I ride through that area a LOT and know how beautiful it is. Admittedly, I was a bit shocked when I asked what activities they normally do and got the reply (parphrased) "nothing! we just sit around and drink".
Bummer! I shook my head. The area is too beautiful and riddled with outdoor activities to do "nothing"!
However, the idea of hanging out there doing nothing was *MUCH* more appealing than hanging out at the house and doing nothing. Additionally, I honestly could NOT recall the last time I was on a "boys night out" thing.
Luckily, Isaac was available and I was able to leave by late Friday morning. Another cave buddy was going and has been there before, and since he lived close by, we made arrangements to ride over together.
I got to Larry's place a little late (15 minutes, so not quite yet Ed-late). We loaded up the truck with his gear and hit the road. The parking lot was roughly 2 hours away.
Heh. the parking lot! There were two ways in -- a three mile, level hike and a one mile steeply sloped hike (down on the way in, up on the way out).
Larry tried to convince my dumbass to strap my bag and cooler to his backpack rig, but I was sure I could handle it. Stubbornness! it may well one day be the death of me!!
If the straps to my bag were larger and padded this likely would have been a non-issue. However, they are not either of those two qualities. Not only that, but my collapsible cooler's straps were torn where they attached to the cooler -- the weight of about 28 twelve ounce beverages on ice will NOT help this!
After a few hundred feet or so, the straps were already cutting into my shoulders. I would spend the rest of the way down the hill, alternating which bag was on which shoulder. Poor Larry! I told him to just go on ahead and I would eventually get there, but he stuck with me, bless his heart.
By the time we got down to the river and a level surface, I noticed that my cooler strap was about to let go. That tear at the top of the hill had deteriorated into a concern that it may just let go at anytime and the cooler would take a 3' drop, breaking some of the bottles in the cooler.
This was not acceptable! I put the cooler inside my camp bag and pulled some other stuff out and carried it, while the cooler sat nestled in the much sturdier and safer "camp bag" (actually an old Army rucksack from a H.S. friend of mine).
I am really slowed by now as I am about spent! Larry tries keeping my spirits up by telling me how close we are and the occasional, yet false, "it's just around the next bend" rhetoric.
He even sends owl calls because anyone at the cabin that heard it would be calling back to him. It wasn't long before we did hear these returned calls. It worked, I felt better, but was still too exhausted to pick up the pace and hardly was able to carry my bags for more than a few hundred feet without setting it all down and taking a "breather".
We finally come around the right "bend" and the cabin is visible. You talk about a sight for sore eyes! OH MY!
It was bittersweet, though, as I was *tickled* to see the cabin -- and, yet, a bit disheartened to see that it was up a hill. My legs are DONE!
Yeesh! I saw that and was totally bummed. I damn near sat down and dug a beer out and figured on drinking one or three to lighten the load to get up that hill. Gavin, who originally suggested I come, seen me in my state of despair and exhaustion, came down and grabbed my bag out of my hands. I told him I would get it and he said "c'mon". My tired body didn't argue as the 190 pound frame I was already lugging around was cumbersome enough.
As soon as that bag hit the cabin deck, I dug myself out a beer before ANYTHING else happened. IT ... WAS ... TIME!
After 12 oz. of liquid bliss, I went ahead and set my sleeping bag up for the night. After that, it was time to get (the rest of) my drink on. Many laughs and good times were had to round out the evening.
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| The fire and a roof was the lone amenity to the cabin |
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| Robby, Ike, and Randy |
Saturday dawned and my calf muscles and shoulders were screaming! Sad thing is, I had to hike back up the hill to get more beer -- carrying what I had carried down the day before nearly broke me -- at least I was smart enough not to try and carry more. Larry was in the same boat. I told him I would grab whatever he needed, but he wanted to go too.
Before we made the trek back up, he wanted to grab some breakfast, so I whiled away that time playing with the camera. Here are a few pictures
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| creek leading up to waterfall |
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| Larry |
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| some woodpecker(s) been busy |
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| looking up |
There were times poor Larry thought I was going to go into cardiac arrest. I was winded and that is all, but he had fun picking on my dumb ass. ; )
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| looking back |
About halfway up there was a rockshelter and we took some time to explore it. Mostly for me, it was a break for my aching calves.
We finally reached the truck and I gladly took Larry up on his offer to use his backpack rack for the hike back to the cabin.
It is amazing how much better a situation is when you have the right gear. I had decided I wanted to hike the flat path back in -- despite the fact it was three miles instead of one.
Three level miles was more appealing to me than one mile of that incline. I told Larry he could play it either way and I would pick him up if he chose the shorter route, but he went along with the extra miles.
So we moved the truck. Outside of getting back to the cabin, this was the best part of the day. LOL
We find the lower parking lot and begin the three mile hike. Did I mention I am wore out yet? Three LEVEL miles is STILL *three* miles!
Along the way there is this ....
Apparently the story is that a couple good ol' boys were out drinkin' 'n' drivin' and rolled their car. This path is not exactly vehicle friendly so it still sets there after all these years.
We finally got close to the cabin and could hear the ruckus of the boys being boys. Such a welcome sound for these ears!
By now, I am walking like a sasquatch from sheer pain -- and really, just happy to be able to be walking still, and not carried! A few beers helped me not notice it so much, and the night passed quickly with yet more laughs and good times.
Sunday dawned and everyone is packing up to leave. Larry and I were the last to do so. Oddly, I didn't feel as much pain today as I had yesterday. Either I had gotten to the point where I was numbed, there was just no way to feel any MORE pain, or something. The hike back to the truck seemed easier on me than any of the previous of the weekend had.
Despite the pain, it was a great weekend, and I cannot wait to go back next year -- albeit with proper equipment!
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