Ladies Backpacking Trip

The very first time I went backpacking, I was twelve. It was in Colorado. We actually went to the top of Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in the state. And standing on that mountaintop, I knew I had discovered a hobby that would be with me for life.

There is something about the process of going into the woods and working hard to achieve something difficult, like standing on top of a mountain, that changes you. That first trip (and the following four trips I completed) were with Wilderness Trek. Those trips taught me life lessons like: how encouraging others when you are struggling will make your own experience easier.

One year, we circled up and had to pass our pack to the person on our right. This taught me that we are all carrying heavy loads, and as heavy as my load might be, the one next to me might be heavier. It also taught me that if we are to reach the top, EVERYONE has to reach the top. If one is unable to make it, we are all unable to make it. And sometimes circumstances outside our control, like the weather, will keep us from finishing. And those trips where we didn't meet our goals are still worth the effort because of the personal growth and relationships that are formed regardless of how things play out.

When Daniel and I met it was on a caving trip that I was leading in college. He was invited by a mutual friend and he ended up being a great help to me as that particular trip ended up being the biggest group I had ever taken. Daniel stayed in the back and made sure no one got separated or too far behind. It was one of the things that really stuck out to me about him on that trip. I guess I must have made an impression on him as well because he kept showing up in my circle of friends after that!

 

After we married, we didn't have a lot of money. I had a college degree but we were in a small town and the only job I could find in my industry was at a small family-owned printing company that only paid $7/hour and did not provide insurance. We were scraping by while Daniel finished his degree in engineering. During that time we decided to spend as much time as possible together in the woods. It was a relatively inexpensive hobby and it gave us a lot of time to connect outside of school and work.

 

We did backpacking trips all over east Tennessee. Now that we live back in the state I find that we stumble across old trails I had forgotten about and memories from almost twenty years ago come flooding back.

After Daniel finished his degree, we moved to Charlotte, NC, where we would purchase our first house and complete a five-year renovation. This left little time for our passions in the outdoors (although we did manage a few trips). After the recession of 2010, we ended back in the Tennessee Valley. In early 2011 (the year Jack came along) we did one final backpacking trip in the Sipsey Wilderness area. That was my last time on a trail overnight.

When Jack was little, we attempted a backpacking trip that ended up being a bust, and I decided to put that part of my life on the back burner.

 

So when a friend of mine asked on Facebook if I, along with any other women, would want to do a last-minute backpacking trip with her. I wanted to shout a resounding, "YES!" across the internet.

 

It would be a quick out-and-back two days after I got home from camper-camping in Florida. If I am honest, I was a little worried. My friend wanted to complete 13 miles in the heat of July. I hadn't been working out regularly since the coronavirus took down the world, and I wasn't 100% confident in my ability. However, I did have a lot of experience backpacking and I was more than ready to be on the trail again. I wanted to remind myself of what I was capable of. And I also wanted to go to encourage the two women who would be joining us who had never backpacked before.

We met Saturday morning for a shakedown. Basically my friend Shannon and I partnered up with Billie and Marty and helped them determine what they could leave behind. We ended up cutting both their piles of equipment in half. I'm pretty sure they were both grateful that we didn't let them bring all the things.

 

Then we hit the trail. The temps would reach in the mid to upper 90s with heat indexes well above 100. And part of the trail was on exposed rock faces that radiated that heat back at us even more. It was HOT.

  

As we started, Shannon took the lead and set a good pace for us. I have found that it is best to have one experienced person do that and a second experienced person to stay at the rear to encourage the group and not let anyone fall behind (like Daniel did on my caving trip all those years ago). Both the front and rear person are extremely important. 

 

So as the day wore on, I would remind everyone to drink water, and when necessary stop to eat as a group. Because of my experience on the trail, I know first-hand what it feels like to get unbalanced electrolytes from not eating properly and also what severe dehydration feels like. With that knowledge it makes it easy to remind others what to do to combat that so they don't have a bad experience.
 

The trail would have us climb from the North Chickamauga Creek, gaining the ridge on the side of Mowbray Mountain and dropping back down to our campsite at the creek on the far side of the mountain. This trail is listed as hard on AllTrails and it was definitely that. I would venture to say it was even strenuous at times.

I actually did a portion of this hike with my kids earlier this year, as part of our weekly homeschool day hikes. We did a small part of the Hogskin's Loop to Strip Mine Falls and back down to the Blue Hole. The extended version of this hike, with overnight packs, was much harder!

For our ladies hike, after hiking all day in the heat, it started to thunder as we came down the back side of the mountain. I could see a rocky overhang at the bottom and suggested we get there and wait out the rain that appeared to be on the way. This ended up being a good decision because it did start raining and this gave us a good 45-minute rest and everyone's gear stayed dry.

 

The other benefit, that we were unaware of at the time, was that we had a mile of hiking left to camp. And that mile would be brutal. We would be picking our way over large rocks all the way down. Our toes would be jammed into the front of our boots, leaving our feet bruised. It was rough.

We reached the Stevenson Branch campsite at 5pm. Shannon's original goal was to squeeze in another three miles. However, we all agreed that due to timing and difficulty of the trail it made more sense to stop and enjoy the evening at camp (this would reduce our overall mileage from 13 miles to 10). We completed five miles that day and were all pretty worn out.

We dropped our packs, changed into sandals and went down to the river to get fresh water and also soak our weary feet. We all ended up getting in the water to cool off as well.

 

After soaking for a bit, we felt refreshed and headed back to camp to set up our hammocks and get supper and a fire going. Spending a day like this is not for the faint of heart. It was hard. But it also takes down barriers and allowed us all to share freely. We talked until after the stars came out. This is one of my favorite things about being on the trail. 

The next morning we ate breakfast, packed up camp, and attacked that first mile that we knew would be challenging. Climbing up the trail on fresh legs was still hard, but much easier than the day before.

 

Our initial goal of the day was to get high enough to have cell service to check in with our families. We had thought Verizon had full coverage of the area, but it turns out that even Verizon doesn't cover hidden hollers in East Tennessee.

Shannon and I kept telling the others that walking out would be easier. It always is. And while it was still hot, and still hard, it was easier. We all left the trail with smiles on our faces. I know I will be back in the future, though I am definitely more of a fall and spring camper that a middle-of-summer camper!

Paddling with Kids: North Chick, high water

At this time last year we were in an endless drought that cumulated in wildfires in the fall. This year has been the exact opposite with seemingly endless rain. Soggy days means everything is growing like crazy and lots of bugs (spiders) are trying to make their way inside.

Anyways, since the kids and I had been gone the previous week, Daniel took Monday off so that he would have a long weekend to spend with us. We kicked Monday off with a little kayaking at North Chickamauga (North Chick), putting in at the upstream boat ramp at Greenway Farms as we had previously done (close to the dog park).

The last time we paddled here I was actually a week away from delivering Isaac. We knew it was a relatively flat, easy paddle and it would be a good chance for Jack to practice in his new kayak.

I didn't really take into consideration that it had been raining cats and dogs all summer. While we had perfect weather on Monday, the creek was higher than usual and flowing pretty steadily. Since our last paddle here had been easy, I suggested that we head downstream instead of up.

This is against Daniel's cardinal rule of paddling: do the hard work first. Meaning paddle against the current and then float back.

I wanted to explore a different section of the creek, so I blew him off and said we would be fine.

Famous last words...

A couple of things I didn't really take into consideration: 1) the excessive rain we have had this summer; 2) we were towing Jack (he had a paddle but chose to use it sparingly); and 3) Isaac was insisting on sitting with Daniel which impaired his ability to paddle.

After we had floated for about an hour Daniel suggested we attempt to turn back and I finally agreed (he might have told me, repeatedly, that for every minute I paddled downstream we would have to paddle 10 minutes back upstream)....

Actually I think I agreed to turn around and paddle to a stump to show the boys a couple of ducks and turtles and if it proved easy we would keep going and if it wasn't easy, we would start the laborious work to get back upstream.

So we paddled to the stump and it was next to impossible. We were basically paddling and keeping still in the creek. Daniel was nice and didn't say, "I told you so." At least not in that moment.

I knew the creek stayed next to Greenway Farms the entire time before ending at Chickamauga Lake, so I suggested that we keep floating downstream and find a place to get out and then figure out a way to get our kayaks to the car.

Daniel tied us off on the bank and got out his phone to look at satellite imagery. Based on where we were, it looked like there were two bends in the creek and then a place where we could hopefully pull out that was next to the Greenway Farms garden.

I also knew the garden wasn't too far from where we parked, so we agreed to keep floating downstream. Luckily for us (we didn't realize this ahead of time!), there was a second boat ramp at the second bend in the creek that we were shooting for. The boat ramp had a gravel road access and we were able to get out and Daniel ran across the park to get our car (technically you're supposed to park behind the barn and portage your boat out, but everyone was driving down the day we were there).

I'm glad it all worked out. I was relatively sure the outcome would be fine, but I was anticipating having to carry our kayaks part of the way through Greenway Farms. As a family unit, we seem to work best with me coming up with (some of) our adventures and Daniel fleshing out the details and having a back-up plan in place. I tend to be more fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants when it comes to planning, and hope for the best. Things generally do work themselves out, it's just a harder route when you have kids.

Notes from this trip:

• Total miles between the two boat launches at Greenway Farms: 2 miles
• (Daniels says) If the water is up you don't have a motor, paddle upstream FIRST.
• Have a back-up plan, ALWAYS.
• Keep a cell phone (or map or GPS) with you in case you get into trouble and need to change plans.
• Stay calm so that your kids stay calm.

Paddling North Chick

This is the last week before Baby#2 arrives and I have really been desiring to spend some final time as a family of three. 

 

On Easter Sunday I actually brought up the idea of a quick paddle at North Chickamauga Creek, but Daniel nixed the idea and told me I needed to rest since I was battling a painful sinus headache. I begrudgingly heeded his advice and took a nap.

This Sunday I felt great and was not to be deterred. Forget that our taxes are due and I know Daniel needs some down time from his long work hours, I really wanted to do one family activity with just the three of us.

Jack must know that things are about to change because he has been incredibly sweet to me (more than usual). He pats my belly and asks if he can climb on me if he is gentle. He also has been giving me lots of sweet kisses on the cheek and loves to tell me that the reason he and Daniel bought me flowers for Easter is because they love me. 

Sophie must also know something is up because she has been shadowing me non stop. When your dog is underfoot it is very difficult to get any house work done.

As for our paddling trip, I decided we should go to North Chick with a put in at Greenway Farms behind the dog park. The water is flat and extremely peaceful. 

We only saw a few people fishing and it was incredibly quite for being in town. The water was pretty chilly (it is April afterall) so I am thankful we didn't fall in.

We still need to get Jack his own paddle. He whined for a while that he needed a grown up paddle. We got him a stick to "paddle" with, but while he liked dragging it through the water, it was not the same as having his own paddle. 

With a newborn entering our lives in less than a week, I don't know when we will be able to get back on the water. I'm pretty sure Jack and Daniel will have an opportunity before I will.

We are even considering the possibility of kayaks to make paddling with littles a bit more manageable. I'm just thankful that we were able to take Jack out today. 

Sadly for me, loading a heavy canoe, launching said canoe and paddling did not jump start my labor.