After some research, we chose this route for our hike, planning to do the first half on Friday, camp at the sites near the midpoint on the map, and then finish the route Saturday morning.
the weather was perfect!
We had the trail completely to ourselves for 99% of the trip (saw a few people Saturday morning right before we got back to the car).
Great views on this hike!
I had read reviews of this area with numerous people reporting bear sightings. We didn't see any (maybe my extra loud singing of Lady Gaga during dinner helped scare them off!) but we did see some snakes, lizards, and hawks circling.
Stream/wading pools next to the campsite
Steve securing our food from the bears!
Our home for the night! It was so peaceful. Hard to believe we didn't see anyone at all on Friday. Our previous camping experiences involved driving 3+ hours from Chicago, and even then the campsites we found had other people nearby sometimes talking loudly all night long. This camping experience by far beat out those car camping ones! It was so nice having nothing but crickets and tree frogs in the background as we slept under the trees.
Another perk of the hiking/camping combo~ hiking while carrying gear is quite a workout! We were sore for the rest of the weekend. That plus the combination of rainy/stormy weather (we got back to our car just in time Saturday morning to beat the rain!) meant we were lazy the rest of the weekend. But I'm so glad we got our little escape to the wilderness in. It's amazing having such a beautiful park so close by!
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I am not a very outdoors-y person, but I LOVE camping. Not the kind with electrical outlets and running water either — the hardcore kind where you're just literally in the middle of nowhere. Your post reminded me of all the great memories my parents gave me as they took me on these camping trips...thanks for the trip down memory lane!
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty hike!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I could ever camp knowing there were bears around though...
@Jenny - the hardcore kind is definitely the best! I think living in a big city for so long made me much more appreciative of getting into nature and away from crowds for a bit!
ReplyDelete@Kath - I was a little nervous about the bears, especially when our food was out. I think my husband thought I was a little nuts for singing etc! But we didn't have any encounters so it worked :)