MO>Amidon Memorial Conservation Area; THIS WEEKEND!

**Gideon** · 12-26-2013, 19:58

Okay, short notice but i've decided to hike into Amidon Memorial Conservation Area and hang Saturday evening. It'll be a short hike, mostly bushwacking. Some of you know this area as the Castor River Shutin's. I'll be parking at the parking spot "below" the shutins and hiking up the East bank of the Castor River.

I'm roughly planning on getting to the parking spot around 11:00 am. This is low mileage but no trails that I'm aware of.

Pyro may come, may not. Anyway, I just have to get into the woods, mainly just want to explore the shutins a little and spend some time hanging/relaxing. Need to get my head on right and being in the woods helps me with that!

If you've never been to the Castor River Shutins, think of them as mini-Johnson shutins.

If you want to join me, reply or send me a PM and I'll forward you more detailed info on the location. It's down by Fredericktown, MO. you can google it but be sure to google "Amidon Memorial Conservation area.

if you like to squirrel hunt you can bring a .22 and try your luck in the morning.

Sunday I'll take my sweet time breaking camp and meanering my way back to my car.

here's a link:
http://extra.mdc.mo.gov/cgi-bin/atla...i?area=8426map
Notice on CR 208 right next to the river, but on the "west" side, there's a small black square, that's a parking lot and where I plan to park, then cross the creek and turn North up along the east side of the river until we see the shutins and then hang on a hill over looking them.

Gideon

**Gideon** · 12-30-2013, 11:48

Well, it was a great solo overnighter! I didn't think anyone would be able to join me on such short notice. As much as I enjoy the company, I also enjoy solo hikes. It's a good chance to mess with gear and relax a little. You go at your own pace.

This trip was about clearing the head and messing with some gear. First off I planned the hike so I had to cross the Castor river at the very begining of the hike. This was a test of my new shoes, Sportivia Ultra Raptors. I wanted to try hiking in shoes that aren't waterproof. So I just plowed into the river up to my knees and hiked across. It was FREEZING COLD but within 5 minutes after crossing i was warm enough. I did have to stop and tighten my laces up a bit but it wasn't uncomfortable hiking in the wet socks or shoes. By the time I made camp, my feet were only slightly damp and not uncomfortable at all. Changed into dry socks at night; by morning my other socks were almost completely dry.

This is a conservation area so there aren't really a lot of trails; going in I just hiked north along the eastern bank of the Castor river; at times it was more like climbing rocks and hills. So I didn't hike much, just wandered around and explored the river; spent a lot of time in camp reading a book, messing with equipment.

Next I changed out my tie outs on my hammock. I used a shock cord loop at each tie out to secure a tiny line lock. I ran my line up through those. There's a thread on the site that shows it and I attached a picture. I have to say, it's the best thing since sliced bread

I can't believe how well it works, makes adjusting your tie outs ultra simple and it's still ultralight weight. I know some purists only want knotts but these line locks work far better than the pursac's I was using. Seriously, it's the best set up for tarp tie outs that I've ever used or seen. Even after it rained at night they held securely. I added only a few grams to my tarp weight by adding them. If you're not 100% on your setup you owe it to yourself to consider this way of doing it.

Next I tested out my new cook kit; it worked wonderfully. Also, I HIGHLY recommend Ramen Rescue from Packit Gourment. Add that to your Ramen noodles and it makes them so much better. I also add 1/2 a cup of parmesan cheese! I also enjoyed Mac and Cheese cooked in, and eaten from the pot; didn't taste like a rehydrated meal; instead it tasted just like it does off the stove top!! Used and REI camp spoon that won't melt if you stir boiling food in the pot and I used a homemade cozy for the pot after cooking to keep my food warm.

Tested a set of hammock gear 20 degree top and bottom quilts. These have their new suspension; all I can say is "perfect". My base weight on this trip was about 8.32 lbs; for that weight I love having the benefit's of full lenght quilts; no pads or fussing with anything!

Used my new Black Rock Gear Hadron-S hat; it's a dream to sleep in. In fact, it was almost too warm for this trip; it only got down to around freezing. Another benefit of the Hadron is that it doesn't itch as bad as my wool watchcap did.

I did decide that from now on I'll skip my Gossamer Gear Murmer Pack when I'm packign the full length quilts. The weigh isn't a problem but stuffing them into the Murmur seems to put a lot of pressure on the stitching; from now on I'll use my Gossamer Gear G4 when I'm carrying full length quilts and use the Murmur when I drop down to 40 degree 3/4 quilts.

So it was a great trip; ate well, rested, read a really good book, and even enjoyed a light rainfall at night; I like the sound it makes on the tarp.

Lesson; when you get a chance to go...go.

Here's a link to a short video that shows a part of the river.

Gideon

http://youtu.be/cHPBBqiyNw8

**digitizer101** · 01-03-2014, 12:53

Gideon, This sounds like it was very relaxing. The perfect trip. I have to agree I love company when I hike but every once in a while I also like to get out there alone and just take my time and really enjoy nature. Glad to hear you got a chance to get out.

Hope to see you soon it has been to long.