Heating water for breakfast.
Off Trail
Morning Coffee, camped off of the Big Piney Trail.
March 29, 2024 9:23
Finally, the sun reaches inside my hammock.
March 29, 2024 8:19
Enjoying the view from my hammock.
March 29, 2024 7:43
Day three, sunrise from my hammock — Well, I’m still alive! That’s a good thing. My AFIB has abated, and if I’m feeling okay, I’ll take the longer more arduous route back to the trailhead.
March 29, 2024 7:21
Enjoying the view from my hammock.
March 29, 2024 7:21
Hammock set up at ‘Paddy Creek Trolltunga’ — It’s good to be back, I had to put in a long hike (with AFIB) today to get here, but it is such a great place to set up camp.
March 28, 2024 17:40
My new Hammock Gear Circadian Hammock — My first impressions are that it is wider, and the structural ridgeline is slightly shorter than my Chameleon’s. That appears to result in my being able to lie flatter, and I’m not bashing my head on stuff hanging on the ridgeline when I get in and out of the hammock.
March 28, 2024 10:26
Camped below the shut-ins.
March 28, 2024 7:36
Day Two. It got a little frosty — The temperature last night was a lot lower than forecast, not that I was surprised — it’s not my first rodeo. At least this time I came prepared with my 10° under quilt. +1
March 28, 2024 7:34
Oops! What was that about bad decisions making good stories? I took a risky route to the campsite, misjudged my footing, nearly fell in the creek and broke a hiking pole. I may not be getting too old for backpacking, but I may be getting a bit old to try falling head-first into a deep pool in a 45°F creek while wearing a backpack.
March 27, 2024 16:41
Reflections in the pool below the shut-ins.
March 27, 2024 16:18
Looking downstream.
March 27, 2024 16:17
Pool below the shut-ins.
March 27, 2024 16:15
Shut-ins on an unnamed creek — Paddy Creek Wilderness. This is the upstream side of the shut-ins I discovered on my last visit to the wilderness — for some idea of the scale, it’s around 75ft wide here. The boulders are big!
March 27, 2024 16:08
Frosty Morning in Paddy Creek Wilderness — Not that it is easy to see the frost in this picture, but it is there!
December 6, 2023 9:19
Spring with pools — I camped a short distance downstream from here where the hollow widened out letting me set up my hammock well away from the water sources.
December 5, 2023 14:55
Not where I expected to be, not what I expected to find, and some minor problems along the way — Finally I found a spring with lots of water. Three-minute read, +1
December 5, 2023 14:51
Have a go at spotting my hammock — You should just be able to make it out. Center frame on the skyline!
December 5, 2023 10:38
Hammock Camping in Paddy Creek Wilderness — As it is going to be a short day in terms of mileage, I don’t have to rush to get on the trail. I took the time to light up my Firebox Nano stove for my morning coffee, breakfast, and a follow-up cuppa tea.
December 5, 2023 9:02
Morning view from my hammock — Day Two, Camped in Paddy Creek Wilderness.
December 5, 2023 7:40
Ooh, it fits! Camped in Paddy Creek Wilderness, at a spot I’ve nicknamed Paddy Creek Trolltunga. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, December 2023.
December 4, 2023 16:17
Overhang, not very spectacular, but the sides of the hollow were impressively steep. It looked a bit too low and damp to make a good camping spot for anyone with a tent.
May 22, 2021 17:09
Spring on Steam Mill Hollow – closer inspection of the map showed that I’d missed this spring when planning my trip. It wasn’t a raging torrent, but it was putting out several gallons a minute.