• Thwarted in the last few feet

    Beaver Creek – It took a lot of bushwhacking to get here. Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day Two. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    I’d be lying if I said it was my plan, but I ended up skirting the top of the low, but very overgrown bluff overlooking Beaver Creek. I was searching for a way down, working my way south towards where I knew there was a hollow and a point where an intermittent creek fed into Beaver Creek. It was becoming what I’d call a ‘technical’ hike, in that I quickly decided the fastest way of moving was to get out my compass and use that to move in a semi-straight line. I couldn’t find an easy route down until I arrived at the hollow near the southern boundary of the wilderness.

    Scrambling down the hollow, it was looking very promising, and I could see a great potential camping spot (maybe a little bit too exposed to the eyes of people on the other side of the creek, but hey, a good site is a good site).

    Beaver Creek – A nice potential camping spot, if you have a bucket on a rope to get water from the creek. Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day Two. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Making my way to the end of the hollow I was very disappointed to find that bank erosion had left a steep 5′-8′ drop down to the creek. Bugger. There was no easy access to the water.

    I sat down and had a late lunch (It was gone two by now), and thought about what to do next. I could easily use my food bag and line to dip water from the creek. But, for whatever reason, I just didn’t fancy that. I decided that I’d bushwhack my way back out to the trail. My plan was to start by going up the hollow to its end and then use my compass to get back to near where I left the trail in the first place. Then I’d head back, and see how the time went and either bushwhack down to Beaver Creek to the north of the bluffs–a squint along the bank to the north suggested that it was more likely I’d be within easy reach of the water there–or, I’d head back to ‘Twin Falls Creek’ and camp there again for the night. The latter plan appealed to me as I’d get in another 3-4 miles of hiking, bringing my days total up to a reasonable 7-8 miles.

  • The gate at the end of the trail

    The end of the trail – The Pilot Trail ends at this gate. Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day Two. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    It’s exactly what I imagined, but still a bit of a letdown. No pot of gold or welcoming streamers. I can, at least, say I’ve hiked the entire length of the Pilot (Tower) Trail now. I’ve been coming here for ten years, and that’s the first time. Next thing you know I’ll have hiked the Blair Witch Ridge trail, which is another trail I’ve yet to hike at Hercules Glades.

    I stopped a moment to have a drink and decide what to do next. I studied the map and decided to back-track a bit and then start bushwhacking west towards Beaver Creek, water, and camp for the night.

    Looking back along the Pilot Trail. Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day Two. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Fall at the far end of the Pilot Trail

    Fall at the far end of the Pilot Trail – On a whim, I changed my plans and decided to venture into uncharted territory and hike down to the end of the trail. Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day Two. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
    Fall at the far end of the Pilot Trail – On a whim, I changed my plans and decided to venture into uncharted territory and hike down to the end of the trail. Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day Two. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Around 12:30 p.m., I arrived at the point where I would have to start bushwhacking to the north of the bluffs. Thinking about it, I changed my mind. I had arrived earlier than I expected, and I decided to hike the Pilot Trail down to its end. It’s something I’ve never done. I knew the trail stopped at a boundary with some private property. But there’s also a point nearby where the wilderness meets Beaver Creek. I reckoned I could get down to the creek there instead and camp for the night. It would involve a lot of bushwhacking, but I had plenty of time.

    I took these pictures about fifteen minutes later, further down the Pilot Trail. The green grass suggests there’s plenty of water here–just not on the surface.

  • Gary at the junction of the Pilot and Devil’s Den West Trails

    Gary at the junction of the Pilot and Devil’s Den West Trails – Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day Two. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    I encountered the second and last person I met during my three-day sojourn at Hercules Glades, here at the junction of the Pilot and Devil’s Den West trails.

    I had just arrived at the cairn marking the junction when I heard someone approaching. I resisted the temptation to hare off down the trail towards the bluffs to avoid being sociable and stood my ground. After exchanging some pleasantries, Kevin told me he was looking for an area of the glades he’d seen a picture of but never visited. I immediately guessed it was the bluffs and said so. I was correct. I also suggested he had probably seen one of my pictures (I’ve not seen pictures by anyone else taken from the bluffs). We shared our GPS maps. I warned him about the lack of water on the bluffs and filled him in on my plan to get down to Beaver Creek to the north.

    I decided that I would hold back and have a snack to give him a head start on the trail. I didn’t see Kevin again. I hope he got to the bluffs and had a chance to enjoy the view.

  • Camped near ‘Twin Falls Creek’ October 2020

    Camped near ‘Twin Falls Creek’ October 2020 – Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day Two. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    The season has moved on a lot since I was here a month ago. Remember the teabag I left behind? It was sitting undisturbed on the small rock, where I left it. I packed it away with my trash before I forgot it again!

    After recovering my food bag from its lounging place in a nearby tree, I got back into my hammock and proceeded to heat enough water for a cup of tea and breakfast of oats and raisins.

    Teabag – I found it where I left it, sitting on a rock. I remembered I’d forgotten to pack it up when I was a mile or so into my hike back to the trailhead in September. I was glad to come back and retrieve it. Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day Two. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Over breakfast I mused on my plans for the day. It was supposed to be slightly warmer, and I could either sit in camp and do nothing, or I could adapt my original plan for the weekend. That plan had been to start out Friday morning and hike the six miles down to the bluffs on the wilderness’s western edge. Once there, I planned to check out a potential spot to the north of the bluffs with access to Beaver Creek. Studying the USGS map there was one point where the wilderness met Beaver Creek, and there was a hollow that seemed to offer a manageable path down to the creek.

    USGS Topo Map showing ‘Twin Falls Creek’ and the bluffs on Beaver Creek

    I decided I’d go and look for water at the bluffs. Doing so would bring my weekend hike up to around 12 miles. Had I been able to get away Friday morning, I had planned to hike about 18 miles altogether.

    If it all went wrong and I couldn’t get to Beaver Creek and water, I could either come back and spend another night at ‘Twin Falls Creek,’ or maybe hike down to Rock Spring.

    The bluffs are only around three miles from my campsite, so I lounged around a bit before breaking camp. Shortly after 11 a.m. I was on my way. Having learned my lesson yesterday, I set out wrapped up in my hiking pants and puffy jacket.

  • Gary, beanie, puffy, and hammock & the unexpected problems of losing weight

    Gary, beanie, puffy, and hammock. Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day Two. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Yesterday I made some silly mistakes, and I have now come to some obvious conclusions.

    On this trip I was trying out new backpacking clothing options, and while I was checking how well my choices were working, I was slow to make changes when things weren’t. And that was a problem.

    When I set out on the trail, it was 46°F and windy, so probably somewhere in the late thirties taking into account the windchill. All I was wearing was my hiking kilt and a sports shirt. I quickly realized I needed something to keep the wind off, so I put on my rainjacket to act as a windbreak. After an hour of hiking, my legs, below the knees were warm, as were my feet. However, my thighs, arms, hands, chest, and ears felt cold. I stopped and swapped my windbreak for my puffy down jacket. I was disappointed that I didn’t instantly feel warmer. I spent a lot of money on that jacket. I expected better results.

    Once I’d arrived at my campsite I set to filtering some water. At the time it struck me as odd that the water felt warm, but I thought nothing else of it. With camp set up, I changed out of my trail clothes into my baselayers. I put on my hiking pants and my puffy jacket and made a hot drink and meal. I was still cold though.

    I originally planned to pack my 40°F top quilt, along with my 10°F underquilt as a defense against the predicted cold wind. At the last minute, I changed out the 40°F top quilt for my 10°F quilt and fitted the winter cover on my hammock. I’m glad I did.

    The seasons are moving on, and it’s getting dark early, I was in my hammock reading shortly after seven. I kept my puffy jacket on (with the hood up) and put gloves on too. I was still cold. By nine-thirty, I’d given up trying to read and turned in for the night still feeling cold. In the middle of the night I woke up feeling far too hot. I had to get out of the puffy jacket, vented my top quilt, and fully opened the air vent in the hammock cover.

    What was going on?

    Over the next few days I thought long and hard about what had happened.

    • Firstly, and obviously, I’d waited far too long to put on a warm jacket when I hiked in. I ended up being very chilled. The fact that the creek water felt warm should have immediately set the alarm bells ringing.
    • Having bare legs is fine, but I was losing all the heat my leg muscles were generating. I should have switched to pants, or put on my baselayer bottoms.
    • My concern about my gear not performing properly was unfounded. Insulating jackets and quilts can only keep you warm if you are generating warmth in the first place. It was only after my body started metabolizing the food I’d eaten and generating heat that I finally warmed up.
    • It’s taken me a long time to realize that my weight-loss regimen has come back to haunt me. I’ve lost around 26lbs, and I don’t have as much easy to metabolize fat on me for my body to consume to keep me warm. Nor do I have the fat on my body to insulate my core—a double whammy. Not only that, but without the extra padding, my backpack is no longer as comfortable as my bones now poke into it.
    • Up to now I have typically hiked with an estimated daily calorie deficit of 400-800 calories per day – more than an additional two-serving Mountain House meal. I need to review that strategy.

    What to do? 

    Now I’m carrying a lot less body fat, I need to be much more careful about getting chilled while hiking, and much quicker to layer up. I need to have some calorie-dense foodstuffs on hand, peanut butter, coconut oil, etc.

    Fortunately, if I decide that I need it, I can get better padding for my backpack, which will help with my pokey hips and other bones.

    As I plan to do a lot more winter hiking this year, I need to sort this out. My plan is to be comfortable, whatever the weather. I have a lot invested in extra insulation and clothes for winter backpacking and camping so I’d better see to it!

  • View to the east

    View to the east – This overcast weather is set to stay for the weekend, so no nice bright fall colors. Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day One. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    One thing I’ve learned is that little things that shouldn’t be in the wilderness are frequently signs that lead to interesting discoveries. On a friend’s farm, we followed a series of colored tapes tied to bushes to lead us to an illicit deer stand (which we dismantled and dumped at the edge of the property where the tapes made their first appearance). In the wilderness, the equine users use tapes to mark their unofficial trails. Once upon a time, a trail-side cairn indicated a nearby view or camping spot. Nowadays the cairns spring up like mushrooms overnight and are a blight, but that’s another story.

    Today hiking along I spotted a piece of blue tape tied to a bush. I stopped and looked around. Sure enough, on some brush at the edge of a wooded area about fifty feet from the trail I saw another tape. I had time, so I thought I’d explore. Pushing through the brush I came across a well-worn trail which led to a fire ring hidden among the trees. The trail also carried on out of the other side of the small wooded area. I decided to check it out. The trail led to this vista and then petered out. I stopped just long enough to grab a picture before returning to the main trail and heading to my campsite for the night.

  • Gary at the Pole Hollow Cairn, October 2020

    Gary at the Pole Hollow Cairn, October 2020 – I’m out on the trails again, and either I’ll get a few miles in, or maybe I’ll just sit in camp. We’ll see. Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day One. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    What can I say? It’s become a tradition to take a selfie here. And yes, I did check if the two rocks I placed here earlier this year were still in place, and they were.

    I’m wearing my rain jacket as a windbreak. It’s my first time wearing it, and it’s great, but a tad slippery feeling. The wind is blowing hard and cold, and the jacket kept the worst of it at bay, though later in the hike I switched it out for my down puffy jacket.

  • Fall color on the Pilot Trail

    Fall on the Pilot Trail – It’s a gray, cold and damp day, but the fall color is still nice. On the Pilot Trail headed west. Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day One. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    It’s Friday, it’s two-thirty in the afternoon, and I’m giving myself a well-earned break out in nature. The weather is damp, cold, windy, overcast, and that is the outlook for the entire weekend.

    Fall Color on the Pilot Trail – Hercules Glades Wilderness – Day One. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Despite the dull weather, the fall color is looking good, if a little subdued in the gray light.

    It is the first time I have hiked Hercules Glades during the fall color. For the past couple of years, at this time, I have been running myself ragged shooting and editing video for the annual convention. Thanks to COVID-19, I’m relieved of that duty. This year, I have the extra load of trying to work out how to do everything online. It’s involved developing a voting system and building a new website. I no longer have the experienced help of my much-missed assistant, Angela, who retired in March and sadly died in July. I have been kept busy with posting reports, resolutions, and nominations. At the same time, I am trying to maintain our regular communications and social media presence. Not that I haven’t had help. My fantastic colleagues have happily and ably pitched in to assist me. But we’re struggling to fill the void in our knowledge left by Angela’s absence — Annual Convention was very much her pet project each year.

    Back to my weekend break…

    Water will be the limiting factor that determines where I go. That and my desire to stay well away from any other people. Apart from a downpour a few days ago, it’s not rained in a couple of months, and the ground is parched under the damp covering of leaves. The good news is that I know where in Hercules Glades there are springs that should have water. To avoid people, I’ll probably stick to the less popular and less well-traveled northern side of the wilderness. I might hike to Beaver Creek on the western edge of the wilderness and stop there. I’m torn between wanting to sit quietly and enjoy some time in the woods and a desire to get some miles under my belt.

    I had already met one person on the trail (I was only going to see one other person during my three-day stay). He was fully camoed, including camo face paint. Apart from a complicated-looking compound bow, he was empty-handed. We are in the middle of the turkey bow hunting season — I always check the hunting seasons before venturing out into the woods — “No luck, then?” I inquired. He said all he’d seen was a couple of people, and unless I’d brought some game, he had nothing. With that, we parted our ways.

    With a bit over four hours of daylight left, I’m headed down to one of my favorites camping spots near ‘Twin Falls Creek.’ There should be water there, and I have some trash to pick up. I Accidentally left a teabag sitting on a rock when I camped there in September. I didn’t remember it until I was hiking back to the trailhead. Unless some critter has carried it off, I reckon it should still be there, and I can clean it up and “Leave no Trace.”

    As seems to be the case on most trips this year, I have some new, untested gear, mainly clothing, to try out. 

    • Rain jacket and skirt
    • Merino wool base layer
    • Down puffy jacket with hood
    • Luna Sandals (new pair with grippy, thick soles)
    • Carbon fiber hiking pole
    • Rechargeable headlamp
    • Waterproof shoulder pocket for my phone/GPS (I bought this after almost immersing my phone in the flooded waters of Table Rock Lake in July).

    And, to mix things up a bit, I’ve re-organized my pack. We’ll see how all these changes work out.

  • Night, night, Tubby

    Sleeping Tubby. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Today we helped Tubby cross over the ‘Rainbow Bridge.’ It’s amazing how these little furry people manage to worm their way into our hearts. Even irritating ones like the Tubbmiester. Tubbs was the last man standing of our four cats and managed to see in eighteen years. And that was despite having asthma, high blood pressure, kidney disease, being blind, half-deaf, and more besides. He was taking a couple of pills a day, and having an inhaler every night.

    He was also a very loving cat, making it known that he wanted to be petted, or just sitting waiting for hours for you to come and pick him up. He may have wandered around the house like a Roomba, but he could sure tell the time, and went and got up on the bed each night yelling for us to come to bed. Quite the irritant, and quite an affectionate fellow too.

    He spent his last morning in one of his favorite places — standing over the heat vent in my office. When he climbed up on my office sofa, and sat waiting to be petted, I couldn’t turn him down, and he sat on my shoulder purring in my ear.

    Tubby and Gary – two old grey men together. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
    Tubby purring on Gary’s shoulder. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Shortly after lunch he went for his last car ride, and ultimately, gently fell asleep in Ginger’s arms.

  • After four years I’ve finally hit my weight target

    When I started I was 182lbs. Today I finally hit my target of 156lbs. Which means I’ve lost 26lbs. It took a lot longer than I thought, now I’ve just got to work on keeping it down. I still want to reduce my body fat percentage from its current 20% down to 18%. In another four years?

    Update: With the benefit of hindsight, this was a one-day wonder. I doubt I’ll hit this weight again by 2024!

  • How much IKEA furniture can you fit in a Cadillac?

    How much IKEA furniture can you fit in a Cadillac? More than you’d think, but not everything Ginger bought. Just as well we had our car to take home what didn’t fit. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    I worked in Kansas City on Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, we were holding a special diocesan convention to vote on a change to the diocesan rules of order that would enable us to hold an online convention in November. We hoped the meeting would be short, with just one item to vote on.

    Friday night I was getting ready to go out for dinner when I received a message from Ginger. It was a bunch of dimensions. Would these fit in the trunk of my rental vehicle? (This weekend’s free rental upgrade was a Cadillac). She asked if I’d mind going to IKEA to pick up a table for her. “Sure thing, no probs, if it will fit,” says I, not knowing if the backseats laid flat at that time, and blissfully ignorant what entering an IKEA store in the midst of a pandemic entails. A few minutes in the car and I’d worked out how to lay the backseat flat and it looked like I could fit something 6ft. long and 3ft wide in the space. I was good to go. I’d go to IKEA after I’d finished work, load up, and head home.

    Saturday morning, we’d finished setting everything up and everything was still working (phew!), and I checked my messages. There was one from Ginger, essentially saying she’d found a load more stuff she wanted from IKEA, and she was driving up to Kansas City.

    My diocesan business successfully conducted, and all the gear packed up and put away (thanks guys!), Ginger and I had a brief chat on the phone. I’d go and sit in the IKEA parking lot, and wait for her to arrive. All I can say is, I’m glad she decided to come up. The line to get into IKEA was impressive, and I’m not sure I would have had the patience for it on my own. After an hour touring the store and spending an awful lot of money (this is all for Ginger’s business, so, fortunately, it’s all tax-deductible), we were ready for another game of IKEA Tetris. The Cadillac swallowed an impressive amount of stuff, and the remainder fitted in our little SUV — I still miss our minivan on occasions like this.

    We stopped for dinner around half-way back at Clinton, and when we got home, we indulged in a bottle of wine to celebrate Ginger’s upcoming studio remodeling.

  • Special Diocesan Convention

    All set up. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Friday and Saturday I was working in Kansas City. We were holding a special diocesan convention on Saturday to vote on a change to the diocesan rules of order to enable us to hold an online convention in November. The special convention had to be in person with appropriate physical distancing and all the associated precautions. Friday we’d set up all the AV equipment, ready for the meeting. We hoped the meeting would be short, with just the one item to vote on. It might be a short meeting, but the preparation and break-down times are the same if the meeting lasts 30 minutes or two days.

    All ready to go – sneaky selfie, can you see me? Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Saturday morning, we’d finished setting everything up and everything was still working (phew!), and I checked my messages. There was one from Ginger, essentially saying she’d found a load more stuff she wanted from IKEA, and she was driving up to Kansas City.

    Once our diocesan business was successfully conducted, all the gear was packed up and put away, thanks to all the staff members who helped pack everything. You saved me loads of time!

    Now, to head off to IKEA!

  • Hike over

    Hike over – Selfie back at the car. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Time for a quick selfie sitting in the back of the car. All in all, I hiked 11 miles and climbed 1,100 feet. Considering I’ve not done any exercising since my last trip (and that was only six miles), I’m happy with that result. The new tarp setup worked well, and my new food and other stuff sacks did their job admirably. Now I need to get out on the trails more. However, work is going to be going against me on that.

  • End of the hike

    Looking east from the Pole (Pete) Hollow Trail – that’s another view I don’t get tired of. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    I had a bit of trouble getting up onto the ridge. The bottom of the trail was very overgrown and I couldn’t spot the trail heading up the ridge. I quartered the area for a short time, I checked the GPS, and then I decided that rather than waste any more time I’d just bushwhack up the side of the hollow, and pick up the trail on the ridge. Bushwhacking out of the hollow was tough. Not only was the brush dense, but the hollow is also steep. But sure enough, once I got up on the ridge I found the trail and got on my way. I stopped on the top of the ridge to take the above picture, I’ve taken several pictures here before, but the late afternoon sun made the lighting different.

    I’d left the pool below The Falls around three-fifteen p.m. I reckoned I’d be back at the trailhead between half-past five and six p.m. Bushwhacking out of the hollow had slowed me down, but I was at the cairn at the junction of the Pole (Pete) Hollow Trail and the Pilot (Tower) by four thirty-seven. There I looked to see if I could find the stones I’d place there in April, and I think I did. The Cairn is only half an hour from the trailhead so my timing was good.

    Our rocks are still on the cairn – the cairn at the junction of the Pilot (Tower) and Pole (Pete) Hollow Trails. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    There are four hills to climb between the cairn and the trailhead, and I was rapidly losing steam. Even with a few stops to catch my breath, I got back to the parking lot by five-thirty p.m. Hike over!

    Well almost. I noticed a big poster on the noticeboard, so I headed over to read it. I found I could see what it said from a fair way away, it was just a standard ‘No Fireworks’ poster. But, I hadn’t been thinking, and I’d crossed and stood on a load of grass. There must have been a lot of hungry chiggers in that grass, as I had loads of bites – 50 to 100. The bites didn’t stop itching for a week, and I’m still covered in scabs.

    Hike over – Selfie back at the car. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • The pool below The Falls

    Pool below The Falls. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Long Creek Falls

    Long Creel Falls – I knew the falls wouldn’t be running. I also knew they’d be plenty of water in the pool for my lunch. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    The falls were dry as expected, but there was plenty of water in the pools. Enough for me to think about having a dip before continuing on my way. There had been no one else on the trails (the spider webs across the trails gave that away), but while I was heating water for my lunch a small group of people arrive, dashing my plans for a finding out how deep the water was.

    I spent over an hour here, enjoying the view and eating my lunch.

    Looking down Long Creek. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • First trail junction of Day Two

    First trail junction of Day Two – This is the junction with the Devil’s Den East Trail (Upper Pilot Trail). Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    This is the junction of the Pilot (Tower) Trail with the Devil’s Den East Trail (Upper Pilot Trail).

    And below we have another example of what the well-dressed Brit backpacker is wearing out on the trails.

    All ready for the trail – though I see a minor dress malfunction. The belt on my kilt has got caught on the hip belt of my pack and I’m showing far too much leg. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Though, as it says in the caption, there is a minor dress malfunction. The belt on my kilt has got caught on the hip belt of my pack and I’m showing far too much leg.

  • Watching the wildlife (and drinking tea)

    Watching the wildlife (and drinking tea) – I watched a deer run past, followed shortly afterwards by a much more stealthy coyote. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    I planned on having a relaxing morning, and getting away around noon. While I was sitting enjoying the morning and my second cup of tea, I heard and then saw a deer running north on a game trail about 50-100ft down the hill from where I was. The wind was blowing up the hill, so the deer didn’t have a clue I was there. That was cool. Then a few minutes later I watched a much more stealthy coyote trotting along the trail in the same direction. I didn’t hear the coyote, but it moved some brush which caught my eye, so I was able to watch it pad along the game trail in front of me. That was even more cool!

    Watching the wildlife (and drinking tea) – I watched a deer run past, followed shortly afterwards by a much more stealthy coyote. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Morning tea, breakfast in bed, and things that rustle through the underbrush at night

    Morning tea and breakfast in bed. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    In the dark, the animals that you imagine are making the noises grow four-fold or more, with teeth to match!

    The night was quiet, but not without some visitors. First, there was a pissed-off deer huffing, puffing, and stomping, then some coyotes yipped and howled their way past on the trail a couple of hundred yards away, and finally, there was something creeping through the underbrush. The latter, I don’t mind admitting, spooked me.

    I’ve taken part in several discussions online about night noises in the wilderness. It takes a while to adjust to them, and this was my first trip in a couple of months. In the dark, the animals that you imagine are making the noises grow four-fold or more, with teeth to match! Some people wear earplugs so they remain blissfully ignorant. I tend to ignore the noises or tell the critters to go away. Not that they take much notice.

    This one got me out of my hammock peering around in the dark to try and see what (and where) it was. The last time that happened was at Piney Creek Wilderness in 2018. Maybe my recent dream about something walking into my hammock affected me more than I thought. Anyway, I told myself I was being silly and retired to my book again. Whatever it was (probably an armadillo or a possum) snuffled off.

    Breakfast and tea in bed, are not quite as relaxed as they look. Mainly because before you can make tea or prepare your breakfast, you have to wander off into the woods to retrieve your food bag. Needless to say, I didn’t bother lighting my wood burner and used the Fancee Feest stove to heat the water.

    Morning tea and breakfast in bed. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
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