I'm a long way from my family so I decided to make use of my Thanksgiving break in a different way. I've been getting gear together for the better part of the last year, slowly but surely and recently "completed" my kit with a water filter. So with everything I needed I figured I'd make my first back country trip. I ended up going alone to Lost Maples State Natural Area north west of San Antonio.
The first day was hot, over 80 degrees. I hiked in with another solo hiker that I ran into in the parking lot. We parted after reaching the first back country spot. He was waiting for others and I wanted to cover some more ground. Up one great big hill and down it on the other side I reached my campsite.
I set up next to a pond, pitched the tent, filtered some water, and started fixing my thanksgiving dinner in a bag.
Later that evening I went looking for a good piece of wood to make a walking stick. Some of the steep terrain was pretty tough going down without a stick. I sat down to clean it up with the 2 fixed blades I brought.
I was originally going to pack lighter and just bring either my HEST or the Mora and the Skeletool. But I just got the ESEE 5 and figured since the weight would be on my belt and not my shoulders I wouldn't mind it much. I'm glad I brought it since I used it to hack off some smaller branches and de bark the walking stick. I was also happy to have the small saw that I had in the sheath kit. I used it to separate my walking stick from a woodpile.
The temp ended up dropping fairly low at night. I froze my ass off in my 40 degree bag (the only one I have). I woke up a few times to add some more layers. So lesson learned there.
Day 2 stayed in the upper 40s and low 50s and was much more comfortable hiking weather.
It looked like someone was breaking the ol' no ground fires rule not too long ago.
I stopped at this stream for some water and an oatmeal lunch.
When I reached what I planned to be my next camping site I found it already occupied. Between that, the next closest site being straight up the steep hill I just came down, and the forecasted temp nearing record lows of 19 degrees the next night, I decided to just cover the last few miles of trail and head back to the car.
In the end I'm glad I did, I wasn't quite prepared for such a temperature swing and I ended up getting a sweet deal on a Smith and Wesson 637 the next morning at a Gun Show that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to attend.
I'm certainly glad I spent the time and money getting together the gear for these types of trips. I definitely need a warmer sleeping bag and could probably go for a bigger pack to do away with the external stuff sack. The bag I used (a high sierra) carried a lot better than I thought it would. I figured it would be a little short for my torso length but it did a good job transferring the load to my hips.
In the future I'll probably build a similar kit around a smaller knife to lighten my load a bit. The ESEE 5 was probably overkill in an area where you can't even gather firewood anyway. I was glad to get out and use it tho. I even used the glassbreaker end to pull my tent stakes out of the ground.
Another thing I noticed about myself is that I'm stuck in the Marine Corps hiking mindset. I tried to enjoy the sights, take it slow, rest at scenic places, and take alot of pictures... but I found myself subconsciously walking as fast as I could, cutting rests short and focusing too much on getting to the next campsite. I should go with a partner next time that can slow me down or force me to enjoy the hiking portion more.
Who knows when I'll get another chance at a backcountry trip. But I certainly can't wait. Thanks for reading.
The first day was hot, over 80 degrees. I hiked in with another solo hiker that I ran into in the parking lot. We parted after reaching the first back country spot. He was waiting for others and I wanted to cover some more ground. Up one great big hill and down it on the other side I reached my campsite.
I set up next to a pond, pitched the tent, filtered some water, and started fixing my thanksgiving dinner in a bag.
Later that evening I went looking for a good piece of wood to make a walking stick. Some of the steep terrain was pretty tough going down without a stick. I sat down to clean it up with the 2 fixed blades I brought.
I was originally going to pack lighter and just bring either my HEST or the Mora and the Skeletool. But I just got the ESEE 5 and figured since the weight would be on my belt and not my shoulders I wouldn't mind it much. I'm glad I brought it since I used it to hack off some smaller branches and de bark the walking stick. I was also happy to have the small saw that I had in the sheath kit. I used it to separate my walking stick from a woodpile.
The temp ended up dropping fairly low at night. I froze my ass off in my 40 degree bag (the only one I have). I woke up a few times to add some more layers. So lesson learned there.
Day 2 stayed in the upper 40s and low 50s and was much more comfortable hiking weather.
It looked like someone was breaking the ol' no ground fires rule not too long ago.
I stopped at this stream for some water and an oatmeal lunch.
When I reached what I planned to be my next camping site I found it already occupied. Between that, the next closest site being straight up the steep hill I just came down, and the forecasted temp nearing record lows of 19 degrees the next night, I decided to just cover the last few miles of trail and head back to the car.
In the end I'm glad I did, I wasn't quite prepared for such a temperature swing and I ended up getting a sweet deal on a Smith and Wesson 637 the next morning at a Gun Show that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to attend.
I'm certainly glad I spent the time and money getting together the gear for these types of trips. I definitely need a warmer sleeping bag and could probably go for a bigger pack to do away with the external stuff sack. The bag I used (a high sierra) carried a lot better than I thought it would. I figured it would be a little short for my torso length but it did a good job transferring the load to my hips.
In the future I'll probably build a similar kit around a smaller knife to lighten my load a bit. The ESEE 5 was probably overkill in an area where you can't even gather firewood anyway. I was glad to get out and use it tho. I even used the glassbreaker end to pull my tent stakes out of the ground.
Another thing I noticed about myself is that I'm stuck in the Marine Corps hiking mindset. I tried to enjoy the sights, take it slow, rest at scenic places, and take alot of pictures... but I found myself subconsciously walking as fast as I could, cutting rests short and focusing too much on getting to the next campsite. I should go with a partner next time that can slow me down or force me to enjoy the hiking portion more.
Who knows when I'll get another chance at a backcountry trip. But I certainly can't wait. Thanks for reading.
:thumbup:
) and it makes a good lesson for the kids.