Moore Park (Page 2) |
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by Jerry Cates |
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Over at the other camp, I witnessed the "hanging of the backpack." This is an important ritual for bear country, but this fellow's backpack (see photo above) wasn't high enough to dissuade any serious marauding bears from reaching it. An adult black bear can reach 8-10 feet up without much effort. I resolved to hang mine higher. In the process I had to tie the lanyard end around a fist-sized rock, and throw the rock over the limb intended as the upper tie-in for a given tree. The lanyard had to be long enough to reach back down to my level, so that it could be tied to the tree trunk after pulling it- with its load attached- taut. It took some practice to get it right.
Setting up camp was easy. No tent. Just a bivvy sack and a sleeping bag snuggly placed inside, and a certified wuss rollup foam pad underneath. The bivvy sack was one of the best REI had to offer. It had a wire hoop sewn into the head cover to keep it off my face if it became necessary to zip into it completely. My hope was that the "full zip" mode would not be necessary, because it didn't sound like fun. But I'm not claustrophobic, and it was supposed to be comfy and dry in the most wicked rainstorm. Which begged the question: "Why on earth would anyone pack a heavy tent into the woods when they could use this ingenious device?" The answer would not come for two more days...
The cooking area was Spartan but adequate. Great! My gut was sending strong hunger signals. It didn't take long to unpack the gas camp stove and set it up, or to pull out an envelope of dehydrated beef stew. The only thing left was to boil and pour the water. Next: Moore Park Page 3... Longs Peak Menu ... Bugsinthenews ... Books About Longs Peak |
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