Moore Park (Page 3) |
|||
|
by Jerry Cates |
|||
|
A small bubbling brook was near the other camp, but my campsite seemed to be without a water source. I filtered a couple gallons of water from the other camp's brook and lugged it back. Later I discovered that the brook passed near my site, too, but its course was not visible right away. My SWEETWATER water filter was new and worked fine. The water was crystal clear, but lots of animals and humans were upstream, obeying the call of nature, even here in the mountains... A good water filter is a must. Getting sick on the trail would end the trek right there. For added safety, I installed a special attachment to kill bacteria and viruses using iodine crystals. Without going into any details, I caution others against doing this, at least for very long. A small amount of iodine gets into the water, and over time you will consume an unhealthy dose of the stuff. The iodine affects, among other things, your urinary tract. It's great for times when you need a drink and don't have time to boil water and wait for it to cool. But when you can take the time to do that, do so. Filter the water without the iodine attachment, bring it to a boil (it isn't necessary to boil it long), let it cool, then pour it into your drinking bottles. You will be better off in the long run. After eating the beef stew, I did KP, then stripped down, took a cold-water sponge bath, and changed clothes. All wash and rinse water from KP and bathing was dumped 100 yards away to avoid attracting bears. This done, there was plenty of time to explore the campsite's environs, hang my backpack on a lanyard between two trees, and relax while waiting for nightfall. The weather was perfect, with almost no clouds in the sky.
I took the above photo using timed delay. The brimmed hat is made of wool fibers, crushable, but not treated for use when wet. I didn't know that yet. Later versions by the same manufacturer are better, but this was not treated for wet weather use, and that led to its demise toward the end of the expedition. My upper and lower clothing are spun polyester, and my underwear is of polyester fiber. Never wear cotton underwear in the backcountry; it holds moisture and loses its insulating capabilities the second it gets wet, leaving you cold and uncomfortable; polyester wicks moisture away from your skin, and insulates well whether wet or dry. I would have an opportunity to appreciate this fact later in the expedition. My footwear is a pair of simple running shoes with rubber soles, which some of my fellow hikers thought to be a bad choice. Heavy leather hiking boots seem, intuitively, to be a better choice, but I've done it both ways and- for me on this particular expedition- the light running shoe seemed better. I have strong ankles, and don't need ankle support, so the freedom of movement these shoes provided was a big plus. These particular shoes turned out to be a wise choice on the trickiest part of the trail up to the summit. My socks are thick SMARTWOOL, with polyester liners; that combination was very warm and comfortable. As darkness began to envelop the woods, temperatures fell gently. The sleeping bag was warm and comfortable. Lying there, under the twinkling stars, deep in a forest in the midst of the Rocky Mountain National Park, brought on a sense of incomprehensible peace. The only sounds were the wind caressing the trees, and small animals scurrying around in the leaves. Sleep came soon. I awakened twice, maybe three times, and noticed that clouds sometimes obscured the twinkling stars. A gentle but transitory rain fell, but departed about as soon as it began. I remember a few moments of meditation, in the solitude of this leafy cathedral, and the presence of a nagging doubt that the goal that brought me here would be reached. That negative feeling was not a small thing. It was very strong this evening. I dealt with it the way I deal with most challenges that confront me these days- accepting the possibility of defeat and moving on. I try to always have a "Plan B" in case worse comes to worse. For this trek, Plan B was just an attitude. And the gist of that attitude was to take what came with grace, and be thankful for it. I decided that if I did not get to the top of Longs Peak on the fourth try, this night under the stars, by itself, would still make the trip worthwhile. Next: Moore Park Page 4... Longs Peak Menu ... Bugsinthenews ... Books About Longs Peak |
|
||
