eyes have been on the MSR MIOX, but they’re having difficulty meeting retail demands, not to mention my personal prodeal demands.
–That’s my outdoor gear fetish summarized in a few short paragraphs–
In other news, my roommate sold her TV yesterday evening, so my apartment is once again without a television. The absence makes me happy. I don’t watch TV much at all, but like everyone, my attention will slowly gravitate it’s direction if it’s on. Even if it’s turned off, a TV set seems to have certain capabilities for distraction… Besides, the small amount of programs I do like are on Hulu anyways, and I rather watch The Office late at night, in bed, on my laptop, than during an early Thursday evening when I could be doing much better things. Tomorrow I’ll find something to do with all the extra space.
A woman called me at work a few mornings ago, convinced I bailed her son out of jail the night before. It was strange – she knew to call REI, and knew to ask for Daniel – in any other situation, I’d say that after knowing my name and where I work, I’m probably the person you’re looking for. But I wasn’t drinking that night (at least not enough to erase my memory), I don’t know where the police station is, and I definitely don’t have the cash to be bailing anyone out of jail. Wrong guy; case closed.
New Toys
I have an ever-growing wish-list for a few new toys in my immediate future. Working in a big grown-up toy store does that to you I guess… Without further delay (clicky the pictures for product info):
1. Suunto Core “ABC” Watch
- Beautiful watch with tons of fancy features, including barometric pressure and an alarm warning you when a storm might be approaching, altitude measurement, and a compass. Very nice.
2. Dahon Vitesse D7HG
- I’ve been wanting a new bicycle for a little while now, and I think this one might be the perfect bar/light commuter bike for me. It has an internal hub in the back, so I don’t have to worry about keeping the drivetrain tidy.
3. REI Shuksan eVent Jacket
- I’ve been excited about this one for a while now; eVent fabric is simply unbeatable for brethability and waterproofness. That, and I will probably be able to snag this guy for around $30…how could I pass that up?
4. MSR Hubba Hubba HP
- This is a killer tent, and with some prodeal magic I can finally afford it. It’s tough decision between the 2-person and 1-person versions though, ideally it would be nice to have both.
Yeah, I like to think I have good tastes when it comes to gear. With my newly acquired discounts on all this stuff, it would be too good of an opportunity to pass on. I’m hoping to have a pretty capable gear collection before I move on to the next opportunity.
A new idea
I’ve been thinking about doing another big cycling trip for a while now – almost since returning from Alaska nine months ago – and I think I’ve finally narrowed down the important particulars. The date of departure is tentatively set for June 2010 – two years from now, give or take – and the destination is Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
Two years should be ample time to iron out the logistics and to make some money to fund the operation. I also need to add Spanish to my Portuguese language capacities before departing. Ideally, the trip could be partially supported by charity ties, simultaneously giving a purpose to the ride. With a handful of sponsors, it shouldn’t be too difficult to pull things together. All of these details will be meticulously planned, of course, in the coming months; fortunately, I have a lot of experience with things of this nature…
I’ve been checking out some touring-specific bike ideas that would hopefully get the job done, but the amount of options leaves me with a ton of choices. I know I would appreciate the weight savings and speed of a more road-going setup, but if things get dirty and muddy down south, I might like to have mountain bike capabilities to carry me over tough terrain. And then components provide even more interesting choices too. I remember a couple we met in Northern British Columbia – going from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Tierra del Fuego – who were outfitted with Ti mountain bikes, Ortlieb panniers, Rohloff internal gear/hub systems, and other obviously top-of-the-line parts. But we also ran into folks going similar distances on some really rough looking machines too. I do know that in the middle of Guatemala, it would probably be easier to rig up a repair for a busted derailleur than a busted Rohloff hub…
I’ve been wanting to explore South America for a long time too, and think a bike is the best way of doing so, especially for the budget conscious traveler. I’d like to spend a decent amount of time experiencing Central America and especially the Andes and Patagonia. I’m pretty stoked. And, if all goes as planned, I’ll be traveling with an amazing Texas 4000 buddy or two…
I told my mom the plan, and, similar to the reaction I received when I told her I was riding a bike to Alaska, I’m not sure she believes me yet. I do have some crazy ideas from time to time, I will admit, but I never fail to deliver…
Goliath Expedition
I’ve been following the progress of Karl Bushby – attempting to walk around the world as the sole member of the Goliath Expedition – for quite some time now, mainly out of pure jealously more than interest… He started walking in 1998 (!) at the southern tip of Argentina, headed North, crossed the Bering Strait, and is now working his way across northern Russia, nearly ten years later.
The expedition is operating on a fairly low budget given the overwhelming goal, which is also rather enticing for me. I’m not sure I would go quite as far, but Argentina to Alaska would be pretty amazing. A walking/hitch-hiking combo would be much simpler than via bicycle too, something I’m sure I would come to appreciate…
