This weekend I went on a three day - two night backpacking trip on the Black Fores
t Trail in Central Pennsylvania. Seven of us (plus three dogs) set out to do a 20 mile stretch which was roughly half the total distance of the BFT. I knew everyone in the group but was only close with two of the would-be hikers so I was looking forward to getting to know more about the other four travelers.
We met at Spring’s house on Friday morning to organize some gear and have a little breakfast before driving up to Pine Creek and starting t
he trip. Once at the trail-head we split into two groups. Four of us and two dogs started off to do the first stretch while the others drove on and parked near the first camp location. They set up camp, prepared dinner, and waited for us to arrive.
The first day was about six miles. The part I didn’t anticipate was the first two of those miles being straight up hill (for about 1500 feet) and the last mile straight down hill (for about 1000 feet). Normally that wouldn’t be an issue but throw in a false dog injury, half broken water filter, shin-deep stream crossing, an attacking swarm of bees, cell phone voice mail (seriously?) and over-loaded packs and you have the makings of a trip
with more stories than I can include in this post (which is precisely the reality of the situation).
After the first day was concluded things started to settle in a bit more. Day two started out with bagel sandwiches, hot coffee, and first degree burns (those were all mine though). I wasn’t sure if that was an indication of the day to come but I hoped it was not, especially based on the previous day’s adventures. Fortunately, it was an isolated incident and had no bearing on our future luck.
Aside from the burly uphills and the precarious stream crossings, the rest of the trip went really well. All the camp site
s we used were bonzer. They were right along the icy-cold creek which made for invigorating post-hike rejuvenation. The dinners were not only plentiful but also super delicious (thanks Jamie & Darcy). And the conversations by the fire; okay that wasn’t always appropriate but at least it was consistent from night to day (and back again).
By the time the trip was over I learned more about the rest of the group than I probably cared, but I guess that’s what happens when you spend a weekend with people in the wilderness. Thanks to Spring I have at least one more use for rocks, and to top it off I ran into Tomi (of all people) on the trial. It was a lot of fun and definitely a weekend I won’t soon forget.
t Trail in Central Pennsylvania. Seven of us (plus three dogs) set out to do a 20 mile stretch which was roughly half the total distance of the BFT. I knew everyone in the group but was only close with two of the would-be hikers so I was looking forward to getting to know more about the other four travelers.We met at Spring’s house on Friday morning to organize some gear and have a little breakfast before driving up to Pine Creek and starting t
he trip. Once at the trail-head we split into two groups. Four of us and two dogs started off to do the first stretch while the others drove on and parked near the first camp location. They set up camp, prepared dinner, and waited for us to arrive.The first day was about six miles. The part I didn’t anticipate was the first two of those miles being straight up hill (for about 1500 feet) and the last mile straight down hill (for about 1000 feet). Normally that wouldn’t be an issue but throw in a false dog injury, half broken water filter, shin-deep stream crossing, an attacking swarm of bees, cell phone voice mail (seriously?) and over-loaded packs and you have the makings of a trip
with more stories than I can include in this post (which is precisely the reality of the situation).After the first day was concluded things started to settle in a bit more. Day two started out with bagel sandwiches, hot coffee, and first degree burns (those were all mine though). I wasn’t sure if that was an indication of the day to come but I hoped it was not, especially based on the previous day’s adventures. Fortunately, it was an isolated incident and had no bearing on our future luck.
Aside from the burly uphills and the precarious stream crossings, the rest of the trip went really well. All the camp site
s we used were bonzer. They were right along the icy-cold creek which made for invigorating post-hike rejuvenation. The dinners were not only plentiful but also super delicious (thanks Jamie & Darcy). And the conversations by the fire; okay that wasn’t always appropriate but at least it was consistent from night to day (and back again).By the time the trip was over I learned more about the rest of the group than I probably cared, but I guess that’s what happens when you spend a weekend with people in the wilderness. Thanks to Spring I have at least one more use for rocks, and to top it off I ran into Tomi (of all people) on the trial. It was a lot of fun and definitely a weekend I won’t soon forget.
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1 comment:
Thanks for posting about the trip. Mike wanted some credit, too, for the meals. But for the life of me, I can't remember him helping with them. :) Maybe the fires. . .
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