Karen and I couldn’t sit around and watch it rain so we walked down by the water to explore for a while. I wanted to show her where an old blacktop road leads down to the waters edge and is swallowed up by the lake. In 1960 the Kinzu dam built on the Allegheny River for flood control changed the landscape of this region making a vast recreational area. On sunny summer days, speedboats, skiers, and jetskis whiz up and down the lake, but today the lake was quiet except for the tapping of light rain. As we explored along the shore, it stopped raining and we returned to the campground to set up our camp.
One of my favorite things to do while backpacking is build a campfire. Any firewood left by previous campers was completely soaked from the all day rain. It would have been nice to hold our boots up to a fire to dry a little, but at least now that the rain had stopped we could change into dry clothes.
We tidied up our camp and Karen spread some things out on the picnic table to dry. It was nearing dinnertime so we boiled water for our instant meal of macaroni and beef and ate it with some raw beans and carrots. We also had more coffee making sure it was decaffeinated this time. Karen went to get water and wash our cups while I set up the tent. When she got back and saw the tent for the first time, she had that doubting look in her eyes. “Are you sure that tent will be big enough for the two of us?”
I assured her that it was a two-person tent, however, I was always solo on other trips with it. I told her she could sleep on the picnic table under the tarp if she didn’t think there would be enough room in the tent. She didn’t like that idea either and informed me that I also had to sleep closest to the tent zipper. If something is going to get you in the night, it’s always best if you are the furthest away from the zipper. That’s where they always come in after you.
I was sliding in our air mats and sleeping bags when a lady from one of the camps came by to invite us over to their campfire. Somehow they had managed to gather and dry enough wood to get a nice fire started. We told her that we would try to stop by in a while after we got everything organized. Neither Karen nor I were enthusiastic about visiting but thought they might feel bad if we didn’t go. It was starting to get dark so we grabbed headlamps and walked to their campsite.
When we got to their camp, two more backpackers from another site had joined in and everyone was telling stories of their hikes. It was almost like a competition to see who had the story about the greatest backpacking adventure. One young lady told of hiking into the Grand Canyon – along the treacherous cliff face, through eighteen inches of snow – with such drama that we wondered how she made it out alive. They were nice enough and it was good to visit for a while, but we really didn’t come backpacking to meet other people, so after awhile we excused ourselves and headed back to our tent.
I slept well for the most part but Karen said she couldn’t get comfortable and tossed and turned continually through the night. The morning sky was of parting clouds and the hint of sun breaking through. It hadn’t rained at all during the night and that made it a lot easier to break camp and pack up. We breakfasted on dehydrated scrambled eggs and bacon and more Starbucks instant coffee, swung on our backpacks, and headed up the trail for our second day.
To be continued…
Loved part 2 as much as part 1. The campfire sounds cozy, if a little crowded. I might prefer getting back to the tent, too. Keep it coming. (Post more pictures!)
When I read the first part, I was hoping that the rain would quit. Squishing socks don’t sound like fun to me; I was glad to see that the sun broke through in the morning. Good story, although the food doesn’t sound too tempting. Probably after the exertion, any thing palatable would taste good. I guess I’m just a pampered old lady!
I think Karen was probably more scared of a boogey man than a bear. (Bears are generally timid of people, and it’s extremely rare for them to attack. I’ve learned a lot about bears in the last 6 months.)
See! Uncle Daryl completely understands…he must have read the same research studies that I did. Although what dad neglected to mention in his story is that where the floor meets the sides of his “tent”, there is nothing between you and the great outdoors but a 8″ panel of mesh….ALL the way around the tent and it has no rainfly. He will tell you it is a wonderful feature…Super lightweight, blah, blah, ventilation, blah, blah, no condensation….all the mesh meant to me was that the weak zipper area was the least of my concerns! Lol
I remember when the Kinzua Dam was built; it changed the area quite a bit.
I’m glad neither of you returned covered with bear claw scratches. As long as you didn’t sleep with honey or blackberries between you, you were probably both safe.
I thought I was checking blogs quite often but somehow these got posted almost a week ago and I missed them. Great story Dale! Now I’ll be checking back often for the third part.
I thought part three was going to be coming soon.