I loaded up my car yesterday as soon as I was done with everything important. It took a bit of time and I was honestly surprised at how much junk I was taking for just one night, but I thought about it, and most people go camping in groups, therefore, most camping equipment takes up lots of space to accomidate lots of people. Here you can see my tent box, the firepit base, and an extra blanket in the back. I'll talk more about the equipment later.So the drive itself was nice. It wound along the Natchez-Trace Parkway for a little over an hour, and there were hardly any people out and about, so it was relaxing. I listened to the Eels and Jeff Buckly on the way. They seemed most appropriate for the mood and the setting.
When I got there, it was about 1:30. I like to see how fast I can find my site and set up camp, so I got to work. This is the site I declared in the name of solo excursion.
It was site located in the very back of the park. Odly enough, it was site #4, though I was a little curious as to how they decided to number the sites because it didn't seem like fourth in line for anything... Anyways, I got to setting up. It was easy and a lot less cold than I thought it would be, so I didn't get too slowed down. It only took me about 30 minutes to get set up they way I liked it. I was pretty happy about that.
Here you can see the tent with my stuff inside and the firebowl with my faithful ax resting at its side. There was a steep hill behind me, perfect for walking down if and when nature called. After everything was set up, I got to building a kit so I could start a fire for dinner after I got back from my hike. I needed a tender box because I didn't have any gas, so I shaved some wood off of a block using my knife, and I put the scraps into a CD case that I had in my trunk (I knew that thing would come in handy one of these days).
After that, I grabbed a water bottle and headed out for a little exploration. I basically started with the objective of finding a trail. I had no idea where they were or if they even had any, but I figured it was a national park, so there was bound to be one somewhere. I eventually found one about a mile away from camp and decided to go down. The next step was to find a walking stick. Not but a few steps down the trail did I find one that someone had purposefully left there. Hikers do that every once in a while, and I was glad because it was a perfect stick. Now all that was left was to explore the unkown. I had no idea where I was going, if the trail looped, or if it just kept going. I just wanted to figure things out as I went. The only problem was that the sun would be going down in a couple of hours, so that was a motivating force to be careful.I found some cool sites while I was walking, stuff that was just really beautiful to me.
At after a couple of hours I had a striking realization. I was pretty far away from camp and I had about two hours left of light. The trail was poorly marked, so if dark fell, I would be spending the night out in the cold. I had the option of turning around or sticking to the path and gambling that it was a loop that would lead me back to camp. I kept going, and I also thought up a plan for if I did wind up stuck in the woods for the night. I was planning on digging a ditch in the dirt by a log and then covering myself with leaves while marking the pile with one of my shirts just in case someone came along later on. I was also trying to convince myself that I could start a fire with two sticks... (highly unlikely). I figured that would have been enough until morning, but we'll talk about why it wouldn't have been later on.So as I continued on I saw several awesome sites including 5 deer that I scared up the hillside and a hawk. I also saw this place that reminded me of the Disney production of White Fang. I could so see a little log cabin sitting right in the middle. I was a bit nervous taking the picture though. This was about 50 feet up and I was right on the edge.
Shortly after this picture was taken I spotted a road off in the distance, and being that it was dark, I figured I stood a better chance near a road at night than on a dark and poorly marked trail. So I set out on the road, not really sure what direction I was going, but I figured I'd run into someone at some point who could tell me. After about 30 minutes on the road, I soon discovered a picnic area, so I figured I was in the right spot. I kept walking until I found the camp grounds and then I found my camp site again. At that point, I had about 20 minutes of sunlight left. Close call.Now I needed to cook some food. I got my cooler out of the trunk and started the fire up pretty effortlessly. A good tip, I'd say, is to whiddle your walking stick into the fire pit. Take the shavings and pile them up and start the fire. It worked on the first try. But for dinner I had hotdogs, greens, a can of pork and beans, and a baked potatoe (well... I started cooking the baked potatoe, but it got a little... overdone). Rule number one about being prepared is that if you take canned food, either make sure the lid is hand openable or make sure that you bring a can opener. Nathan for the lose on this one. Oops!
Knives are great things. The bigger the better. But everything was cooked over my perfect roaring fire. I used a little wood block as a trey so my pots wouldn't burn me. I didn't have any bowls or plates.
So after I ate (better than I have eaten all week), it got dark and quiet. I sat and sang and prayed for a while. The main purpose of the trip was just to get away and get with God about some stuff. If I really ever want to be sure I'm making the right decisions, I need to get completely isolated for a while. But being that it was dark (and my flashlight batteries were dead) I figured I'd just go to bed. It was only around 7 o'clock as I guessed, but what do you do in pitch dark at night? This is when the true hardships began.I fell asleep as my fire died outside and then I awoke to the most feared sound I could have immagined last night. No, not bears, not any kind of animal. I heard rain and heavy wind. I started facing the facts. Things were getting cold and wet FAST, and I was in for it now. Too late to pack up and go home. I pulled my hat down and got deep into my sleeping bag and went back to sleep. I woke up a few times after that because a part of my body would become exposed to the biting cold, but I would cover it up again and go back to sleep. The sun is what finally woke me up. It shot me right in the eye. I put on my shoes and crawled out of my tent into the breathtaking air. I turned and noticed that it wasn't just rain last night, but freezing rain which had created a thin layer of ice on my tent. It was at this time that I realized how fatal of a mistake it would have been to get stranded in the woods last night. I doubt leaves would have saved my life and Lord knows I can't start a fire with sticks.
So I was cold and I was groggy. It was a hard night. Get off my back. My drinking water was frozen solid, so I couldn't even brush my teeth. All of these elements to the equation helped me make up my mind fast. I needed to pack up and go home. I started up my car and started throwing things into it. I didn't fold anything up and I still had to take a break to unfreeze my hands in my car before starting again. I hope I don't have anymore frostbite. That would suck. I might though, we'll see. I got it all taken care of though and left in a heated car. Before I took off, though, I stopped at Meriwether Lewis' grave to pay my respects. If he did what I did for longer than a night, he has more than my respect.
I even made it home in time to go to church. I found out that I woke up at around 7:30 and it only took me another 30 minutes to break down. On the drive back I listened to Josh Ritters. Again, this seemed best for the mood and the sunny morning road. I think you would have agreed had you been there. When I got home I took a warm shower and then checked the weather. It got down to 17 degrees last night. I feel like a man now.But hey, I gotta go unpack my car before it gets dark, but the adventurer in me is appeased and I got the spiritual guidance I went out to find.
Peace and love
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