I arrived at the parking lot at 3:00 p.m. I noticed that there were only two cars in the lot, and was delighted at the lack of people considering it was a holiday weekend. I would be a bit surprised once I hit the trail, however. I spent a few minutes getting things situated, and was soon on the trail.
The northern terminus of Hess trail. I had planned on hiking around 1.5 miles down this trail, and turning off onto Rankin trail.
The view on Hess trail. The trail was very easy to follow, and was blazed every 10 feet or so with red rectangles.
A view to the side of Hess Trail. During the summer, the undergrowth explodes into a sea of green.
I soon found myself at the junction of Hess Trail and Rankin Trail. There was an elderly couple, with a small dog there. We exchanged hellos, and I headed west on Rankin.
Enormous boulders such as this one littered the landscape to the north of Rankin Trail, with a beautiful mountain stream flanking it to the south. I passed another couple, with yet another dog along this trail.
Campsites were abundant on Rankin Trail, usually within eye sight of the trail. I thought about staying at one, but I had only walked for two miles, and was trying to find somewhere a bit more secluded. I made my way towards Mill Run Trail, which Rankin connects to.
I passed several of these bridges, built by the conservation corps I believe, before hitting Mill Run Trail.
I had camped along Mill Run Trail before, and had a few spots in mind. I apparently was not the only one with those sites in mind. I passed the campsites along the trail, with 2 to 3 people each, and one very nosy pug.
I backtracked to a bridge that connected Mill Run Trail to Grist Mill Trail. There was a perfect clearing only a few feet from the bridge, but I sought seclusion, so I hiked about 100 yards off trail to the west of the bridge.
Where I ended up. It doesn't look like much, but a few minutes, an 8x10 Equinox tarp, and paracord can make a decent campsite.
 |
| My shelter for the night. |
 |
| Very nice sitting log. |
I used my Equinox tarp, with 550 paracord as my guylines and ridge line. I used cheap aluminum stakes from Walmart, and bankline for Prusik knots to keep the tarp taut. The weather called for no precipitation, and with an overnight low of only 60 degrees F, so I chose to use a lean to configuration. It worked well, allowing the slight breeze to blow in.
I used a 4x6 feet poly tarp for my ground sheet, which I purchased for $1 at the Dollar Tree. It was quite tough for a $1 tarp, however, next time I will use something a bit larger. The infamous blue foam pad was my insulation from the ground. I tried out a new piece of gear for my sleeping system, the Kelty Ridgeway fleece sleeping bag.
 |
| Kelty Ridgeway Fleece Sleeping Bag |
It weighs a bit over 2 pounds, but doesn't compress well when packing. It does roll up to a fairly small size, however. It is built exactly like a rectangular sleeping bag, and can be unzipped entirely to utilize it as a quilt. It is made from heavyweight fleece, and kept me comfortable throughout the entire night, with temps in the high 50's F. I would say that it would be comfortable down to the mid to low 50's F. Any colder, and I'd opt for a real sleeping bag.
After getting my shelter set up, I quickly realized just how much of an appetite I had built up. Knowing basic bear safety, I knew not to cook near my shelter, so I decided to cook at the empty campsite near the bridge. It had a fire ring, was right next to water, which I needed to fill up on, and had the most perfect sitting log ever created.
Not wanting to drag my ILBE pack to the clearing just for some food, I grabbed my food sack, my Olicamp cup, and my coffee can cook pot, and booked it to the clearing. I was motivated to speed by the small amount of daylight left, and my own ravenous hunger. Walking several miles with 25 pounds on your back can really turn into one of those times that your stomach really is just as big as your eyes.
I sat down on the aforementioned perfect sitting log, and began to prepared my feast. The word feast conjures up a different image for every person. Some might think of a fancy steak dinner, or an all you can eat buffet. But to me, my feast was Vienna sausages and Ramen. Judge me as much as you'd like for my choice of cuisine, but it was amazing.
The view of my cooking area.
Afterwards I had a cup of coffee. I then proceeded to hang my food bag and any other items that might make a bear curious, and retired to my shelter. I read for an hour or two, using my headlamp, but was sound asleep by 11 p.m.
The next morning, I packed up, erased any sign that I had stayed there, and started hiking the few miles back to the car, feeling refreshed and recharged thanks to the soul healing attributes of the wilderness. I may not have found absolute solitude, but I found what I needed. Sometimes, you just have to get out there.
