Took my youngest out this weekend for an over-nighter; she's 12. It was her first backpacking trip, over-nighter and first hang in a hammock.
Destination: Shepard's Point Trail, Trail of Tears State Park, Missouri. We fit two hammocks on top of a bluff overlooking the Mississippi and the state of Illinoies. The Bald eagles perched "below" us.
Weather; overcast w/periods of sun; highs in the low 40's, lows, about 26 with a windchill in the teens on top of that bluff
Hammocks; She was in a Hennessy with a Warbonnet Edge tarp and a full length 0 degree incubator top and bottom quilt....needless to say she was warm and toasty at night! I had my Warbonnet BB dl with a HG cuben fiber tarp w/doors; used a 20 degree pheonix UQ and a 40 degree Zpacks sleeping bag (looks just like a Top Quilt with foot box and all, no zipper) that weights 11 oz. I'll have to do a review on that...if you're looking for an ultralight top quilt for 3 season or 2.75 season, this is it!!
Fingernails; glow in the dark
it's a relatively short hike along a small loop; the trail was muddy and it was very brisk but still beautiful.
Discoveries:
-quite a few Bald eagles; they were really out along the river, saw the largest I've ever seen, absolutely huge!
-A stand of bamboo; she commented she expected to see a panda bear! Probably a few hundered feet long by 50 ft of bamboo thicket. Not sure how it got to Missouri but it was neat
-Interesting Ice formations; look like creeks froze at the surface and then the water ran out/dried out leaving a thin layer...okay, you had to see this in person to appreciate it.
-you can't sit in the underquilt, it won't support your weight, you have to sit in the hammock
Needless to say we were chilly sitting around camp but there were trains passing by at the foot of the bluff we were on and huge barges making their way up and down the Mississippi throughout the day and at night the barges are beautiful with their lights.
Enjoyed a wonderful meal of shepard's pie at shepard's point (that worked out well) that was simply delicious. I used onions, mushrooms, and hamburger I'd dehydrated with a packet of instant Idaho butter mashed potatoes. Heated the water, re-hydrated the corn and stuff and then added the instant potatoes; it was simply outstanding. Breakfast was coffee, hot chocolate, and maple flavored instant oat-meal.
It snowed a "granular" type of snow during the night; interesting looking stuff, like small styrofoam pellets.
We had a great time; her girlfriends (and she's all girl) couldn't understand why in the world she would go out in the woods...go out in the woods with her dad...go out in the woods with her dad in the freezing cold
I carried almost all of the weight but let her use my Gossamer Gear Murmur pack; she carried 2 liters of water, an extra down jacket, a book, a compact, a foundation brush, mascara...you know, the essentials.
The objective of the trip was to give her a good experience, to love her, to try and burn the memories of the trip into my mind so when she's gone, living her life, I'll remember. Many of you know what I mean and because you know, you also know how much it meant to me.
Enjoy the day; it's about the only thing you know you have...at least for right now!
Sorry for the poor mobile phone pics but it gives you the idea.
Gideon
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