SNP: Saturday

From the "okay, this is getting ridiculous, just finish the goddamn trip report already, the trip was six weeks ago" file.

Morning

Wow, what a cold, wet, miserable night. Did I mention cold? There was heavy rain and wind all night long, and the temperature had to be just above freezing. I wasn't too cold with my layers in my sleeping bag, but I drifted in and out of sleep all night. The sound of the wind and the rain was always there.

I'm reasonably rested and feel pretty good. Eric is a different story.  He had a very bad night - he's sick, and water got into our tent on his side and got pretty much all of his clothes and gear wet. The rain stopped around dawn, and it looks like it's going to be a nice day - but it's still frigid cold, and still has to be very close to the freezing mark. Eric is cold and wet, and wet gear is bad news. We'll go get breakfast at the camp store/grill and talk about options.

I see how his side of our tent got water in it. The ground cloth shifted when we were setting up the tent, and his half was mostly on bare (and soaking wet) ground. Very unfortunate.

Rose River Falls

So I mentioned a few times in yesterday's trip report how unhappy I was to have not packed my rain pants, and how badly I missed them last night. Well guess what? They were in my duffel the whole time. I found them this morning, sitting right there under everything else I'd packed. Not sure whether to laugh or cry. I guess I'll just shake my head and roll my eyes at myself.

Breakfast
Two thumbs up for breakfast at the wayside grill. We all got big plates of eggs, pancakes, sausage, and gallons of hot coffee. After discussion of options, Eric is going to pack up and go home. He's clearly sick, and all his clothes and gear are wet. He feels badly, but there's no reason to. We all feel badly.

We helped him pack up and wished him safe travels home. I'll now be going home with John and Ted, so we've sent all non-essentials home in Eric's car, and we'll sort things out after we all get home. Sadly, my guitar had to go - though it's been so cold that playing it has been out of the question.

Falls Hike

When planning this trip, I had the Three Falls hike in mind for today. We talked to the ranger yesterday when checking into the campground, and she confirmed that it's a great hike. The hike is detailed here, and we opted for doing the "two falls" option (6.1 miles vs. 9.3). It turned out to be a perfect hiking day - sunny and blue sky, warm in the sun, cool in the shade. Both falls were beautiful, and we rested for a while at both. There was some up and down, but nothing terrible (except maybe one stretch of the last climb back up to Skyline Drive.)

For extra convenience, we didn't even need to drive to a trailhead - the loop went right through our campground. After walking through the campground, we see the campsites we'll try to get next time we're here (because there *will* be next times.) The sites on the "E" loop are secluded and have a view out over the valley.

Shower

Dark Hollow Falls

Yes, the campground has portable showers. With hot water. Hallelujah. Boy did a hot shower feel good after a cold night and a good hike.

Steaks on the Grill
As the afternoon went on and the sun started to get lower, it started to get significantly colder. It was still clear, and the forecast wasn't calling for rain, but it was clearly going to be another very cold night. We got a fire started, and cooked the steaks we originally planned to eat last night. They were amazing, as campfire steaks always are.

We talked around the campfire until the fire got low, and then it was time to hit the sack. I bundled unto my layers and crawled into my sleeping bag. Nite nite.

(To be continued)

SNP: Camp Night 1

(Continued from here)

3:16pm
Entering Skyline Drive (riding in Eric's car, with John and Ted following in Ted's car.) The sun is actually out, and the views are fantastic. We'll go up the drive about 20 miles to Big Meadows campground.

4:55pm
We're here and have checked in, picked a site, and set up camp. The sun we saw on entering the park didn't last long, and it's gotten progressively grayer, windier, and colder. We have the two tents set up - my tent for me and Eric, John's tent to share with Ted. The bathroom is close by, which has toilets and sinks (with hot water!), but no showers. There are showers up by the ranger station, but it's too much trouble to walk up there now. I've washed up and changed in the bathroom, and that's good enough.

I already have a couple of layers on, and I'm wondering if I've brought enough layers. An evening in the low 40's with rain and wind will feel very cold.

5:12pm
We've set up Phil's canopy (i.e., "the party tent"), and I expect it to blow away any second. It's a big heavy thing, and we have it staked into wet ground with four little tent stakes. If a gust of wind gets under it, those stakes will never hold. But so far it is, and we're keeping an eye on it.

6:35pm
The evening continues to get colder and windier, and rain seems imminent. To no one's surprise, the party tent met a spectacular demise. A big gust of wind pulled it out of the ground and took it for a ride. It crash-landed a short distance away, and is broken beyond repair. There goes our shelter on what looks like it's going to be a rainy night. General merriment over the flight of the canopy, and what we'll say to Phil when we get back.

Eric prepared two meals: steaks to cook over the grill, and a chili which he pre-made and froze, to be thawed and cooked on his portable camp stove. The original plan was to cook the steaks tonight, but it's so windy that a good campfire isn't looking possible. Another possibility is driving 10 miles back to Skyland, where we could get dinner in the restaurant and drinks in the bar. But that's crazy talk - we'll stay here and suffer like real men.

8:10pm
It's cold, very windy, damp...and cold. I have all my layers on and can't keep warm. Part of the problem is that when packing, I went back and forth on whether to bring rain pants. I had them packed, and then thought "nah, I won't wear them." Not too smart. I'm wearing jeans, which are now damp and just making me colder. The bathroom is very well heated, and there's joking about spending the night in there.

Eric managed to cook his chili on the camp stove, and it was delicious (as always.) We're sitting around the (fireless) fire pit, talking and trying to keep warm. Bed will be soon - and sooner if the rain starts in earnest, as we have no where else to go but our tents.

8:45pm
Bedtime. The wind has never let up, and it's now raining hard. What a miserable evening. This isn't a surprise - rain was in the forecast. But it feels colder than it was supposed to be. Oh well. I've cursed myself all night for not packing my rain pants. Oh well.

I should be warm enough once I get in my sleeping bag. I can get out of these damp jeans, into a dry layer of long johns, heavy socks, wool cap (Canada Hockey), and I'll be fine. At least that's the hope.

Nite nite.

(Continued here)