Every year I go to Mt Hebo for 3-4 days, for hiking, fishing, camping and woods bumming, it is my favorite place in the world. Usually I go alone with my dog, this time I took my sister and her husband, my brother, my niece and her son (I remembered why I usually go camping alone...), for five days.
Despite the record breaking heat and dry weather we have been having, this weekend on the mountain it was dreary and rainy, but it was a nice respite and the majority of the heavier rain came at night. I do need a new tent, my $15 Bimart sale tent barely holds up to light rain, luckily I always keep a handful of dollar store shower curtains in my car for emergency ground covers. I stayed dry and toasty warm all weekend.
The knives for the trip. My SAK Soldier, Boker Whittler and CS Canadian Belt Knife never left the pack.
HF Hatchet, Austin Goldman belt knife, Marbles Camp Cleaver. The cleaver is a hell of a chopper, I put a secondary bevel on it after I refinished it, it sings as it tears through wood.
My nephew is usually glued to a computer, so this weekend I wanted to get him interested in the outdoors. Over the course of the trip he learned how to fish, know when a wild berry is ripe, know not to eat a wild berry unless it is given to him by an adult, how to find a geocache, how to climb up and down a mountain, how to use a fire steel, how to chop kindling, and most importantly, how to make a cheese quesadilla over the campfire.
The lake we camped at. Usually the campground is about half full, this weekend is was packed. I may have to move to the dispersed campground up the mountain a few miles, but right now fires are only allowed in developed campgrounds.
This is why I love this forest. This is my favorite tree there.
I found this well built stone firepit out on an old, closed forest road, while searching for firewood. Whoever built it even left a stack of kindling for the next person.
I also found this beautiful piece of wood. I could hardly stand burning it, so I pulled it out of the fire. I'm going to make something out of it.
On our hike, we found these fungi, I'm not sure what they are, but I was told they are uncommon. Not sure if that was true, but they were tasty (kidding, do not eat strange fungi).
After a long hike, Caesar was worn out, luckily we had a box to put by the fire (he stresses out when camping if he does not have a box to sleep in).
My brother in law managed to break his Leatherman while bending down a thin, rusty finish nail (I was able to bend it down with my thumb).
My parents drove up and met us at the lake for a day. This was a bittersweet moment, my Dad is terminally ill, but was feeling well enough to come up and even go fishing. It will likely be one of the last times I get to fish with my Dad.
Overall, it was a good trip, despite the rain and the company of people who do not enjoy dirt in their food and a brisk mountain morning (If I heard one more complaint about 65 degrees being too cold, I may have snapped). I may go back up alone or with a smaller group and check out the dispersed campground later this summer.
Despite the record breaking heat and dry weather we have been having, this weekend on the mountain it was dreary and rainy, but it was a nice respite and the majority of the heavier rain came at night. I do need a new tent, my $15 Bimart sale tent barely holds up to light rain, luckily I always keep a handful of dollar store shower curtains in my car for emergency ground covers. I stayed dry and toasty warm all weekend.
The knives for the trip. My SAK Soldier, Boker Whittler and CS Canadian Belt Knife never left the pack.
HF Hatchet, Austin Goldman belt knife, Marbles Camp Cleaver. The cleaver is a hell of a chopper, I put a secondary bevel on it after I refinished it, it sings as it tears through wood.
My nephew is usually glued to a computer, so this weekend I wanted to get him interested in the outdoors. Over the course of the trip he learned how to fish, know when a wild berry is ripe, know not to eat a wild berry unless it is given to him by an adult, how to find a geocache, how to climb up and down a mountain, how to use a fire steel, how to chop kindling, and most importantly, how to make a cheese quesadilla over the campfire.
The lake we camped at. Usually the campground is about half full, this weekend is was packed. I may have to move to the dispersed campground up the mountain a few miles, but right now fires are only allowed in developed campgrounds.
This is why I love this forest. This is my favorite tree there.
I found this well built stone firepit out on an old, closed forest road, while searching for firewood. Whoever built it even left a stack of kindling for the next person.
I also found this beautiful piece of wood. I could hardly stand burning it, so I pulled it out of the fire. I'm going to make something out of it.
On our hike, we found these fungi, I'm not sure what they are, but I was told they are uncommon. Not sure if that was true, but they were tasty (kidding, do not eat strange fungi).
After a long hike, Caesar was worn out, luckily we had a box to put by the fire (he stresses out when camping if he does not have a box to sleep in).
My brother in law managed to break his Leatherman while bending down a thin, rusty finish nail (I was able to bend it down with my thumb).
My parents drove up and met us at the lake for a day. This was a bittersweet moment, my Dad is terminally ill, but was feeling well enough to come up and even go fishing. It will likely be one of the last times I get to fish with my Dad.
Overall, it was a good trip, despite the rain and the company of people who do not enjoy dirt in their food and a brisk mountain morning (If I heard one more complaint about 65 degrees being too cold, I may have snapped). I may go back up alone or with a smaller group and check out the dispersed campground later this summer.
As for the Indian Pipe Mete is correct. Very cool plant that grows in my area.
