Backpacking Trip

Over the weekend we went on the first real backpacking trip of the year.  It was a rude awakening to the reality of our fitness level.  Sure we do a lot of hiking, but we have never carried weight like this before on a day hike.  The area we went to was called the Rico-Silo trail.  It isn't far from where we hiked ice lake the year before.  We had planned on hiking over the ridge and down to some ponds on the other side but the ridge proved tougher than we thought.

 

We drove up to the area on Friday night.  When we got there it was dark and we had my two wheel drive car driving up a 4x4 road where it had no business being - though she did great! We had many comments on getting the car as far up the road as we did, though we still stopped at least a mile short of the trail head.

This was on the way back down when we got back.  I wish I had taken a picture of the hill we decided not to attempt.  We pitched our tent that night in the small, flat area behind the car on the pull off.  Not ideal conditions, but do-able none the less.

 

The tent turned out to work fairly well for the two of us, though the dog still needs lessons in sharing tent space for sleeping.  He thought we made a nice pillow, but he also made a good foot warmer.

 

The next morning we packed up all of our gear and headed to the trail head.  It was a nice easy hike down the rocky road.  The trail begins by crossing a good sized stream and then winds its way up into a spruce forest.

 

In the forest we crossed several small streams and took many breaks along the series of switchbacks that take the trail up the mountain.  As you reach the tree line the forest opens up into a series of meadows filled with wildflowers.  The wildflowers grow in a marshy soil that you can squeeze water out of just by walking over it.

 

 

We tried our best to make it to the ridge in the distance but between the elevation and our packs, the challenge had proved to be much too great.  We were above tree line and it was getting close to noon.  During monsoon season it is not a good idea to be above treeline when a thunderstorm rolls through and there were some clouds building above the ridge line we were heading for.

 

 

It sure is hard to beat the view from up here. 

 

After hiking up hill for what seemed like hours we finally threw in the towel and decided to head to lower ground to find a place to camp.  No sense in getting caught on a mountaintop in a thunderstorm if you can avoid it. We eventually stopped back in the marshy meadows and scouted out a flat, dry location for our tent.  We didn't wander too far off the trail, but our tent was nicely hidden by the low bushes growing throughout the meadow.

 

 

There was a nearby stream where we replenished our water supplies.  I was excited to get to use my new water filter for the first time and it seemed to work great.  It was easy to pump and it didn't take long to filter a gallon of fresh stream water for our camp. 

 

Dinner was a hearty beef - vegetable soup that was dehydrated before the trip.  Turned out pretty good for ground beef, veggies and pasta.  We had to cook it tucked under the bushes by our tent to keep the wind from blowing out the flame.  The camp stove worked pretty well for a last minute purchase from walmart, though in the future I may want a lighter weight version for backpacking trips.

 

 

The hike back down the valley was much shorter than the one up the mountain.  At this point I think we were both thankful that we decided to camp closer to the car than was originally planned.  Putting the packs back on after the brutal day before was agony in the beginning.  I think we were just on a mission to get back to the car and get home to a cold shower.

 

It may be a while before we decide to do a trip like this again.  It is nice to know your boundaries before you attempt a backpacking trip.  I think we will try again in the future, but may look into doing more car camping and day hikes than backpacking trips up a mountain.