We did a couple of day hikes near Syracuse in April, one at
Highland Forest and one at Morgan Hill.
After a long winter spent indoors we get a bit stir crazy, so even
seeing the little common things gives us a thrill. We did find a clump of frog eggs in a mud
puddle, and also saw a flock of turkeys in the woods.
There are a few more pictures here: Highland Forest & Morgan Hill April 2010
Now things start to get exciting! In early May we had discovered that for some reason, the roads into Moose River Wild Forest weren't open yet, and had gates blocking them. We wanted in, and decided we were going one way or another! So a couple weeks later we got our gear in order and backpacked in for a one night stay. This was our first overnight backpacking trip ever!
Now things start to get exciting! In early May we had discovered that for some reason, the roads into Moose River Wild Forest weren't open yet, and had gates blocking them. We wanted in, and decided we were going one way or another! So a couple weeks later we got our gear in order and backpacked in for a one night stay. This was our first overnight backpacking trip ever!
It was very exciting because we
really were in the middle of nowhere, with no vehicle traffic and really no one
around in case we needed help. The other vehicles in the picture above are from people either camping at this entrance or kayaking the river. It was a
very awakening experience, as we really tuned in to our senses, hearing every
sound and seeing every movement.
The
things we were most on guard for were a mama bear with cubs, moose, and
coyotes. Luckily we didn't see any of
these, but we did walk alongside a set of moose tracks on the road for about a
mile.
We decided not to bring any guns,
as we were already carrying 40-45 pounds each.
What we had for protection was bear spray (pepper spray in large cans
that spray out at least 30 feet), several knives and Ken’s walking stick which
we tied a big knife to in order to make a spear. That was what we would use in the middle of
the night if we were attacked in our tent.
When we got to our campsite and took our packs off, it literally
felt like the world had been lifted off our shoulders! We had hiked in about 7 miles carrying all
that weight. Adding to that was the fact
that I didn’t have the straps on my pack adjusted properly; all the weight was
on my shoulders instead of my hips. It
was so painful I wasn’t sure if I’d ever want to do this again, but I’m so
stubborn I kept refusing Ken’s offers to adjust it for me. So we set up camp, relaxed and ate.
Once we were done with our food and trash, we
walked about a quarter of a mile down the road and hung it all in bags in a
tree. We were a bit anxious about it
because if any critters got to it, we wouldn’t have any food for the next day
until we got back to the Jeep. That
amount of work without fuel for our bodies would totally suck! When we awoke the next morning the first thing
we did was go get our food. I mean, we
did that immediately! I was so un-awake
I could hardly walk right yet. What a
great relief it was to see those bags hanging untouched. We were starving, so we ate, broke camp, and
started heading back.
It did not feel good
to put those packs back on. Finally we
got within about a quarter of a mile of the parking area, and I had to pee, so
I took off my pack and went away to do my thing. When I came back Ken was smiling and said,
“There, try that.” He had adjusted the
straps on my pack, and it was a miracle!
No more pain! I said back to him,
“Well why didn’t you do that sooner? You
could’ve at least offered!” He just
shook his head. At least I knew we could
do this again without it killing me.
The
second day was Ken’s birthday, with perfect weather both days, and what a way
to spend it! We really did have a blast. Check out the rest of the pictures at this link! Our First Overnight Backpacking Trip!!! Moose River Wild Forest 5/15 & 5/16/10
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