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Jay's Backpacking Journal (2007)
Reflections on a Journal.
Reading back over my own journal, I could hardly believe that the trip spanned as few days as it did. When we were camping in the place where that one guy asked to borrow our saw, the place were we had steak and potatoes, it felt like we had been out for a week already. Lots of cool stuff had already happened and that was, what, day two?
I remember a lot more than I wrote about, as I’m sure is the case with us all. I’ve already spun the phantom-in-the-rock-wall yarn several times.
Following is my backpacking journal in its entirety. I excluded only a few irrelevant entries that took place before Spring Break arrived. Enjoy, and thanks for a cool trip. You guys are awesome.
J.A.H.
March 6
I have been saving up granola bars since before I had a purpose for them. Almost every time I’ve got a grab and go this semester, the granola has gone into savings. I got this inspiration from some friends of mine who live in Scholars House who do the same thing. It spoke to my rainy-day instinct.
I have much work to do. I have a paper due Friday to start on. But it’s not worth writing about here. It’s hardly worth writing at all. What is important now is Spring Break. We’re going backpacking in Arkansas.
My brother Rob loaned me his backpack and camping gear. I’m headed home this weekend to get a sleeping bag from my younger brother Matt and boots from my Dad.
March 6 – later that day
Rob Hunt decided that he wouldn’t be able to go. This is very sad! It may be just 4 of us going. I know Rob wanted to go—but he’s a wise man. There’s always next time; let him rest his knee for now.
Still, we’re gunna miss him.
March 14
I’m looking forward to this trip as a get-away to center myself. We’ll be going to Hercules Glades because it’s a loop trail and we realized that we needed to end up where we started. I’m in staff meeting right now.
Day 1 – Saturday, (March 17)
After some time, we found a trail. The map is interesting. It ain’t like the ones at Six Flags that tell you how to get from Huck Finn’s hide-a-way to Thunderation. This map consists of lines. That’s it. Lines. I like it.
We explored a creek bed. No running water. We camped and at around 5 we started cooking hamburgers. Bang and I cut wood. Fricke wove a grill out of sticks. The hammocks, tarps, and tents are set up. This underarmor sock cap is warming my head quite nicely.
Day 2 – Sunday, March 18
Much has occurred.
Most notably, we found the falls. There was very little water, but amazing rock formations. Also most notably, we had steaks for supper. I weaved a catcher’s mitt pan out of green wood. It was worthy of the courts of majesty. We had taters too.
Now we’re sitting on the ground around the campfire. It’s dark. I have a candle between my knees and am journaling. Bang is poking the fire. Fricke is carving his decorative stick, and Kevin is working on his walking stick.
Tomorrow, we shall hike to the overhang, around back the way we came. We’ve hiked from Hercules Glade to Cory’s Bald (sp?)—one side to the other. We have two days under our belt and are already half way along the trail that we intend to trek. Therefore we will do in our remaining four days what we have done in two, distance wise. Now we go to play cards. Tonight we sleep in a tarp tent together on account of cold.
Day 3 – morning - I think it safe to say that we all slept better tonight that we did last nite. Weather’s nicer; though I can’t see the sky from here under this tarp, I don’t see rain in our near future. We played Hearts last night. Next time cards are played, I’ll teach everyone Spades. I feel that I’ll need to poop very soon.
I pooped. We’ve hiked. We said “posh” to the trail again and walked along the river. We came to Kevin’s overhand at about 2:30. Set up camp. We had more garbáge for breakfast along with some buttered English muffins that I toasted on a pine tree thing I made.
Now we’re setting around the fire at our campsite under the overhand. Frick and Bang are journaling—Kevin’s snoring. The river is running just below. We might sleep tonight on a bed of leaves.
I waded and washed some clothes, unnecessarily so since I have plenty.
I’ve carved hotdog sticks in preparation for supper, and climbed a tree.
I think Fricke is sketching me.
This trip is great. The river’s just high enough to cross, my pack’s just heavy enough to carry, and my walking stick is just short enough to reach my hand. It’s amazing how you can blow a fire larger.
{Half completed rough sketch of Mike with the caption: “Bang, but and then he got up”}
{Hearts scores, Spades scores, more Spades scores.}
Day 4
We slept under the overhang. We have a great campsite. Two long sticks propped against the rock wall, tarp between them, tarp for us to lay on, etc. We picked the right day to camp here, because it rained and the overhead rock sheltered us. We had milk and cereal for breakfast just now. We decided to stay here again today. I stoked the fire this morning and rekindled it from last night. Now we go a wood hunten.
We’ve hunted for wood. Have six logs. Now we’re playen Spades. Fire drying socks ain’t the way to go. I’m sun drying my shirts now. It’s an overcast day though. We just got some water filtered from the stream.
{Spades scores}
Day 4 < evening >
In Bang’s words, today has been a “perfectly lazy day.” I roamed about. Fricke carved. Bang waded and Kevin played cards.
We all like Spades. I hope we learn Jin tonight from Kevin.
We had hamburger helper tonight. It was great. Why didn’t I bring more granola? But all is well. Tomorrow, we hike. Today is Tuesday—tomorrow will probably be our last full day out.
This has been our second day here. I enjoyed the kicking back and will enjoy the hiking tomorrow. I washed my clothes and dried them in the sun on a small tree. That’s a lot better than fire drying them. Trust me. Fire drying will bring you nothing but pain.
We’ve all bonded with each other and with our knives.
Our first night out, by the way, we had hamburgers smothered in cream of mushroom soup. Oooh yeah.
Fricke reading his entry for today made me realize that I left out an important part of last night. We were in our tent playen Spades, when all of a sudden, a noise came out of the rock wall. What was it? We didn’t know. Maybe some machine underground freaken out. Maybe a cell phone—but the vibration was too sustained. Maybe it was someone right above us on the overhang playing a trick? Not likely. A cow?
We all held our knives close. Built up the fire. Fricke put his ear to the rock.
“It’s coming from right here!”
Bang moves some stuff around. It gets louder! …It was my cell phone. It was turned off! I fear that may have been its dying act.
Day 5
I tore a page out of this journal in order to leave a note in an alcohol bottle I found while gathering wood.
Bang’s got allergies pretty bad.
We hiked extremely rough river terrain and uphill—we found the path like the map-reading compass wielding pathfinders we are. Made it all the way back to the truck today. Massacred the remaining junk food. Will eat tuna and ramen tonight—and whatever’s left. Then Tacobell when we get back to Springtown. Bang and I are talking turns reading chapters of Catcher in the Rye. Fricke’s carving a jester face in a walking stick he’s making for Heatseaker—who wanted to go but couldn’t. Kev’s in Bang’s hammock. The rest of us are on this picnic table where we’ve been since 1:30. It’s gotta be almost 5. It’s been a good trip.
Day 6
It didn’t rain! Which is good because I woke up in the middle of the night entirely out of the tent. We were on an incline, see, and I in my bag slid right out because my bag is nylon and we were on a tarp. I slid like a butter pecan roll on a greased cookie sheet. I started the fire in the morning—which was the first time I can with certainty say that I started a fire (from scratch). We got back and now Bang, Fricke and I are sitting outside of Hutchens finishing the EZ cheese and eating tacos. Bang just finished Catcher in the Rye.
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One of my favorite pics from the trip.
A poem inspired by the trip.