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‘That’ cairn
Pole (Pete) Hollow Trail Junction. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It was dark when I hiked in on Friday so I took my customary photograph of the cairn at the junction of the Pilot and Pole Hollow trails on the way out.
At the Pole Hollow Cairn. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Wet trail conditions
Wet conditions. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Hercules Glades Pilot (Tower) Trail
Pilot (Tower) Trail – the trail was a little wet. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Day Three, and the start of the spring turkey hunting season
Day Three, and the start of the spring turkey hunting season – All ready to hit the trail again at ‘Twin Falls Hollow’ Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. The spring turkey hunting season opened this morning which explains my snazzy hat. Not that anyone should be taking a potshot while I’m hiking on the trail, but I am camped well away from the trail. Beyond the 200 yards distance you are supposed to be before discharging a firearm.
I’m standing where I hang my hammock, which gives some idea of the lie of the land here.
One day I’ll remember to look at the lens and not the phone’s screen. Le sigh.
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Day Two. Camped at ‘Deep Hollow’
Camped at ‘Deep Hollow’ Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It rained through most of the night and into the morning. It was supposed to warm up today, but that didn’t materialize. I wanted to get a few miles in and be in a good position to get back to the trailhead before noon the next day. My plan was to hike down to Long Creek via the Devi’s Den Trail and then cut back up to the Pilot Trail via either the Glades Trail or the Cedars Trail, do some exploring up ‘Twin Falls Creek’ and find a new place to camp. That would give me a seven or eight-mile hike for the day.
All set up at my ‘Deep Hollow’ campsite. Have I mentioned I forgot to pack my camp chair? Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Rainy Sunday morning – quick picture before I break camp. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
There’s a lot of room under the tarp when the hammock is out of the way. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Stopped for lunch – Not only did it rain, but without a camp chair I had to eat standing up. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It started raining while I was stopped for lunch in the Devil’s Den (about three miles into my day’s hike), just off of the Rock Spring Trail (Long Creek Trail). While I was eating lunch — standing because of the lack of a camp chair — three hikers came by, which was another incentive to get off the popular Rock Spring Trail as quickly as possible. I decided to take the shorter route via the Glades Trail back to my old stomping ground, ‘Twin Falls Creek’.
Sticking with the plan I explored up ‘Twin Falls Creek’, but my efforts didn’t uncover any nicer camping spots than I’ve already found. I ended up back at the campsite I used on Friday night. Oh well, I did try to find another campsite.
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Looking down ‘Spring Hollow’
Looking down ‘Spring Hollow’ – A new (for me) Scenic Overlook. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I followed a spur trail that I’ve passed by often and wondered where it might lead, and it brought me to this scenic view. My best guess was that ‘Spring Hollow‘ was in front of me. A quick check on the GPS showed I was right.
I had to climb up on a boulder to get this picture and the best of the view.
Behind me was a big fire ring. Unfortunately along with the fire ring, there was a huge discarded blue canvas tarp. Far too big and heavy for me to even consider carrying it out. I’m guessing someone brought it in not thinking about how much weight it would gain when it got wet, and so abandoned it. Maybe they plan to come back. Who knows? What I do know is that the tarp is an eyesore.
Fire ring – Unfortunately along with the fire ring there was a huge discarded blue canvas tarp. Far too big and heavy for me to carry out. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Ready for the day’s hike
Ready for the day’s hike – just about to leave ‘Twin Falls Hollow.’ Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I spent the morning waiting for the rain to clear and contemplating the scenery. Hiking back to the trail, I passed by the falls and both falls were running, it’s been cold, so there was no cold shower today. I took a picture of the falls last time I was here, so I didn’t stop and just carried on hiking.
My plan for the day is to camp at ‘Deep Hollow’ an easy hike of just over three miles. Ginger says, quite rightly, I’m getting predictable with my trips. The truth is with limited time, a return deadline, and wanting to get at least a few miles in while keeping away from people, Hercules Glades is my best bet.
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Sig Sauer P938 & Alien Gear Shape Shift Holster
Sig Sauer P938 & Alien Gear Shape Shift Holster. I may (or may not) have been doing a little target practice. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. So far I’m pretty pleased with this setup. It fits on my pack hip belt well, and I’ve worked out a way to fix the holster to the ridgeline of my hammock. The holster has the retention release on it so the Sig is not going to go anywhere.
The only thing I’m not so keen about with the Sig is its single-action trigger. This means if you carry the gun with a round in the chamber, which I do, the hammer is always cocked. It’s still safe, there’s the safety (and holster) stopping it from being fired. But I prefer the Beretta’s double-action trigger, which you carry with the hammer down. I thought about this a lot before getting the Sig. The difference is mainly psychological. As it turns out, after years of carrying the Beretta ‘locked & loaded,’ I have no problem carrying the Sig with the hammer cocked.
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Once again in ‘Twin Falls Hollow’
Day One – Camped in ‘Twin Falls Hollow’ – I arrived at 9:40 p.m. yesterday after hiking in on a dark and foggy night. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I’ve not had a chance to draw breath this year. Work has been super busy, plus the weather and catching up with chores at home have managed to keep me off the trails.
I wasn’t going to be able to get away this weekend either because I do some things on social media for work that I cannot schedule in advance. Ginger volunteered to do them for me so I could get away. It was nearly six-thirty when I left home, with a one hour and fifteen-minute drive and then a couple of hours hiking ahead of me, it was going to be a night hike with a promise of rain.
I was on the trail by seven forty-five, about half an hour before dusk. After hiking for under an hour it was pitch black and very foggy, but at least no rain. Despite the fog, I saw two deer, a rabbit, and my first lightning bug of the year. I also heard some peepers (frogs). The lack of visibility didn’t seem to slow me down too much, I arrived at my campsite in just under two hours. Setting up camp, I was most dismayed to find I’d left my camp chair at home. Oh well, three nights of sitting and eating in the hammock it will have to be.
It rained a lot overnight, but I was snug, dry, and warm. The forecast is for warm-ish days, cool nights, and more than enough rain. I’m staying out for a total of three nights. I would have liked to be out longer, but I have to be back in Springfield to pick up a rental vehicle Monday afternoon and then drive up to Lee’s Summit for a meeting. No extended trips for me at the moment.
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Trip write-up: Three nights at Hercules Glades Wilderness, April 2022
Rainy Sunday morning – quick picture before I break camp. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I’ve not had a chance to draw breath this year. Work has been super busy, plus the weather and catching up with chores at home have managed to keep me off the trails. I didn’t turn down an unexpected opportunity for a quick break in the woods.
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New work profile pic
Gary Allman, April 12, 2022. Copyright © 2022 Ginger Allman, all rights reserved. I received a request for a profile pic for my voluntary work, and I don’t like the goofy picture I’m using for my profile at work, so I got out the tripod, set up the camera, and asked Ginger to take some pictures and got both fixed.
I also took a selfie on my way home from Kansas City this afternoon. I’ll get around to posting that sometime I guess.
This is the one I picked.
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Kitchen table still life
Kitchen Table Still Life – I was eating dinner when I noticed the light on these pots that Ginger threw at a pottery class she’s been taking. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I was eating dinner when I noticed the light on these pots that Ginger threw at a pottery class she’s been taking. After I’d finished eating, I stacked the dishwasher and fetched my camera.
Kitchen Table still life – what caught my eye. Sitting down to dinner I thought the light was looking good for a picture. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. The scene I actually saw is in the picture to the right (above if viewed on a phone). The clear glass wasn’t very photogenic, and one of my favorite pots was tucked away at the back. Half a poinsettia wasn’t going to add to the composition either so some slight re-arranging was necessary.
Finally, the dark blue glass vase wasn’t visible against the black background (a large piece of black card I was using to remove the visual clutter of the kitchen counter). This was only supposed to be a quick five-minute picture, not a photographic masterpiece, so I opted for a simple solution and used a keychain flashlight, stashed behind the pots to light it up.
And there you have it. A few minutes of tidying up in Lightroom and I was done.
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Milwaukee Fastback 48-22-1990
Milwaukee Fastback 48-22-1990 – I’ve finally got around to replacing the pocket knife I gave to Katie. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I gave Katie my old Milwaukee Fastback knife in 2019 when she was living and working in Colombia.
It’s an inexpensive workhorse, but as I discovered, this model, the 48-22-1990, seems to have been superseded by the 48-22-1520. I love this knife. It’s a great, dependable EDC option. You can open it with a flick of the wrist, and if you are careful, you can close it one-handed.
Reviews by people trying to buy the 48-22-1990 knife on Amazon say they were sent the wrong knife, and even the Milwaukee website has pictures of a different knife in their product listing (and still does three years later in 2025. See the screen capture below). Notice how the blade is a different shape. The description claims the wire pocket clip is reversible, which it is on the real 48-22-1990. A close examination of the product pictures they currently have shows the knife does not have a reversible clip, nor interestingly, does it have the model number stamped on it — which mine has.
Not the Milwaukee Fastback 48-22-1990 that I’ve owned for many years… Image: Milwaukee Tool website I could have had a 48-22-1990 shipped to a store near me for $15, but I didn’t want to mess with being sent the wrong knife. Instead, I indulged in a bit of online research, which led me to a seller on e-bay who has a stock of real 48-22-1090s in their original packaging, so I snapped one up. With postage, it cost me a bit more than the $15-$18 it should have done, but I’ve now got an exact replacement for the one I gave away.
I didn’t put a lanyard on my original knife but given these are getting hard to find I think I might have to now.
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Sunday cleaning & oiling. Sig Sauer P938
Sig Sauer P938. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I’ve been trying to get my hands on a Sig P938 for a long time (over a year). For some reason, they are rarer than hen’s teeth. Everywhere I’ve checked they have been out of stock. This is the 9mm version of Katie’s 380 Caliber Sig Sauer P238 handgun.
I probably paid a bit more than I should have, but I’m okay with that to finally get one. This particular version is the P938 Extreme, featuring a Nitron-coated stainless steel slide, black anodized frame, Hogue G-10 Extreme Grips, additional checkering on the frame, and SIGLITE Night Sights. It’s a superb-looking handgun that shoots well. It features a single-action mechanism, equipped with an ambidextrous thumb safety (no decocker) and firing pin block. It’ll hold seven or eight rounds, depending on which magazine I use (six or seven rounds in the magazine, plus one in the chamber).
The Sig is half the weight of my Beretta, and I’m planning on it taking over from the Beretta as my backpacking handgun. This evening, I performed a quick, basic strip-down, cleaned, and very lightly oiled it, ready for its first trip down the range. Look at this post to see the Sig broken down for a more thorough cleaning.
The odd-looking maroon bullets in the picture below are ‘Snap caps’ dummy rounds for practice use plus testing the feed and ejection mechanism. I also use them to protect the firing pin when ‘dry firing.’ That being said, the firing pin on the Sig is ridiculously simple to replace.
Weekend clean & oil – Sig Sauer P938. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Updates
- June 2025 – Updated the text to include the version type (P938 Extreme) and the main differences to the standard P938.
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Last set of shelves
Last set of shelves – Fitting them was not easy… Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. We finally got around to fitting the last set of shelves bringing an end to all the major work on the Utility Room Project for the moment. The delay was caused in part by problems with the paint, and in the greater part by my reluctance to do the job because to get them fitted we had to take down one of the tall wall units. Those things are big and heavy, and I wasn’t looking forward to refitting it.
The job went fairly well with only a small amount of cussing as we lifted the cupboard carcass and finagled it back into place.
I still have a fair bit to do, but it’ll keep while I finish off some other projects (like my backpacking gear closet) and get the last of our planned storage closets built.
Outstanding work to do here includes,
- Fill and paint all the holes I made in the walls when I fitted ledger boards to hold all the cupboards up as we installed them.
- Kickboards to be fitted.
- Baseboard trim fitted.
- Counter tops.
- Build a unit to hold dirty washcloths and a space for a cat litter box.
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March Hibiscus
March Hibiscus – we moved our hibiscus plants inside for the winter and they have rewarded us by flowering every now and then. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. We moved our hibiscus plants inside for the winter and they have rewarded us by flowering every now and then.
I try to step away from my desk and walk for five minutes a couple of times each hour. At the moment I’m not succeeding in doing so very often. It was getting dark – past six p.m. and I was finally stretching my legs when I noticed the hibiscus in the utility room was flowering. The last of the light was catching it just right. I thought it was going to be too dark to get a picture, but I did, and this is exactly what I saw. I love it.
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Bedroom plants
Bedroom Plants – Same old story, I liked the light. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Utility room shelving unit finally fitted in place
Shelving unit finally fitted in place – and with five coats of paint. At least the color matches now. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It’s taken a long time to get this shelving unit made and finished, mainly because of problems with the paint. I’m glad it is now installed. However, there’s still more to do in this room before it is finished. Oh, and the doors were a challenge to fit. I probably should have stuck with my original plan of making a jig for drilling the mounting holes.
With the power of hindsight, Ginger suggested it might have been quicker and easier to move the door and use off the shelf wall units. She may be right.
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Trip over, back at the trailhead
Trip over, back at the trailhead. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Trip over, back at the trailhead, and a very modest 14 miles hiked with 962 ft. of elevation gain. I left camp just after noon, and was back at the trailhead at 1:45 p.m. Not, I should add, without incident, but I’ll write about that another time.
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Twin Falls
Twin Falls. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. One of my favorite, out-of-the-way places at Hercules Glades Wilderness.
Twin Falls. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
