The 900-mile drive

Leaving from College Station, the first few hours went quickly and it wasn’t too long before we had reached Sonora. Still less than half way to the Gilas, we kept trucking along I-10, passing windmills, dust storms, and a strange SPQR car.

Obviously, Senatus Populusque Romanus, but why 15?

Eventually we reached El Paso, and we ate at Rudy’s BBQ. FYI, this Rudy’s had a gas station with very reasonable prices! An oasis, to say the least. Still we knew that knew New Mexico would be slow going. At the border, a signed warned of our entrance into a “safety corridor” with double fines for speeding. Completely baffled at it’s meaning, we excused it – after all, this is New Mexico – the 3rd most dangerous state. The signage continued warning of drinking & driving, dust storms, driving without a seatbelt, and I’m sure there was a sign demonstrating how to hold the steering wheel properly at “10 & 2″ that we missed.

Nevertheless, we trudged on further in New Mexico, very pessimistic that a hill, much less a mountain range, existed. Actually, we passed several ghost towns and wondering how anything/anyone could live out hear. Land of Shatment seemed more accurate. Suddenly, mountains towered out from ground, and similarly our attitude grew taller. As the sun set, Jeremy’s Volkswagen approached the road leading to the trailhead, and it wasn’t long before we setup camp in anticipation of the journey.

Rain Creek Trailhead

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After driving 200+ miles to Silver Bay, MN, we setup camp at the trailhead parking lot. In the morning, we broke it down and had our packs loaded by 7:15 AM. Impressive.

Matt, Abbey, Danesh, Chen, Kristin, and I at the trailhead

Once on the trail, we maintained a hearty pace for several miles before we soon reached a large boulder. With great teamwork everyone scaled the rock. Tired of climbing rocks, we tested our hill climbing (and endurance) by hiking out of Sawtooth Valley. The vista at the top was refreshing.

Kristin and Abbey

Marching down the hill, the trail popped out along Hwy 1. From there, it was another difficult ascent. The hills in the region are challenging, not because of the elevation gain, but rather the absence of switchbacks. You might climb only 500 feet, but there’s no place to catch your breath. It’s just up, up, and up. So as soon as we reached level ground we took a lunch break.

The prolonged sitting tightened our muscles, but we pushed on through the discomfort. Quickly, the trees cleared, and we sat perched on a rock, enjoying the panorama.

One of first views at Lake Superior

After our break, it was an easy 1.5 mile stroll to our campsite. Upon arriving we talked to the previous night’s trip leader, and he informed us of a lake just off the trail. Excited to wash the dirt from our skin, we scurried up the water’s edge. Wasting no time, three us jumped right in, but within a few minutes Chen screamed, “Oh my god, get this leech off of me!!” Screams erupted and those in the water leaped out.

Later that evening we ate chicken and rice with a pineapples and cashews. The rest of the evening I ventured out to a overlook just 0.2 miles up the trail. After 1.5 hours of enjoying the goodness of God’s creation, I heard footsteps. Moments later, Abbey (terrified) and Chen (laughing) came out to where I was sitting. Apparently, my stories about the dangers of hiking alone and finding my map lying in the middle of the trail was enough cause for concern.

Chen watching Danesh drink the pineapple juice prior to dinner

Once the sun began her nightly slumber, the three of us returned home. But not without a little joke. Just before camp, I hid in the bushes and told Abbey and Chen to pretend that I was injured. Soon a convinced Kristin led a skeptic Matt and Danesh right into our trap. My sudden appearance caused Kristin to jump out of her skin and shriek. It was a comical end to a fantastic day.

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After checking into the Ranger Station, we hurried to the Chisos Basin to setup camp before the sunset through the Window. Having quickly setup camp, we started the hike, but it turned quickly into a trail run because the sun was sinking below the horizon. Once we arrived, it was breathtaking. One wrong move and you’d fall off the edge.

We walked back in the twilight, warmed by from a good jog and good scenery. We couldn’t have had a better group of four. Everyone looks out for each other and no one complains. Back in camp, our warmth dissipated and the temperature dropped steadily through the night. Still, we tried to stay up gazing at stars. What a sight.

Psalm 8:3,4

When I consider Your heavens, the works of your fingers;
The moon and the stars, which you have set in place
What is man that you are mindful of him!
And the son of man that you should care for him?

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The following story occurred while hiking in Arkansas on the second and final night.

Around midnight I woke up for the third time. Maybe it was the cold air, maybe the hard ground, or maybe it was the strange noises coming from 5 feet away. I’m guessing the latter, but honestly who knows. Either way, the animal sounds got most of my attention as I reached for my headlamp. As I ‘let there be light’, a raccoon appeared. A snarling contest ensued, which I thought I had won until I noticed the raccoon had already stolen my shoe before I awoke!! Thankfully the taste of Chaco isn’t very appetizing, as my annoying friend deposited the sandal 10 feet away from my bed. But ohhhhh the one-legged jig I danced to go those 10 feet must have been hilarious. The raccoon certainly loved it because it came back for an encore an hour later. This time it woke me by trying to steal my backpack/pillow, but I had a song for him to sing. Unfortunately, the bashful raccoon came down with stage fright when I put my spotlight on him, leaving me with nothing to do but sleep. Well, that was until he started the whole game again and again. Point of the story: None. Sorry if you were looking for something more. To appease you, I leave you with this adage: Don’t take yourself so seriously that you can’t laugh at yourself, especially when a flirty raccoon interrupts your sleep.

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Last week I went up to Arkansas for a few days of hiking to prepare for the summer in Alaska. Mistake #1. Numbers 2-10 were as follows: Going alone, forgetting a sleeping bag, forgetting food, forgetting something for blisters, not looking at the map until lost, not wearing any bug repellent, hiking in thorns, swimming with spiders, sleeping with raccoons, and oh yes, going alone.

But I didn’t notice any of that as the first 4-5 miles were sensational. In fact, the next couple miles were even better, until I realized that the trail ended 20 miles early. I still have no idea where I was at that moment. So, I retraced my steps back to where the trail split, and then had a 30 minute conversation with myself about what to do. Bad map? No, it was great! I, on the other hand, was a poor map reader. 3 times I proved my illiteracy, causing much backtracking. Eventually, I became so confused that I finally decided to keep walking down the trail that was going west. As I walked toward the setting sun, I found a place to lay the all my mishaps to rest.

During the night, I realized that 50 degrees really is cold, and mosquitos really can bite you through a blanket. Throughout the night I kept hearing strange sounds, and the ones I had never heard before sent a streak of fear through me. The biggest scare was the rustling that kept coming closer to my ‘shelter’. Eventually I heard movements about 5 feet directly behind my head. Scared mindless, I tried to find the flashlight, hoping not to see something larger than me. As I powered the light, an armidillo appeared, and I released of a huge sigh of relief.

The next morning I traveled down the same dirt road with no real hope of finding the trail. But less than 10 minutes into the day, the road crossed a stream, and I suddenly realized where I was on the map. After so much confusion the day before, it was hard to be confident of anything, but within an hour my hunches proved correct upon seeing this sign:

Sadly, I missed the 3 most scenic parts of the whole hike, but thankfully I did not have to call it quits 6 miles from the car. As the day went along I noticed that my feet were sending me signals, namely, to stop walking. Crossing so many streams the day before left my feet quite soft and in perfect condition for blisters. Conveniently, the last 6 or so miles were the flattest part of the trail (remember dirt roads aren’t trails). Upon seeing a picnic area (and later waterfalls), I decided to stop for the day. My first order of business was to jump in the river. Ohhh, how a water bath will change the whole psycology of the trip. It’s strange how a spider the size of your hand will change that same psycology. Any spider that big, poisonous or not, makes me rather uncomfortable, and so I took to the high ground near the waterfall.

All that rushing water made me sleepy, but it was only like 6:30, and it wouldn’t be dark enough to sleep until at least 9. Do you have any idea how slow time goes when it’s just you for a couple days? What else was there to think about, talk about, write about, or read about?? Well, the time did pass as I passed out, but only temporarily. Around midnight I woke up for the third time. Maybe it was the cold air, maybe the hard ground, or maybe it was the strange noises coming 5 feet away. I’m guessing the latter, but who knows. Either way, the animal sounds got most of my attention as I reached for my headlamp. As I said, “Let there be light”, a raccoon appeared. A snarling contest ensued, which I thought I had won until I noticed the raccoon had already stolen my shoe before I awoke!! Thankfully the taste of Chaco isn’t very appetizing, as my annoying friend deposited the sandal 10 feet away from my bed. But ohhhhh the one-legged jig I danced to go those 10 feet must have been hilarious. The raccoon certainly loved it because it came back for an encore an hour later. This time it woke me by trying to steal my backpack/pillow, but I had a song for him to sing. Unfortunately, that bashful raccoon came down with stage fright when I put my spotlight on him, leaving me with nothing to do but sleep. Well, that was until he started the whole game again and again.

When the morning put an end to our game, I still had two pinkie toes wanting nothing to with the 6 miles back to the car:

I thought about what to do as I ate my instant oatmeal raw (perhaps one of the finest breakfasts…serioulsy, Quaker Maple & Brown Sugar oatmeal without the water is delicious). But then it hit me, why not use the oatmeal wrapper!! Not only semi-nutrious and delicious, but a friction reducer! What a miracle cure it was, too. Surprisingly, the wrapper stayed on both feet until I had to cross 2 streams less than a mile before the car. And when I saw the car… well, it was wonderful. I crawled into the driver’s seat, pulled out my change of clothes, and traded in all the simplicities of the outdoors to indulge in running water, flushing toilets, and climate/bug control bathroom located at the RV camping area. All in all, it wasn’t the best trip, but I learned something valuable. NEVER EVER HIKE ALONE!

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