Trip 3: Waterproofing? BAH! Who needs it?
Mission: Soggy Sloshing Slowly Slogging Swishing Semi-Silenty Stalking...
Date: 3-8 thru 3-9 2006
Temp: 37-52F Windchill-Nil
Location: Forests Near Elgin, IL
Purpose: Wet Test our gear.
Mission 3 was completely impromptu. Jake and I were at work remarking how nice the weather was for coming out of winter and heading into spring. There was no scenario as we were missing our scenario master due to illness. In Chicago, we have a unique blessing-curse. The weather here tends to change VERY rapidly and to the extremes. There is a saying in Illinois that if you don't like the weather wait around a few minutes, it is bound to change. And change it did. Checking back on the last trip the low was hovering between 0-10F, last night it was a high of 52. What a change indeed. I have to say that the higher temperatures made the trip far more comfotable and a little more exciting. Up to this point there was always a slight note of apprehension in the air because we knew that the trips could end up being miserable nights and slighty dangerous due to rapidly falling temperatures and snow. All in all, this was a damn fine trip despite spending much of it soggy.
Here's what happened:
Jake and I were working a show being done by an Orthodox Jewish all girls high-school. They are doing a version of Peter Pan and have even gone so far as to hire Fly by Foy to fly the girls around a bit. While this is not what I consider cutting edge theatre, these girls have alot of fun and well...it's a decent paycheck. The day was absolutely beautiful from start to finish. We were sitting at lunch joking about the show and enjoying the first day of amazing weather we have had in along time. Somehow we got on the topic of camping and we determined there was absolutely no reason we couldn't be out camping in such beautiful weather. The good news, I just so happened to have my pack already in the car fully loaded including food. (I went shopping the night previous to stock up on stuff. I wanted to make sure I had a full week's worth of gear for the next time I went out so that I might start training my muscles for a full-load. We offahndedly mentioned this little foray to our boss. His response? Cool. Don't get arrested. IN jail is not a valid excuse for being late to work. With this plan firmly in mind work would just not end quick enough. Grrrr...lets give em water joe or something so they sing faster or something...tick, tock, tick, tock....*DING* Thats a wrap guys lets lock it down and go home. We loaded up the Jeep with my gear and headed off to Elgin to get Jake's gear, water up, and set out.
As beautful as the day was, it was a littel damp the better part of the day. Never really raining but misting all over the place. No biggie. As we were doing our final gear check and loading up the Jeep there was a little teenitsy bolt of lighting and a almost imperceptable clap of thunder. I kind of grinned to myself and mentioned it to Jake. He laughed and said,'if its going to rain, let it, its fine by me.' Being the hearty and well prepared survivalists we are, rain-gear was already accounted for a month ago. Into the Jeep, Vrooom!!! We are off.
Not two mintues into the drive and it started pouring down. We laughed and I silently egged-on the powers that be to give it to us full bore. As we pulled into our parking space Jake said to me something about it being perfectly honorable to call an abort of the mission if things get to sucky. I laughed heartily, grinned devilishly, and said,'Yeah Right. time to man the fuck up. Let's go.' We did our normal stretches and warmup to get the muscles loosened and let the rain set in. We discussed a minorly important topic, should I go plastic poncho style or use my favorite woolen cloak the way it was meant to be used. I chose the cloak. It is far less trouble to me with a cloak that is already serving as a rainfly for my pack than to try and work yet another peice of clothing into the mix. In fact I have to say my cloak fly-system is very gratifying. It is well attached to my pack and if I need shelter or extra warmth I just have to reach back a litlle and pull it around me. The hood is also tucked just behind my head so I have exra head cover if I so desire. I am convinced I made the right descision.
We trudged merrily onward and the rain came and went but there was not really much wind. The rain was coming down in torrents as is evidenced by the deluge coming from the drain on the viaduct we have to pass under to get to the trail-head. The hike itself was awesome. Not too much happened of much note. There was mud, in fact there was LOTS of mud. There some thorns, there was rain, and more rain, and then there was fog. It has always been one of nature most amazing feats to me. Watching the fog just grow out of the ground and materializing in front of you, like a ghostly aparition or the sort of mist that one would expect a genie to materlize from. When we reached the first stream, however, things got a little more interesting. The approach to the stream was nothing out of the ordinary until we heard a large splash ahead of us. Now, I am a generally paranoid person when I have unexpected company and that night was no exception. At first we wondered if some large critter fell in the water. Then another SPLOOSH!!! Hmmm. Well could it be someone playing a joke on us? The first one was off ot the right slightly this one off to the left a bit. So we our curiosity gets the best of us. Mostly due to the fact that Jake and I would like to know if there were other folks in the same space as us. Again paranoia really. We get a little closer to the stream and another SPLOOSH. It really sounded like large rocks or logs were being chucked into the water. Now being two overly adveturous guys we wanted to trace the source of the splashes. We repeatedly saw the splashes but no rock or log being chuck and no signs of other humans or even wildlife. After a bit of a march down the splashes continued and seemed as thoug hthey were constantly 10 or 20 feet ahead of us. At one point, Jake noticed a large pile of wood and sticks accross the bank. A den maybe? Indeed. Not more than two minutes later we notice a small dark spot moving in the water a ways away. finally after several more splashes and examining the evidence around us we concluded we had some new beaver friends. Well that was a bit of excitment. We hiked for another hour or so, checking out different paths and finds oceans of mud where ever we went. We tried to get down to the streambank we camped on the previous trip but the bogs and waterflow made that idea pretty null and void.
After mucking about and letting ourselves get soaked through to the bone we settled on a site that Nick and Jake used sometime back in Janurary or Feb. although we set back into the brush a bit more so we were not in direct LOS of the trail. We pitched the tents, got into some dry clothes, cooked up some noodles and rice , and chilled out for a while. Now, for me, this trip was VERY important because I was breaking in my new BAG, forever known now as Agnes. Agnes and I got to know each other really well that night. She is a real giver. She kept me warm and comfy out in the wild. I love Agnes. I believe her and I will be together for many years to come. This was the first time I have slept on an air matress while camping. There is now no other answer for me, if I have a choice in the matter. The only gripe I can say that I have with it is I filled it up too much so I could not feel the ground below. Oh, BOOHOO!!! A littel twist of the valve and POOF, feels like home. Sleep came very easily to me that night and I even dreamt, which is sort of unusual when I am camping. We both started stirring around 8:30 am to the sounds of geese migrating back North. What a feeling!!! The spring heralds flew over leisurly in droves. I counted at least 5 flocks just in the time we were cooking breakfast. A little food in the belly and the camp was a cinch to strike. The hike back was uneventful, however it made us yearn for more. I am reflecting upon this trip and I find the rain just fueled my tenacity and hunger for testing myself more. There is a feeling you get when your body is exhausted and you are in the middle of the forest. The soreness of your muscles just doesn't matter anymore and your mind sets itself free from your daily concerns. My spirit soared on the wind and pushed through the brush with the pack. For one single solitary moment, I was free of all worldy concerns. I would even go so far as to say I breifly brushed with the divine spirits of the Earth...
Conclusions:
1. Agnes is the best sleeping bag I have ever had.
2. Dry clothes are a littel slice heaven when you have been soaked through for the past few hours.
3. I still need a new tent. The holes in my were a little bigger this time.
4. SPRING IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!
5. Beavers are fun littel critters.
6. I like hiking and camping far more in the spring than the winter.
7. There is a reason RWE and HDT left for walden so many years ago.
8. Even one night of camping can make all of your problems seem alot smaller.
9. I love Agnes.
10. The world is a big campground and I intend to explore more of it.
Blessings and Light,
'D'
(MORE SOON)
Date: 3-8 thru 3-9 2006
Temp: 37-52F Windchill-Nil
Location: Forests Near Elgin, IL
Purpose: Wet Test our gear.
Mission 3 was completely impromptu. Jake and I were at work remarking how nice the weather was for coming out of winter and heading into spring. There was no scenario as we were missing our scenario master due to illness. In Chicago, we have a unique blessing-curse. The weather here tends to change VERY rapidly and to the extremes. There is a saying in Illinois that if you don't like the weather wait around a few minutes, it is bound to change. And change it did. Checking back on the last trip the low was hovering between 0-10F, last night it was a high of 52. What a change indeed. I have to say that the higher temperatures made the trip far more comfotable and a little more exciting. Up to this point there was always a slight note of apprehension in the air because we knew that the trips could end up being miserable nights and slighty dangerous due to rapidly falling temperatures and snow. All in all, this was a damn fine trip despite spending much of it soggy.
Here's what happened:
Jake and I were working a show being done by an Orthodox Jewish all girls high-school. They are doing a version of Peter Pan and have even gone so far as to hire Fly by Foy to fly the girls around a bit. While this is not what I consider cutting edge theatre, these girls have alot of fun and well...it's a decent paycheck. The day was absolutely beautiful from start to finish. We were sitting at lunch joking about the show and enjoying the first day of amazing weather we have had in along time. Somehow we got on the topic of camping and we determined there was absolutely no reason we couldn't be out camping in such beautiful weather. The good news, I just so happened to have my pack already in the car fully loaded including food. (I went shopping the night previous to stock up on stuff. I wanted to make sure I had a full week's worth of gear for the next time I went out so that I might start training my muscles for a full-load. We offahndedly mentioned this little foray to our boss. His response? Cool. Don't get arrested. IN jail is not a valid excuse for being late to work. With this plan firmly in mind work would just not end quick enough. Grrrr...lets give em water joe or something so they sing faster or something...tick, tock, tick, tock....*DING* Thats a wrap guys lets lock it down and go home. We loaded up the Jeep with my gear and headed off to Elgin to get Jake's gear, water up, and set out.
As beautful as the day was, it was a littel damp the better part of the day. Never really raining but misting all over the place. No biggie. As we were doing our final gear check and loading up the Jeep there was a little teenitsy bolt of lighting and a almost imperceptable clap of thunder. I kind of grinned to myself and mentioned it to Jake. He laughed and said,'if its going to rain, let it, its fine by me.' Being the hearty and well prepared survivalists we are, rain-gear was already accounted for a month ago. Into the Jeep, Vrooom!!! We are off.
Not two mintues into the drive and it started pouring down. We laughed and I silently egged-on the powers that be to give it to us full bore. As we pulled into our parking space Jake said to me something about it being perfectly honorable to call an abort of the mission if things get to sucky. I laughed heartily, grinned devilishly, and said,'Yeah Right. time to man the fuck up. Let's go.' We did our normal stretches and warmup to get the muscles loosened and let the rain set in. We discussed a minorly important topic, should I go plastic poncho style or use my favorite woolen cloak the way it was meant to be used. I chose the cloak. It is far less trouble to me with a cloak that is already serving as a rainfly for my pack than to try and work yet another peice of clothing into the mix. In fact I have to say my cloak fly-system is very gratifying. It is well attached to my pack and if I need shelter or extra warmth I just have to reach back a litlle and pull it around me. The hood is also tucked just behind my head so I have exra head cover if I so desire. I am convinced I made the right descision.
We trudged merrily onward and the rain came and went but there was not really much wind. The rain was coming down in torrents as is evidenced by the deluge coming from the drain on the viaduct we have to pass under to get to the trail-head. The hike itself was awesome. Not too much happened of much note. There was mud, in fact there was LOTS of mud. There some thorns, there was rain, and more rain, and then there was fog. It has always been one of nature most amazing feats to me. Watching the fog just grow out of the ground and materializing in front of you, like a ghostly aparition or the sort of mist that one would expect a genie to materlize from. When we reached the first stream, however, things got a little more interesting. The approach to the stream was nothing out of the ordinary until we heard a large splash ahead of us. Now, I am a generally paranoid person when I have unexpected company and that night was no exception. At first we wondered if some large critter fell in the water. Then another SPLOOSH!!! Hmmm. Well could it be someone playing a joke on us? The first one was off ot the right slightly this one off to the left a bit. So we our curiosity gets the best of us. Mostly due to the fact that Jake and I would like to know if there were other folks in the same space as us. Again paranoia really. We get a little closer to the stream and another SPLOOSH. It really sounded like large rocks or logs were being chucked into the water. Now being two overly adveturous guys we wanted to trace the source of the splashes. We repeatedly saw the splashes but no rock or log being chuck and no signs of other humans or even wildlife. After a bit of a march down the splashes continued and seemed as thoug hthey were constantly 10 or 20 feet ahead of us. At one point, Jake noticed a large pile of wood and sticks accross the bank. A den maybe? Indeed. Not more than two minutes later we notice a small dark spot moving in the water a ways away. finally after several more splashes and examining the evidence around us we concluded we had some new beaver friends. Well that was a bit of excitment. We hiked for another hour or so, checking out different paths and finds oceans of mud where ever we went. We tried to get down to the streambank we camped on the previous trip but the bogs and waterflow made that idea pretty null and void.
After mucking about and letting ourselves get soaked through to the bone we settled on a site that Nick and Jake used sometime back in Janurary or Feb. although we set back into the brush a bit more so we were not in direct LOS of the trail. We pitched the tents, got into some dry clothes, cooked up some noodles and rice , and chilled out for a while. Now, for me, this trip was VERY important because I was breaking in my new BAG, forever known now as Agnes. Agnes and I got to know each other really well that night. She is a real giver. She kept me warm and comfy out in the wild. I love Agnes. I believe her and I will be together for many years to come. This was the first time I have slept on an air matress while camping. There is now no other answer for me, if I have a choice in the matter. The only gripe I can say that I have with it is I filled it up too much so I could not feel the ground below. Oh, BOOHOO!!! A littel twist of the valve and POOF, feels like home. Sleep came very easily to me that night and I even dreamt, which is sort of unusual when I am camping. We both started stirring around 8:30 am to the sounds of geese migrating back North. What a feeling!!! The spring heralds flew over leisurly in droves. I counted at least 5 flocks just in the time we were cooking breakfast. A little food in the belly and the camp was a cinch to strike. The hike back was uneventful, however it made us yearn for more. I am reflecting upon this trip and I find the rain just fueled my tenacity and hunger for testing myself more. There is a feeling you get when your body is exhausted and you are in the middle of the forest. The soreness of your muscles just doesn't matter anymore and your mind sets itself free from your daily concerns. My spirit soared on the wind and pushed through the brush with the pack. For one single solitary moment, I was free of all worldy concerns. I would even go so far as to say I breifly brushed with the divine spirits of the Earth...
Conclusions:
1. Agnes is the best sleeping bag I have ever had.
2. Dry clothes are a littel slice heaven when you have been soaked through for the past few hours.
3. I still need a new tent. The holes in my were a little bigger this time.
4. SPRING IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!
5. Beavers are fun littel critters.
6. I like hiking and camping far more in the spring than the winter.
7. There is a reason RWE and HDT left for walden so many years ago.
8. Even one night of camping can make all of your problems seem alot smaller.
9. I love Agnes.
10. The world is a big campground and I intend to explore more of it.
Blessings and Light,
'D'
(MORE SOON)
posted by Dustin L. Derry at 4:56 PM
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