First Solo Backpacking Trip - 20 miles in 24 hours

First of all I need to apologize to all those who were involuntary involved in my experiment. If I hurt any feelings, I do apologize, if I bruised any egos  or did any other psychological damage, I really did not mean it. The build up to my first solo backpacking trip was a bit frightful until I got on the trail.

I have been surfing the web and collecting gear for months now. Ever since my trip out to Snowmass, CO  my backpacking and mountaineering interest has gone on the rise. Then I watched the movie Steep which left me wanting to do something I have never done before, ski mountaineering. But wait, I live in Memphis, the heart of the Delta, the great river port that has no mountains or snow. How would you even begin?? O yeah, I suck at skiing. I barely make it down green and blue runs although I have not tried to snowboard yet, maybe I would have better luck. So my solution was to build a skateboard mini-ramp in my backyard, skate it and then go backpacking in Arkansas and Tennessee. Which I have accomplished all these things up to date, just no over nights with the backpack until now.

The original plan was to hike the Slyamore Creek Trail located around Mountain View, AR. I was going to get  to Mountain View on Thursday in the early evening, car camp that night and hit the trail head the next morning. I bought the Tim Ernst book and additional maps of the trail, I was ready for the assault. All my gear was ready, I had been unpacking and repacking my pack probably everyday for a week just to get used to keeping things organized. My system of setting up camp after making the hike is to unpack, set the tent up and then dump everything out of my bag and go to town cooking. The next morning, wake up, repack and hike out. By Wednesday I was starting to feel the nerves of making the journey that I had not made yet though at the same time not understanding it was the backpacking that was causing the nerves. I thought my anxiety was more rooted in some family business and some other non notable stuff but I was wrong.

So Wednesday night the weather forecast for that region of Arkansas was indicating 50-60% chance of rain. This was frustrating because the day before it was 20% which is doable in terms that there is a 80% chance of no rain. I started looking around for other trails further south of the weather and found the Oauchita Trail that ends in Little Rock at the Pinnacle Mountain State Park Visitor Center. I had forgotten about this trail. The trail spans the Oauchita National Forest and starts out in Talihina, Oklahoma and quickly runs into Arkansas, crawls across the state and ends up in Little Rock. If you walk the entire length of the trail then you have walked half way across Arkansas, a whopping 192 miles in side the National Forest and another 32 miles outside the forest to the visitor center, making the trail 144 miles in total length.

It was not until Thursday morning I decided to change the venues. Going to Little Rock meant I could stay at my Mom's house instead of car camp, also she only lives a 15 minute drive to the visitor center where the hike starts for me. Not sure why this venue has not occurred to me yet, it's really better suited for my first solo backpacking experience.

I spend the night at my Mom's and made it to the trail head around 930 am and start actually hiking around 10am. My goal for the day is to make it to Penny Camp, around a 12 mile hike. Penny Camp is suppose to have  already made up camp sites with fire rings, fire wood and maybe even a water source. In the wilderness, something like that is like having chocolates left on your pillow after the turn down service in a four star hotel. Me, the trekking poles and the 38 pounds strapped to my back were off down the trail. The first few miles were different sections of trail that crossed several highways before you got to the forest canopy around Lake Maumelle. I guess this is indicative of trail systems like this just popping out on to the highway, down the highway to only disappear back into another wooded section. There are these little blue marks everywhere that you follow to find the trail whether the mark is on the street pointing to the next blue mark or on a tree in the middle the wilderness. The blue marks are your life line and guide post, with out them I would be lost. You see one on the train track telling me to go forward.

At 3.3 miles I make it through all the highway crossing to the edge of Lake Maumelle. If you look at the map you think what a wonderful hike, having the lake just over your left shoulder all the time. You are conned into thinking that if you get bored looking at trees you can peer out onto the lake and watch boats go by, haha to that.  Below is a picture of the edge of the lake, the mammoth concrete structure that spans the gap is a spill way that holds the water in the lake. Ok, so that is the closest I will ever get to the lake on the hike, I will not see the lake up close again until I reemerge from the forest.

I leave the spill way area and the trail is a closed off canopy of trees on either side of the trail for the rest of my journey. My main goal is to get to mile 8, the Scenic Vista that is said to have a spectacular view on the Pinnacle Mountain from the other side of the lake. Getting to mile 8 means that I only have around 6 miles to go, that I am well over the half way point. I was hiking at around 2 miles per hour so I was slated to make Scenic Vista right at 230 pm, then hopefully Penny Camp around 430. Sounded good and I was well on my way when I reached the top of the ridge that Scenic Vista laid upon. I was getting really excited when I saw this:

Well excitement kind of turned into a burning sensation all over my body as the ascent was a little bit steep and never ending. It is one of these climbs were you turn the corner thinking thank Ja this is over but the blind corner just reveals more trail that goes up.  I make it to the top thinking can't wait to take this pack off and check out the view, well, here is the view:

The view would have been great if it was not for the dozens of trees that blocked any kind of real view. All you could see was the top of Pinnacle Mountain and the edge of the water on the other side of the lake. Other than that is was a fine place with a nice grouping of boulders you could lounge a bout on. I hung out here for probably 15 minutes and then pushed onto Penny Camp.

The rest sure helped the fatigue that was beginning to set in after 8 miles. After the not so scenic stop I got back into my hiking rhythm but just after 30 minutes the fatigue was beginning to set in quicker than before, just after 30 minutes it felt like my should harness was uncomfortable and eating into my  clavicles. I have been used to this feeling by now, to beat the feeling I have to shift the pack and open the breast strap on the harness (I think the harness on my bag is narrow for me so it is causing discomfort.) but I was determined not to stop and rest, I just shifted the pack around and pushed on to make the 1 hour mark, then I would rest. If I could make it to the hour mark I then would be just another hour to Penny Camp, yahoo!! So I made my hour, stopped, took my pack off and did some haphazard yoga to stretch out my body that was crying out. I took the ten minutes put the pack back on and started back down the trail growing ever more excited about Penny camp. As I walked down the trail I wondered if there were going to be other people there, what my camp site would look like, what is the water source, can't wait!! The guide said look for the white blazes on the tree marking the head of the trail along with some kind of sign. Ok, cant wait!!! I get about 30 or 40 minutes into the hike and notice something familiar, a Orange blaze on the a tree that indicates no hunting. Then I get further down the trail and I cross a small water fall that looked just like one I had seen earlier.

I thought this was interesting and kind of not right. I pull out my compass for the first time and keep walking the same direction, then I come across another land mark that tells me the official news. Mile marker 215 confirms I have been walking backwards on the trail. This means that I am back to roughly back at mile 9, what now??! I was hurting at this point, no doubt about it. I decided to suck up my pride of making Penny Camp, go back to Scenic Vista and make camp there. Besides, if I camp there then I only have the 8 miles to walk back in. I was slightly disappointed but I knew that I had bitten off more than I could chew at this point.

Ok, I make camp:

Boil water from a local stream and spread the kitchen out and yep, the alcohol stove worked great:

My feet where a aching mess:

Then just about as I was going to eat my dinner:

These guys walked up:

Yep, you guessed it, they are Rangers from the Army on a off duty training hike. They popped up to the top of the trail and asked if they could stop and eat their dinner. This was exciting to have company at the dinner table. They were on a through hike to Lake Sylvia which is 32 miles. They had started at the Visitor Center ,where I started, and they were just rolling into my camp site around 615 or so. These guys were going to hike straight through the night to Lake Sylvia which would put them at the end of their hike some time in the early morning, 2 or 3 am. Yes, they were going to hike at night with head lamps. Fun Stuff.

They left after 40 minutes and I was alone again to entertain myself and listen to the noises that came from with in the forest and the lake down below. At one point there was this very eerie noise that seemed to be reverberating from the forest,  it was a faint sound, a very low buzzing, but it came from every where. I could not stand it, so I started roaming the woods looking for the unknown and then there it was, right above my head - a carpenter bee. I look up and refocus my eyes and see thousands of carpenter bees doing their thing, what ever it is they do, playing a symphony of sound for me out here in the great wilderness.

The rest of the night was just me sitting on some rocks and burning my fire.

I finally turned in around 9:

I was freaking exhausted:

But that did not mean I slept a whole lot. Once I got all comfy in the tent, the noises seemed to get crazy out side. It was just the usual bugs, owls, maybe a bear or mountain lion and some pesky insect who kept crawling between my rain fly and the tent (this guy made some loud crawling noise, jerk!)

Anyway, morning came and I must have slept some, just not sure when. I packed up my stuff and hiked the 8 miles back to the visitor center in just over 4 hours. The first five miles I hiked in 2 hours, good pace but the last three  took over 2 hours, ouch is all I can say.  It was painful yes. I also ran out of water with about 1.7 to go only to find a water fountain at the East Summit Parking lot which is 1.3 mile to the last stop. I was really low on water to begin with so this was like a heavenly celebration when I found this water source.

So that was it, from there I limped my way back the 1.3 to the parking lot where my car waited for me. It was a tough experience, it took me a day and half before I could walk with out limping or side stepping the blisters on my feet. My whole body was sore and is still sore as I write this today. When I got back to my Mom's house I immediately got on the web and looked at the gear this site sells - backpacking light - buying into the philosophy of spending $$ on light weight equipment and using a Tarp Shelter and Bivey Sack (much lighter) instead of the traditional Tent and Sleeping Bag set up. To carry 28 pounds not 38. I had fleeting moments out there on the trail when I was reeling in pain as every step would dictate, that this was the first and last time I ever do this, but it was that smile I had on my face as I drove my car off the mountain that said it all. Hell yeah I am going to do this again but better. How does that much pain lead to pleasure??

TA!

What a weekend!!

This past weekend could not have been better for an over all experience unless a woman had been entered into the equation. No women are knocking at my door, o well, maybe next week. I started the Friday off returning home from work early so I could make the finishing touches on making my house hospitable for my Dad's overnight visit with two dogs in toe. Dad has two dogs, a Border Collie named Blackie and a Golden Retriever named Pal who I always encourage him to travel with them rather than board them at the kennel. This is the only the second or third time he has brought the dogs, I love having them as guests.

Once Dad got to town we did the usual, let the dogs turn my yard into a suer and then go out to eat.  He has to eat at Central Bar-B-Que when he comes, there is no question as to why anymore. We once went to Mortimer's down the street and I could tell that he was still longing for that slow cooked pork a few blocks away once the meal was done. He lives in Northern Arkansas and there is nothing that compares to the world famous slow roasted Memphis BarBQue. So his philosophy is never miss an opportunity on his routine stay.  I say his routine stay because the whole thing plays out the same every time he comes down. He arrives around 430 or 5, we go eat at 530 or 6 after some brief conversation at my house. We eat and  leave the restaurant, go to the grocery store where he picks up some soda pop, granola bars and cream for coffee. We also pick up the dvd from the Red Box and head back to my house where we watch the movie (Red Baron). After the movie he reads in bed and lights out at 1030. The next morning we have coffee and talk until about 1130 am when he packs the dogs up in the SUV and drives the 3 and Half hours back to his home. This is the routine about every two or three months when he comes to visit. The visit never takes longer than the 19 or 20 hours, short and sweet but always enjoyed.

After Dad left I watched  Manchester City just squeak by Manchester United (Man U Fan) in the FA cup semi finals. I did not really care who won since Liverpool Football Club are not in it anymore, just who cares, I don't. So once that atrocity ended  I went for a five mile walk with the new trekking poles that I have never used. This coming weekend I am planning on doing a backpacking trip in Arkansas and the poles will help with the 20 miles I am going to walk with 40 pounds strapped to my back.

That night I went over to my good friend Don's house. He was cracking the a crank case open from a Type 3 Volkswagen engine to see if this case was any good or not. Turns out this one was not any good but cracked. This is Don 's fourth or fifth case that is no good. If you know anybody that has a Type 3 crank case let me know. While Don was reeking havoc playing with motors I thought it would be a good time to make an alcohol stove that I could use on my trip. It turned out well, the stove, kind of ruff around the edges but I will make another - take a look at the first burn.

Then I took it outside for video Two.

The stove works as you can see from the video, just looks ghetto is all. Nothing wrong with a little ghetto engineering from now and then. I will make a more refined version after I get back from my trip.

Then Sunday came out of no where, before I knew it the big game was about to start between Liverpool F.C. and Arsenal. The first half bored me to death, 0-0, Arsenal were dominating possession and we were not able to win mid field battles, where is Glen J when we need him. The Second Half seemed much of the same and then I got a phone call in the middle of the second half, I talked and watched the game in a glance from time to time. I finished my phone call with two minutes plus stoppage time to play. The stoppage time was a incredibly long eight minutes because of Jamie C's injury. So I stopped and finally gave the game my whole hearted attention. The game was getting heated, chances were flying and then with about two minutes to play (in the stoppage eight minutes) tragedy struck with Spearing fouling Fabergas in our 18, which resulted in a penalty kick that VanPersie drilled into the net. I could not believe myself, I decided to finally start watching this game and this happens. Well I had not had a moments rest when all of a sudden a foul is called against Arsenal just outside the 18 that Saurez takes but is deflected away from goal, this then leads Lucas to chase the ball down and get trampled by Eboue which finally leads to another penalty kick for Liverpool this time and a equalizing goal. Wow!!! I felt kind of dirty after watching that but I had not taken a shower in two days either.

In the afternoon Don convinced me to go practice my golf swing - I just have video.

And

Then there was skating, dont laugh, we are trying to get there. Learning to skate again when you are nearly 40 is a very slow and willful process. Videos are elementary but promise to get better.

DON

Rufus

Now yaw be nice!!