Fire ring at the bottom of the Tower Trail — Piney Creek Wilderness. I’m on the trail again, and this is the plan… +2
Backpacking
Everything backpacking: our gear, trip write-ups, and individual pictures.
Journal: Four days solo backpacking on the Whites Creek Trail, Irish Wilderness, clockwise, January 2024. A break in the weather means I’m off on a four-day hike of the Whites Creek Trail, South and North Loops at Irish Wilderness. Journal: 8 40
February 2, 2024 18:00
Day Four & Trip Summary — Whites Creek Trail, North Loop. Whites Creek Crossing to the Camp Five Pond trailhead.
February 2, 2024 16:30
Loop Finished — And I’ll admit the trail kicked my butt. I wasn’t as fit as I thought I was, and my heart deciding to throw a wobbly at the end of day three didn’t help.
February 2, 2024 14:03
There’s a trail there somewhere — The trail can be very hard to follow (for me anyway). The signs are so faint that if I look away, I can lose it.
February 2, 2024 12:39
Unintended trail markers. Sometimes when you cannot see the trail you just have to look around for a downed tree that has been cleared.
February 2, 2024 12:30
I’m trying out some daisy chain webbing for my hammock suspension.
February 2, 2024 11:19
Breakfast in my hammock. Irish Wilderness, Missouri
February 2, 2024 10:15
All this bushwhacking is scratching up my feet and legs.
February 2, 2024 9:45
Morning tea in my hammock — Irish Wilderness, Missouri.
February 2, 2024 9:42
Day Four — View from my hammock, February 2, 2024 — I survived the night 🙂 (at my age I sometimes wonder!), but my heart was still in AFIB. I had enough water for breakfast (12oz), a cup of something hot (10oz), and about 4oz for the trail.
February 2, 2024 9:28
Day Three – Camped above the Eleven Point River to the Whites Creek crossing on the North Loop. A hard day, and some health concerns. Two-minute read
February 1, 2024 16:30
Eleven Point River, Scenic Overlook — Irish Wilderness, Missouri. February 2024. Video: 26-seconds.
February 1, 2024 11:14
Eleven Point River, scenic overlook — And the only scenic overlook on the Whites Creek Trail. You had better enjoy it! The trail along the top of the bluff is a tad sketchy in places, but it is fine here, though you need a head for heights to step out on the overlook.
February 1, 2024 11:12
Irish Wilderness Whites Creek Trail, trail conditions along the Eleven Point River bluff — It’s a rugged and gnarly hike. Not a trail for anyone who’s not sure footed or has problems with heights! Video: One-minute.
February 1, 2024 10:37
Gear all packed — Irish Wilderness, Missouri. February 2024.
February 1, 2024 10:12
My winter backpacking gear ready to be packed away — Well, I already had a lot of my stuff laid out on my ground sheet while I was playing “Hunt the glasses,” so why not?
February 1, 2024 9:58
Hammock Camping in Irish Wilderness, lost & found, and a bad back — I have managed to lose, and subsequently find three items of gear on my hike so far. But in looking for the lost gear I’ve crocked up my back. Two-minute read.
February 1, 2024 7:38
Camp at first light, Irish Wilderness — The pre-dawn light got me out of bed to enjoy the sunrise.
February 1, 2024 6:55
Looking down the Eleven Point River covered in mist — The pre-dawn light got me out of bed to enjoy the sunrise.
February 1, 2024 6:54
Looking up the Eleven Point River covered in mist — The pre-dawn light got me out of bed to enjoy the sunrise.
February 1, 2024 6:53
First Light, Irish Wilderness — The pre-dawn light got me out of bed to enjoy the sunrise. Video: One-minute.
February 1, 2024 6:52
Day Three — First Light, Irish Wilderness — The pre-dawn light got me out of bed to enjoy the sunrise.
February 1, 2024 6:51
Irish Wilderness Day Two — Fiddler Spring to the end of a ridge overlooking the Eleven Point River.