Journal: Five days R&R in Piney Creek Wilderness, September 2024 — After my last backpacking trip in April, the weather got too hot, and then we spent August in the UK. I was overdue for some lakeside R&R. With the minimal three-mile hike and five days of lounging around. It was more hammock camping and hardly any backpacking! Trip write-up: Five-minute read, +16
Gary at Piney Creek Wilderness — I spent most of my time sitting and watching the lake and trees, with the occasional swim to cool down, which was exactly what I wanted to do.
Piney Creek Wilderness, Missouri (looking southwest).
Piney Creek Wilderness, Missouri (looking southeast).
Just another picture of my campsite by Table Rock Lake. Piney Creek Wilderness, Missouri. +1
Another visitor — This time a Stick Insect, or Walking Stick, as Ginger calls them. Piney Creek Wilderness, Missouri.
Another visitor — This time a Stick Insect, or Walking Stick, as Ginger calls them. Piney Creek Wilderness, Missouri.
Clearing skies after rain. Piney Creek Wilderness, Missouri. +1
Lil’ friend — Unlike all the other Harvestmen in the area who were busy doing their harvestman things, this one chose to come and sit by me for an hour while we watched the rain fall. +1
Cue the ‘Twilight Zone’ music — Last night, stumbling around in the dark, my headlamp picked out a glint in the rocks that make up the campfire surround. When I went to investigate, I found a Pilot pencil, just like the one I lost in February some 2½ miles away near the stock pond on the Lake Trail.
The view from my hammock. Piney Creek Wilderness, Missouri.
Rainbow at sunset. Piney Creek Wilderness, Missouri.
Sunset at Piney Creek Wilderness, September 2024.
Back at my Lakeside Retreat — Time for five days R&R by Table Rock Lake. +2
Journal: Four days R&R in Piney Creek Wilderness, February 2024 — It’s been almost a month since I was last out on the trail on my trip to Irish Wilderness. I toyed briefly with a four-day hike of the Berryman Trail, but I settled on some downtime by the lake instead. Trip write-up: Five-minute read, +15
Heading Home — I remembered to take an end of hike selfie just before I left the trailhead parking lot. Two-minute read.
All packed up and ready to leave — I toyed with the idea of leaving first thing in the morning, but a bitingly cold wind put me off that idea. It was very windy in the night, the trees flexing had the hammock bouncing around a bit. The temperature dropped to 24 degrees, I wasn’t toasty, but I was warm enough. Two-minute read, +1
Doe! A deer… Despite being 1-200 yards upwind from me they heard me creeping down to a spot where I could grab a picture through the trees. It was nearly dark, and I had to use the max zoom on my phone, hence the very poor image.
The lake is low… It’s almost the lowest I’ve seen it.
Piney Creek Wilderness at Table Rock Lake — Yup, another picture of one of my favorite spots.