Pack up your troubles

This past weekend I took Jon on his first backpacking trip along with my friend Cal and his 14 year-old son Brody. We went to Ha Ha Tonka state park. We got there around 11:30 and then waited for about an hour and a half for Cal to arrive (ahem :o). We checked out the "castle," the natural bridge, the spring and the island, totaling about three miles of walking.

Then we donned backpacks and took off on the Turkey Pen Hollow trail. We backpacked about three miles the first day, in 95 degree heat (what was it that Noël Coward said?) We were trying to get at least to the halfway point before camping, and finally found a place at three miles in, which was good because Cal was promptly overcome with heat sickness (the result of not drinking enough water). We set up camp and enjoyed the ticks (lots - they bothered Cal and Brody more because their repellent was DEET-free, whereas I believe in applying poison to my skin and clothes to avoid Lyme disease), heat and humidity until it was time to pass out from exhaustion, sung to sleep by a whippoorwill. I'd estimate our total mileage for the day at about six miles, three with packs.

Sunday we got up early to get going before it got hot and were on the trail by 7:00 and at the trailhead by a little after eight, with another 2+ miles under our belts. We then went and did a trail to the River Cave and around another dolomite glade, to bring the total mileage for the weekend close to nine miles. Then off to Camdenton to have breakfast (Southwestern omelet, thanks for asking), and home.

Jon did really well, considering the heat, although he did suffer some while backpacking because his pack didn't fit right at all (not surprising, it's never fit me, either). But after it was all over and done he said he'd like to do it again. So I'd say that's about as good an endorsement as I can hope for.

Here's a map of the backpacking portion of the weekend, thanks to the GPS software in my Droid phone (you may have to wait up to half a minute for the actual trail markers to show up):


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And here are some pictures I took. Cal took a lot more, and I am waiting for them so I can add them to the album.