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Hmmm, bacon
Any day that starts with bacon is good…
I start every day with bacon. 🙂 -
Ugh!
Today is a triple espresso + Mountain Dew type of day…
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Hike over, back at the trailhead
Hike over, back at the trailhead. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. That’s my hike over, and it’s just before 4:15 p.m. Not bad, and still daylight. I should be home by 5:45 p.m. I completed today’s hike of six-plus miles in a little over three hours. I’ll take that.
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Back at the Pole Hollow Cairn
Back at the Pole Hollow Cairn. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. 
Just checking my rocks. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It was too dark on the hike out Friday night for my obligatory Pole Hollow Cairn selfie, so I decided to slip one in on my return hike.
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Nothing to see here, move on…
View? there’s supposed to be a view… Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. 
View from a glade. Hercules Glades – Day Two. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Just as a refresher, this (pictured right) is what I’d expect to see somewhere around here. It was very misty, drizzly, and damp.
Misty Glade. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
All packed up and ready to head home
All packed up and ready to head home – and it’s only six-and-a-half miles of fairly flat going. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It’s 12:46 p.m., the rain is due to start at 2 p.m.(-ish), and I have a six-and-a-half mile hike. A year ago, I’d allow nearly seven hours for the journey, which would get me there around 8 p.m. I reckon I’ll do it in four to five hours at my current hiking speeds, which should get me back to the trailhead before dark.
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Gear damage
Gear Damage Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I tore my under quilt protector when I fell out of my hammock on my last trip. Despite spending half-an-hour looking for the damage at home, I didn’t find it. I’ve now made careful notes of where the damage is so I can repair it. I’m usually pretty easy on my gear. In the past couple of trips I’ve:
- Burned a hole in my new down jacket,
- Torn my under quilt protector,
- Torn my rain skirt.
I’m hoping tenacious tape will fix all of the above.
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Improvised water filtering arrangements
Improvised water filtering. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. This is what happens when you don’t use a packing list and pack in a hurry. I forgot to pack the 64oz water pouch I use for holding unfiltered water. The pouch screws onto the filter, squeeze it, and you have clean water. Fortunately, my 8oz squeezy washing bottle has the same fittings, so I used that instead. It’s good to know I have a backup if I ever burst my 64oz pouch.
Of course, I could have chemically treated or boiled my water, but this worked fine.
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Hot chocolate to start the day
Hot chocolate to start the day. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It rained — a lot — overnight. It was expected, and there is more rain forecast from 2 p.m. this afternoon too.
A misty, drizzly day – Once again my trip is forecast to end in rain. I think that’s every trip since September. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Camped above ‘Deep Hollow’
Camped above ‘Deep Hollow’ – Despite exploring for several miles yesterday, this appears to be the only place near a water source. Oh, and it rained (a lot) overnight. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Settled in for the night
Settled in for the night – somehow, despite arriving in daylight, I ended up setting up my hammock in the dark (again). Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Bearing Tree & Land Survey Monument
Bearing Tree – There were three in total, triangulating a corner of the wilderness. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. 
Land Survey Monument – Marking a corner of the Hercules Glades Wilderness. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I arrived at my destination early enough to embark upon some exploring. I love finding the various markers that the land surveyors leave behind. This set marked a fairly remote corner of the wilderness. I was here looking for water and new potential camping spots. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any water, so I ended up camped back near the spring I’d found on my last visit to Hercules Glades.
While I was exploring it started to hail. Having learned my lesson of the perils of waiting too long to put on waterproofs on earlier trips, I put on my rain gear straight away. The wind was cold so I kept it on even after the hail had stopped. That would have been okay, except I was doing some bushwhacking, and I ended up tearing my rain skirt on some cat briars. More repairs to be completed.
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Puffy jacket hood malfunction
Puffy jacket hood malfunction – What can I say? You would think I could dress myself by now. At least I didn’t fall out of my hammock this time. Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
First hike of 2021 – Camped at ‘Twin Falls Hollow’
Camped at ‘Twin Falls Hollow’ Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. My first hike of 2021. I didn’t start packing my gear until I finished work, and so it was dark when I left home. I started my hike in the dark at 7:40 p.m. There was some light from the risen half-moon, the sky was clear, and, as far as I was concerned, all was well with the world.
On the trail, what immediately surprised me was seeing the sprinkling of lights from all the houses, towns, and cell phone towers surrounding the wilderness. The lights showed through the bare trees, where you couldn’t see the surrounding countryside in daylight. Walking down the trail towards a distant light almost had me thinking there was someone on the trail coming towards me. Following the trail was easy, and I kept my headlamp on its lowest setting — which proved to be a mistake when I accidentally took the Cedars Trail in the dark. No harm done, I’d only gone ½mile when I realized my mistake and backtracked. What’s an extra mile between friends?
Camped at ‘Twin Falls Hollow’ Copyright © 2021 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. In just under two hours, I hiked 4.38 miles to get to my campsite at ‘Twin Falls Hollow.’ It was only when I got ready to collect some water to heat my dinner that I discovered that I’d forgotten my 64oz unfiltered (dirty) water bottle in my hurry to get going. I sat down and went through the options. Boiling my water, chemically treating it, etc., then I thought I’d check if the cap on my 8oz washing water bottle was the same size as my filter. It was. It took four fills to get 32oz of water, and I only had 8oz spare instead of my normal 64oz, but it was workable. By the time I’d set up camp, filtered water, cooked and eaten dinner it was gone midnight, and the temperature was rapidly dropping to the low-to-mid twenties.
I was expecting it to remain cold and clear overnight and into Saturday afternoon when it was forecast to cloud over with some rain overnight, ready for a rainy hike out on Sunday. Where have I heard those predictions before? Seems like a continuation of September through December 2020 to me. Not to worry, I knew what the forecast was when I started, and this was just the weather I’d anticipated when I upgraded my hiking clothes last year.
I’d like to say I had a wonderful night. I didn’t. For some reason, my bladder went into overdrive. If I got up to pee once, I got up at least half a dozen times. At least I was nice and warm in the hammock, and to compensate, I slept in. All in all, that’s a good start to my 2021 backpacking season.
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Grammarly
So Grammarly tells me it detected a new tone in my writing last week — ‘negative.’ Now I need to get started on ‘sarcastic’ and ‘antagonistic.’
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2020 Backpacking Year Summary
My annual total for 2020 was 28 nights, 216 miles, and 20,500 ft of elevation. Not an overly impressive set of figures, but considering the year’s events, not too bad either. I exceeded my nights out goal of 24 nights, and I missed my mileage goal of 240 miles by just 24 miles. I visited six wildernesses in fifteen trips and completed hiking all of the trails in four of them. My first trip was January 5-7 and my last December 26-29. To do this I drove some 2,116 miles. That’s over 40 hours of driving. No wonder Dance Monkey is stuck in my head.
Despite everything else that has been going on (i.e. the pandemic), it’s been a good year. I’ll take that.
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Final trip of 2020 over — Not the most flattering of pictures
Hike over – it was chilly! Hercules Glades – Day Four. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It was just above freezing when I started on the 3.5-mile hike back to the trailhead, and the wind was blowing hard. I’ve no idea what the wind chill factor was. Cold. I wore my waterproof jacket as a wind-block over my down jacket. Once I got moving, I had to remove the down jacket as I was overheating. My ears, though, were cold (as Ginger likes to point out, “That’s because they are big.”). Not wanting to take the time to dig into my pack for a beanie, I used a buff I keep in my pocket to protect them from the wind. Not particularly fashionable, but then, when have I been fashionable? The temperature was 41°F (5°C) when I arrived back at the trailhead, just before half-past-twelve.
Despite the problems (of my own making), my last trip of 2020 had been good, and it taught me some lessons that will hopefully help me stay safe in 2021. I hiked the 3.5 out miles in under two hours.
Trip Summary
- 26.3 miles hiked
- 2,172 ft of elevation
- I’d hiked the Blair Ridge Trail, my last un-hiked Hercules Glades Trail, and
- I’d found a source of water on the western edge of the wilderness.
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Tales of stupidity — Camped overlooking ‘Twin Falls Hollow’
Camped overlooking ‘Twin Falls Hollow.’ Hercules Glades – Day Four. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. This trip had been dogged by a series of stupid mistakes. My final mistake could easily have been fatal, but as is usually the case when I do something stupid, I was lucky and got away with it. Until possibly, one day I won’t. Fortunately for me, all I ended up with is some damaged gear and a bruised ego. It’s a timely reminder to not get too complacent when I’m out on the trail.
So, what were the mistakes?
Tipping over my alcohol stove and spilling burning fuel
I was lucky that I was on a non-flammable pebble beach at the time
On Day Two I forgot that my alcohol stove was unstable in heavy wind and it blew over. That was plain stupid, and I was lucky that I was on a non-flammable pebble beach at the time. I have got into a habit of setting up the stove, lighting it and everything’s fine. I didn’t take any account of the conditions.
Burning a hole in my new down jacket
A quick application of duct tape prevented the loss of the down that had not been burned away
Also, on Day Two. At the end of the day, I was mixing up my hot chocolate in my mug next to the alcohol stove, which was busy boiling the water. I suddenly noticed the very obvious — if you’ve ever smelt it — odor of burnt hair. I inspected my hands. No, they’d not been near the heat, and as I turned them over, I saw that I’d let my new — super expensive — down jacket get too near to the stove. The outer shell had burned and melted. A quick application of duct tape prevented the loss of the down that had not been burned away. There was only a small damaged area, but I could have set the whole thing on fire. Not good.
Not allowing for ‘run-off’ when I set my tarp
I was surprised at how much the tarp material stretched with the weight of the resulting block of ice
Setting my tarp on Day Three — the pictures above — I set the side facing the hollow low to the ground to keep out the cold wind I was expecting. Wanting lots of headroom for making breakfast under the shelter of the tarp the next morning (Day Four), I set up that side of the tarp high and flat. Too high, and too flat. I woke up to find that the night’s rain, hail, and snow couldn’t run off the tarp and had collected into a big frozen pool in the middle. I was surprised at how much the tarp material stretched with the weight of the resulting block of ice.
And finally, falling out of my hammock
I was lying dazed on the ground, having taken the brunt of the fall on the back of my head
This was the stupidest, and potentially most dangerous mistake I made. I fell out of my hammock. It sounds funny, and I’m sure to a bystander it would have looked hilarious. For me, one moment I was sitting sideways, legs dangling over the side of the hammock, and the next, I was lying dazed on the ground, having taken the brunt of the fall on the back of my head. I lay there, legs entangled in the hammock, trying to take stock of what had happened and if, and how much I was injured.
This has been my first full trip where I’ve not used a winter cover or bug net on the hammock — both of which force you to climb in correctly. I can only presume that I grabbed the back edge of the hammock (instead of the nearest, leading-edge), pulled it forward, and sat on what was the outside of the hammock with nothing in place to catch me and provide support. Then as I leaned back, with no hammock sides to stop me, I fell straight out the back.
Normally this would not be an issue. But, I’d set the hammock higher than usual to get it up out of the wind, and I was on the side of a very steep hill, so I actually fell some 4-5ft. And the most dangerous aspect of this act of stupidity is that that the ground there is littered with huge rocks. My head just missed the big rocks that can be seen in the above picture. If I’d landed on any of them, I might not be here writing this now. My SOS beacon was inaccessible, hanging on the hammock ridgeline, and if I’d been unconscious that wouldn’t have been of help anyway.
Had the worst happened, Ginger wouldn’t have been concerned until the next day when I didn’t signal ‘all okay’ in the morning. She’d probably have thought that I’d forgotten to send a message, or she might have messaged me to check if all was well. However, that would have been over 14 hours later, not to mention the time it would have taken to reach my location. Another 4 to 5 hours? At least, thanks to my beacon, Ginger can request an update on my position, and folks would know where to find me.
Just to add insult to injury, when packing up camp, I noticed a couple of holes in my new under quilt protector, out on its second trip. It must have dragged across some of the rocks in the fall and torn. Another new piece of gear damaged.
Lessons
- Pay attention to what I am doing and the impact of my surroundings and the weather.
- Be very careful around the stove or fire with my down jackets (or anything flammable).
- If there is rain in the forecast (and even if there isn’t), set the tarp so that rain has a way to run off.
- Just be more careful.
- Always carry my SOS beacon on my person, If it’s hanging in my hammock and I’m incapacitated on the ground, I might as well have left it at home.
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Gary at the Blair Ridge Trailhead
Gary at the Blair Ridge Trailhead. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. The hike from the Falls to the Blair Ridge Trailhead is supposed to be around three-and-a-half miles. I’d say it was nearer to three. It was a cold, dull, gray day, so no pictures. Anyway, it was just standard Ozarks ridge trail scenery. That’s my last unhiked trail in Hercules Glades completed.
I saw no one on the trail, and just one pickup went past while I was at the trailhead, from which I received the statutory Ozark salute of the raised palm from the steering wheel, and to which I responded appropriately with a nod and raised hand.
Blair Ridge Trailhead, Hercules Glades Wilderness. It’s just a wide spot on a gravel road. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. 
Blair Ridge Trailhead, Hercules Glades Wilderness. Hercules Glades – Day Three. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Originally I was going to stop for lunch and a cup of tea. But while hiking the trail another idea had formed, and I decided to hi-tail it straight back without stopping. If I stuck with my original plan and camped back near Long Creek, I might end up spending a cold afternoon sitting looking at the view. Or I could pile on a few extra miles by taking the Cedars (Middle) Trail up from Long Creek to the Pilot (Tower) Trail, and camp for the night overlooking ‘Twin Falls Hollow.’ I might have to set up camp in the dark, but it would push my day’s mileage up to around nine miles, plus some extra elevation and it would leave me three miles from the trailhead for the hike out in the morning.
And that’s what I did. I stopped briefly for some lunch when I got back to Long Creek and then set off towards ‘Twin Falls Hollow.’ Despite it being midweek and cold, I encountered around eight people on the short portion of the Long Creek Trail that I hiked. After that, I saw no one. There’s a good reason why I normally stay away from the trails near Long Creek and the Falls.
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Vertigo
Vertigo – Watch your step, it’s a fairly steep drop of around 100ft. I made sure I didn’t drop a hiking pole while taking a picture here. Hercules Glades – Day Three. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
