It’s time to get out of my comfort zone

On this trip, I will challenge my normal limits and see how it goes.

The weather, mid-west drought, and personal/business commitments have reduced the amount of backpacking I’ve done this year. I decided to hike the Big Piney Trail in Paddy Creek Wilderness to get a few more miles in before the year’s end. The daytime temps on two days were forecast to be below freezing. This will be interesting, as I don’t normally venture out if the daytime temperature drops below 40°F. The predicted overnight temps also push my self-imposed limits (20°F nighttime minimum).

It’s not that I don’t have the gear for the cold weather. It’s that I don’t see the point of sitting around for extended periods in the cold, especially as it is dark now from around five-thirty pm to seven am.

On this trip, I will challenge my normal limits and see how it goes.

The Plan

Day One. I will hike from the trailhead, starting on the South Loop, and take the shortcut to the North Loop to get to ‘Spring Hollow.’ I’m fairly confident there will be water there.

Day Two. Hike from ‘Spring Hollow’ around the North Loop to the Big Paddy Creek scenic overlook, and on to the South Loop and camp at a campsite I found a while back near Little Paddy Creek. Little Paddy Creek always seems to have water below the shortcut crossing, so that’s good. This is going to be a warm day — Yay! Followed by a cold night — Boo!

Day Three: Hike to ‘Paddy Creek Trolltunga‘ and spend the night there. It will be a cold day — the daytime temperatures will be in the mid-twenties.

Day Four. Hike out. Again, it’s going to be cold with temps just around freezing.

As for my gear, I’ll take my winter tarp, quilts, and lots of food and fuel. I’ve decided to stick with sandals for this trip to see how they work out in the cold. I’m leaving my chair behind to reduce weight for when I’ll need to carry water for my night at ‘Trolltunga’.

Day One

I managed to get to the trailhead by midday, I’d hit some delays because a local bridge was closed (only for a week), and there were no posted detours. The route I picked to get around it was longer than necessary.

There were two Forest Service vehicles in the Roby Lake Trailhead parking lot. Once on the trail, I soon met the Forest Ranger and a couple of guys returning to the vehicles. I quizzed the ranger on the availability of water — Not a lot — and the state of the trail at the Big Paddy Creek Crossing as a month ago, there had been major flooding (ironic in the middle of a drought). I expected the trail to be a horrendous mess at the bottom of the ridge where it meets Big Paddy Creek. The ranger’s knowledge was limited to the fact that they currently had workers at the nearby campground removing silt and debris from flooding at the site. I’d have to find out the state of the trail for myself when I got there.

From the junction of the North and South loops, I set off along the South Loop and spotted the above Frost Flower by the trail. The trail was easy going with a couple of promising signs of water. However, when I got to the first crossing of Little Paddy Creek there was no water. Fingers crossed there will be water downstream and at my destination for tonight.