Silence and Solitude

Looking down shoal creek

                On the cold final Friday in February, I decided that I needed to go enjoy the woods alone. Solitude is usually not good for a person, but sometimes you just need to get out and break out of your own mind. I needed this night. This semester has been a fairly good one, but I still felt like I needed a break from society. I met my parents for lunch at Betty’s Barbeque, packed, and then drove off into the forest.

            It snowed on Wednesday, and some of it was still on the ground in the mountains. The dirt road leading out there had frozen and then mostly thawed, leaving the ground very soft. The Jeep had little issue with this though.

Still a nice truck, even with a broken winch and window.

            I set out on the trail. Silence was my only companion. The quiet wind slightly rustled the leaves overhead, the ice crunched beneath my boots on the damp leaf litter. The trail stretched around the bluff and disappeared only to reappear circling around the next hill in the distance.

In some places the snow was still an inch thick.

The trail repeated its pattern for miles. A cold wind bit through my brown jacket, but it wasn’t uncomfortable on my hot, out of breath self.

Each step moved me on toward my destination: a timber trail shelter in a deep creek valley some distance ahead. The simple monotony of the trail was broken by the songs of spring birds, chickadees and titmice, playing amongst the still bare trees above.

Soon a branch of Shoal Creek appeared in the valley below, the cold water splashing over the rocks as it moved down the narrow forest valley. It would soon join with a larger branch of the creek next to the shelter. The trail began to descend to the creek, and soon the shelter was visible.

 The two branches of the creeks joined a few yards away from the entrance.

I set down my large pack on the shelter’s wooden entryway. I found the logbook to see who had been here, and was surprised to find that the last person to sign the book was me, when father and Jonathan and I came here some weeks ago on a day hike.

A short distance away, a small waterfall flowed out from a southeastern valley.

To the north, the creek went down a wide, open valley which was very pleasant.

It was only 1.11 miles to the shelter.

I began to collect firewood, but the snowmelt made everything very wet. I used my Zippo ax to cut up and split some dead wood, hoping that the inside would be drier.

I was able to get a small fire going, but it wouldn't burn for long. The wood was simply too wet.

I decided to climb up the mountain to the east hoping to find some cell service to contact home with and to see the view. The top of the mountain was open, it looked as though there was a fire there at some point.

Looking back toward the shelter

I did get some cell service, and the views of the nearby forest were excellent.

I looked up, and noticed our celestial neighbor floating above me.

The camera managed to pick up a very detailed image of the surface of the moon.

            After returning to the shelter, I set up my tarp over one side of the shelter in hopes that it would make it a little warmer inside.

After it got dark, I made dinner. Mountain House always makes good freeze-dried meals, the beef stroganoff was no exception.

After dinner, I sat and listened to the unsettling silence of the night and watched the moon and stars travel overhead. It began to get cold, so I decided to go to bed.

A bit later at night, my feet got a little cold and I put my hammock underquilt on top of the sleeping bag. Other than that, it was fairly warm in the bag all night long.

The next morning it was very, very cold. I put on my third layer and made some hot grits. The hot food helped a lot.

I repacked and headed out pretty early.

I was home by 8:15 in the morning. 

The Things I Carry

This is just a brief description of what and why I carry when backpacking. My kit is different than a lot of people's, and is not suitable for everyone. This is what I carried in the previous post, which is my normal kit, but I do differ in some ways depending on where I am going. I am not an ultralight backpacker, but I do think about weight. Being prepared is more important to me than being light. This is not the only way to do it, and if you are new to the hobby it is likely not even the best way to do it, but it is the way I do it. Many say "If you probably won't use it, don't take it," while I say "If you might need it, you'd better have it." That being said, in my opinion you don't need very much even with hypotheticals. The main tool you need is the right attitude and mental state, with that you don't need much else. Be respectful of nature and other hikers, and be prepared.

                                

From the top left corner:

1.) Sawyer Mini Squeeze filter and accessories- I chose the sawyer water filter for two main reasons, price and reliability. Price is a major aspect in all of my gear, because I am not a professional backpacker and I need money for things like bills. The Sawyer Mini is about $15 dollars, and doesn't have many mechanical parts. Many people swear by the Katadyn Filter, but I just don't like having to trust a mechanical device for water purification. I'm sure it's fine, but between that and the high price I just could not justify it. I carry two bags and the syringe to backwash it if necessary. I also have a bottle of Iodine tablets for purifying larger volumes of water, such as the whole camelback at one time, and as a backup. I like being able to field maintain tools, even with the weight increase. Always be prepared.

2.) Browning BDA .380 - Next going down is my sidearm. The main reason for carrying this is that it is my only suitable handgun. I would rather have a full size Glock 20 in 10mm, or at least a full 9mm for hiking. That being said, the BDA is lightish, reliable, and accurate. It is a good EDC gun if you are okay with the .380. It feels great in my hand and points straight for me.

3.) Zippo 4-in-1 Woodsman axe- Going down again, this tool has many functions. Multi-function is important for weight reductions. This tool is an axe, a bow saw, a mallet, and a stake puller all in one. Is it necessary? Probably not. Is it nice? Yes. It is extra weight, but I am okay with that. It makes gathering firewood easier when you can saw fallen trees into usable logs. Expedition Portal reviewed this tool favorably, and I got it from Santa not long later. It is pretty nice.

4.) Ka-Bar Becker Campanion Knife- It is a heavy, large knife that does everything a knife is supposed to. The full tang and thick blade make it very tough and it can be used as a wedge to split wood among many other things. Heavy, but perfect for me.

5.) Cookware- Back at the top of the next row- All steel. This is a price thing as well. I would prefer a lighter, plastic mess-kit, but I already had the metal one. It is helpful at times to be able to cook on it. The Stanley pot does need to be metal, and is used with #6 to boil water.

6.) MSR pocketrocket- Inside the cookpot, is cheap, light, and simple. Boils fast and burns Butane canisters with some efficiency.

7.) Firestarting- Matches, and lots of 'em. I use the flint and steel whenever I can, because it feels more rustic or something. I also carry some of those wetfire tinder cubes, to help start fires when it is damp. The Gerber Bear Grills flint and steel is, surprisingly, not just a marketing gimmick. The large size makes it easy to grip and locate in a pack, and the shower of sparks is large and effectively hot.

8.) Navigation- Maps,Compass, and GPS- I carry large and small scale maps, the smaller scale with detailed topo-lines. Many people say that using a hiking GPS defies the point of hiking. I disagree with this, I find that the information contained in the GPS is very useful and improves my experience. I have the Garmin Etrex 20, and I have downloaded Ala-topo and the Alabama trails maps onto it. These maps have vast amounts of information contained in them. The trip computer tells you how far you've gone, your current and average speed, altitude, and many other things. I find this convenient.

9.) First Aid Kit and SOI survival kit - Kit from Dicks- contains most of the basics, I added an Ace bandage roll for sprains and splints. I do not have any formal first aid training, which I feel is a deficit in my education that I plan to remedy at some point. Survival Kit has basic survival stuff, firestarting, fishing, shelter. Carry in pocket in case I'm separated from my bag. Lacking in many regards, but better than nothing.

10.) Paracord and Duct Tape- Immensely useful items.

11.) Shelter and Insulation - Eno Hammock and underquilt, KOPPEN 20 sleeping bag, Warbonnet Bug net, Hennessy Hex Fly rain. For comment on later. Is versatile enough to be used as a tarp shelter if needed, though a good backpacking tent is preferred if the hammock is in some way unsuitable for the environment.

12.) Backpack - Kelty Redcloud 90 - At 90 liters, this is a very big pack. I prefer it this way. I like durability, redundancy, and being prepared more than being ultra-light. Weight is still a major thought, but a broken light tool is worse than a heavy working one. Not that there is anything wrong with ultralight backpacking, it just isn't my thing. This pack has an internal aluminum frame, and the Cloudlock suspension, which makes it very comfortable even with heavy loads and long distances. I also really like having pockets to keep everything organized, another way I differ from many internet reviewers.

Items that differ depending on the trip include clothes and food. Winter requires more of both.

Always do research before going out. This isn't an exhaustive list, nor is it all you'd need to be ready for any situation.

Cliff Dwelling at High Falls

This Christmas break we spent most of the time outside, despite cold rain the entire time. Today marked the end of my break and so I decided to go backpacking to finish.
We went to High Falls and climbed the cliffs to the top.

We went around and climbed up a ramp-like rock on the side. It was a bit of a climb, but it was worth it. The campsite we ended up on was on top of the cliff in the picture.
The waterfall and creek flowed in the valley at the base of the cliffs.

As the sun set, we set up our camp in front of the view.

Olivia and Leah were my companions on this trip.

I started a fire using a flint and steel.

Due to the cold, I used my hammock as a ground sheet and slept on the earth.

It was warm enough, but I should have tied the tarp lower to break some of the wind. I did not have any issue sleeping though.
As the sun set, the view became spectacular.

We ate dinner, freeze dried Mountain House, and went to bed not long afterwards. It was an early night, but I was pretty tired.

That rock marks a roughly seventy foot drop down to the creek and the waterfall. The sound was very peaceful.

The sun had not yet risen over the mountain behind.

I found a fallen tree and Leah and I sawed and chopped it into logs.

We had a pretty good breakfast, Leah had bacon and I ate grits. Olivia ate a freeze dried hash brown and egg thing, which she says wasn't good. Freeze-dried eggs.

We stayed up there for a while, it wasn't too cold and we wanted to relax. The wind began to pick up, and we packed up our stuff.

I didn't think descending the cliff would be safe with all our stuff on our backs, so I made a paracord pulley on a tree and lowered our stuff to the bottom of the cliff, then climbed down.

This cliff.

It was a great trip, and an excellent way to end the break. 

Turkey Day Camp 3 at Tree Farm

After two consecutive years of camping on Thanksgiving, it has become a sort of tradition. This year, Olivia, my cousins Elizabeth and Michael, and myself all jumped into the Jeeps and drove into the wild dark. It was after sunset when we departed, and the road was very atmospheric. We stopped at the Cheaha scenic overlook, and then drove down the road until we reached the subtle turn to the field which constitutes the Tree Farm camping area.

We set up the big tent and got a fire going.

For dinner we ate hotdogs and I made a large packet meal of hamburger meat, green beans, and cream of mushroom. I got some complements on the taste, though it could just have been the cold.
Dad and Ashley brought Rowan and Lydia to join us for a time, and we conversed for a time. It was a very quiet night, with a clear sky and millions of stars. There were owls and coyotes vocalizing throughout the night, and I heard a deer walk through the camp. My three companions were apparently very cold throughout the night, as it got well below 30 degrees. I stayed warm, as I set my hammock up on the ground and made a tarp shelter against a fallen log, and then used the underquilt with my 20 degree mummy bag and was quite warm. I also remained fully layered upon going to bed.

It was quite cold.

The next morning we loaded up and went to Ihop.