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I went out for another backpacking trial run on Monday. After the death march the first time out, I made two changes in strategy:
1) I lightened the load bringing the pack weight down from 49 pounds to 35 pounds. A lot of little savings, including a new lightweight tent. But, the biggie was not carrying any water except what I would drink on the hike in.
2) A much less ambitious hike. Just a flat 3.2 stroll along the Pemi Eastside trail from Lincoln Woods Trailhead on the Kancamagus Hwy in the White Mountains of NH. Destination was the Franconia Brook Tentsite -- a primitive backwoods area with 18 tent sites, good water availability from the river, and outhouse facilities.
Not a terribly scenic destination, but I'd never been up the east side of the Pemi. The 7 mile hike on my first outing just about killed me. And, I'm not ready to climb with a heavy overnight pack.
Everything went according to plan. The hike in with 35 pounds was enough to be a good workout, but not a death march. I picked out a site and got my tent pitched in short order. (I had pitched it at home when did the permethrin treatment). Strolled down to the East Pemi, sat on a rock in the late afternoon sun, and filtered 4 liters of water for coffee, dinner, and so forth while watching a first year orientation group from Yale ford the river.
Poor kids. They were on the fourth day of a loop, had spent the first night in the pouring rain and the day before climbing up to Franconia Ridge. I don't think they were hikers and not terribly well equipped (iodine for water treatment, big plastic painters tarps as their shelter. Duct tape on their feet for blisters. They were pretty much demolished. Anyway, they ended up pitching they camp and campfire right next to me. I think I tortured them with my fresh ground coffee and dinner of ramen noodles and salmon...
In the middle of the night (about 1:00 am) I heard a scream. Not just any scream. A blood curdling scream A mass murderer scream. The kind of scream that you'd let out if you were home alone and Charlie Manson walked in the door. A scream like when you hear the chainsaw start in a slasher movie. Turns out, one of the kids has woken up to see a bear poking around their backpacks six feet away from where she was sleeping. This was accompanied by a chorus of screams and headlights in every direction. I finally crawled out of my sleeping bag to check it out and hear th story of the bear.
I never actually saw the bear, but about 10 minutes later, I hear "BEAR! BEAR! BEAR BY TENT!" from the next campsite on the other side of me. Sheesh. Needless to say, I didn't get right back to sleep..... Smile
They said they put all their food in the bear box (dumpster) at the camping area. But, after four days, their packs had to be laced with food smells and the bear was looking for some easy eats.
Kinda aggravating because I had all my food and smellables in my own bear cannister a couple hundred feet from my tent. The bear probably didn't want anything to do with me and I certainly didn't want anything to do with the bear. It could have sniffed at my food all night for all I care! Without my neighbors and ten smelly packs in a pile, the bear and I would have made it through the night blissfully ignorant of each other's presence -- which is just the way I like it! Of course, it wouldn't have been as exciting with screaming and headlights piercing the backwoods darkness.
No video of the bear.... I assume they will eventually have to remove it as it is obviously well acclimated to people and an increasing nuisance at this camp site as it makes its nightly rounds. Here's a short video:
http://youtu.be/40yrkT_dPGA
And a few pics:
1) I lightened the load bringing the pack weight down from 49 pounds to 35 pounds. A lot of little savings, including a new lightweight tent. But, the biggie was not carrying any water except what I would drink on the hike in.
2) A much less ambitious hike. Just a flat 3.2 stroll along the Pemi Eastside trail from Lincoln Woods Trailhead on the Kancamagus Hwy in the White Mountains of NH. Destination was the Franconia Brook Tentsite -- a primitive backwoods area with 18 tent sites, good water availability from the river, and outhouse facilities.
Not a terribly scenic destination, but I'd never been up the east side of the Pemi. The 7 mile hike on my first outing just about killed me. And, I'm not ready to climb with a heavy overnight pack.
Everything went according to plan. The hike in with 35 pounds was enough to be a good workout, but not a death march. I picked out a site and got my tent pitched in short order. (I had pitched it at home when did the permethrin treatment). Strolled down to the East Pemi, sat on a rock in the late afternoon sun, and filtered 4 liters of water for coffee, dinner, and so forth while watching a first year orientation group from Yale ford the river.
Poor kids. They were on the fourth day of a loop, had spent the first night in the pouring rain and the day before climbing up to Franconia Ridge. I don't think they were hikers and not terribly well equipped (iodine for water treatment, big plastic painters tarps as their shelter. Duct tape on their feet for blisters. They were pretty much demolished. Anyway, they ended up pitching they camp and campfire right next to me. I think I tortured them with my fresh ground coffee and dinner of ramen noodles and salmon...
In the middle of the night (about 1:00 am) I heard a scream. Not just any scream. A blood curdling scream A mass murderer scream. The kind of scream that you'd let out if you were home alone and Charlie Manson walked in the door. A scream like when you hear the chainsaw start in a slasher movie. Turns out, one of the kids has woken up to see a bear poking around their backpacks six feet away from where she was sleeping. This was accompanied by a chorus of screams and headlights in every direction. I finally crawled out of my sleeping bag to check it out and hear th story of the bear.
I never actually saw the bear, but about 10 minutes later, I hear "BEAR! BEAR! BEAR BY TENT!" from the next campsite on the other side of me. Sheesh. Needless to say, I didn't get right back to sleep..... Smile
They said they put all their food in the bear box (dumpster) at the camping area. But, after four days, their packs had to be laced with food smells and the bear was looking for some easy eats.
Kinda aggravating because I had all my food and smellables in my own bear cannister a couple hundred feet from my tent. The bear probably didn't want anything to do with me and I certainly didn't want anything to do with the bear. It could have sniffed at my food all night for all I care! Without my neighbors and ten smelly packs in a pile, the bear and I would have made it through the night blissfully ignorant of each other's presence -- which is just the way I like it! Of course, it wouldn't have been as exciting with screaming and headlights piercing the backwoods darkness.
No video of the bear.... I assume they will eventually have to remove it as it is obviously well acclimated to people and an increasing nuisance at this camp site as it makes its nightly rounds. Here's a short video:
http://youtu.be/40yrkT_dPGA
And a few pics:
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