Monday, May 27, 2013

Beauty of the mountains


I’m new to this whole blogging thing, so we’ll see how this goes…

This last week I had a little backpacking adventure, 40 miles over three days and boy was it great! There is just something about being outside for extended periods of time that just relaxes me and helps me think about life’s problems that need solving. Just me, my gear and the wildlife all around! Does it get much better than that? Day one was great, my brother dropped me off at my starting point and the walking, climbing and hiking began. I was able to knock out about 11 miles the first day, getting up to about 9,000 feet. I made camp, ate some and went to sleep. In the morning I was woken up by something hitting my head repeatedly, so I shifted to get out of my bivy and heard some little critter scamper off! I looked around the camp and there were coyote prints all over the place. I guess he was curious as to what I was and was pawing at my bivy, that tricky trickster! I started off on day two, low on water but keeping my eyes open for some. About five miles in I noticed a change in greenery on the hillside, grass-to moss-to grass, that’s when I found the water seep and what a blessing it was! Day two was pretty exhausting, I covered just over 20 miles and saw a lot of cool scenery and animals including multiple deer, elk, various rodents, tons of birds and even some moose and bear tracks! About halfway through the day I stopped by a little stream for a quick bite and snooze, it’s always easier to doze off with the sound of running water nearby. Once the sun was a little lower in the sky I continued on for a few more miles and set up camp for night numero dos. I didn’t wake up from any wily coyote the next morning, too bad. Starting off again I was able to finish the trip pretty early in the morning, snacking on some dehydrated oatmeal bars I had previously made. Mmm… Overall it was a great trip, and I’m ready for my next adventure (hopefully this weekend!).

 Well, let's get started
 Leaving  the comfort of home.
 Red Creek
 Looking back
 Base camp night #1
 Rude coyote awakening leads to beautiful sunrise
 Looking forward
 Water seep, almost missed it...
 Wanted to try some spear fishing, but after 20 so miles it just doesn't sound as fun
 Base camp night #2
 I was even able make my own dehydrated foods before leaving, camping with good food!
42 miles later, and all done
 
Moral of the story: Always be prepared for the worst case senario, even in the snow covered mountains you can become dehydrated and run out of water. Watch for any sudden changes in the landscape and watch for animals, those are two huge indicators that there may be water nearby.

2 comments:

  1. I love your first post, little brother! Red Creek really IS red! Beautiful places you camped at. It looks awfully fun. Next time take Darryl with you! He'd love to go too!

    Wily Coyote is right. Sneaky little thing. Cute though, batting your head. Haha!

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  2. Awesome Jimmy! How did you plan out your route? I wish I could do something like that sometime. Not alone though. :) My blog is at www.mkhawks.blogspot.com. Can't wait to keep up with my little bro! Beautiful pictures too.

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