21 July 2009
Crew: Couldn’t Hack the Hike
Posted by admin under: hiking .
Ack! This weekend I took my Venture Crew on an easy hike into the Los Padres National Forest northwest of Los Angeles. We were supposed to backpack 8 miles into a primitive campground where we would fish and hang out overnight and then come back the next day.
If you’ve followed my notoriety regarding the upcoming BSA height/weight policy you’ll know that I’ve admitted to be severely overweight. Because of that I’d demurred with the guys regarding my attendance on the hike thinking that I might not be able to handle it. I really wanted to do it; I just wasn’t sure of my ability and didn’t want to hold anyone up.
As time progressed and other adults didn’t step up to lead the group, it became necessary for me to go or the whole hike would be canceled. So, we piled all 9 Venturing Scouts and the adults into 2 vehicles and headed the 86 miles to our trailhead.
I was right. I was not able to handle it. It didn’t help that the temperature was 100 degrees and I wasn’t able to handle the paltry 4500 foot elevation. So, instead of going 8 miles we ended up stopping after 3 at the first campsite we came to. Fortunately, there was a creek nearby for water. Otherwise, we would have had to turn right around because we were all running low on water. I had such a pathetic pace it took us 3 hours to go the 3 miles and I think we only gained 500 feet in altitude during the hike which was mostly uphill until right before we got to camp.
If I had been in some sort of reasonable shape this would have been a great hike. Upper Reyes Creek campground was at least 25 degrees cooler than the surrounding area. The creek level was too low for fishing, however. The flies and mosquitoes were manageable, although we all compared bite marks at last night’s Venture Crew meeting.
After lunch and a short nap I felt completely recharged and a big group of us tried to get to the next campground 2 miles further up the trail as a side-hike. We would have made it too, but we forgot to bring a water filter and since we were running low on water and the steep decline as we approached the camp meant we were going to have a hard uphill hike on the way back. So, we aborted about half a mile from the next camp and headed back to our overnight digs.
I experimented with making a chili pasta while my kids made fettuccine Alfredo (which is pasta with some warmed-up sauce thrown on top). I rigged a mosquito net at night which saved me a lot of grief and still allowed me to enjoy the night air which was somewhere in the upper 70’s, probably. There was no moon so the stars were really blazing. We had hung our food on a bear line, but I kept waking up at night thinking I heard mice trying to go through our stuff.
In the morning I experimented with making pancakes (just add water!) and oatmeal in addition to my oranges. I made a lot of young friends who had minimized their own loads with dehydrated (and de-flavored) food. I didn’t have occasion to use the flour and spices on fish as I had hoped. I was really looking forward to frying up some trout on my camp stove. Maybe next time.
We made the trip back in half the time as the hike in and a representative for the forest service did a survey on what we’d done for some sort of government statistic gathering. The car air conditioning was glorious. I apologized about a thousand times for keeping everyone from getting to our final destination and holding the pace up and the guys were good-natured about it saying that I gave them an excuse to not have to go any farther in that heat.
This was my daughter’s first overnight backpacking trip. She and I had never gotten the Girl Scout troop to put it on the calendar so she’d not had an opportunity to do this. Of course, she came through it with no problems and my Life Scout son did it easily, too, although he complained when I made him bring a pot for boiling water and a small roll of paper towels.
I was able to get past my embarrassment and enjoy the surroundings, the joking, the card games, and just being away from everything for a couple of days. Between this trip and the week of walking around Washington D.C. I may have a start on some stamina and muscle so I can actively participate in all the Scouting activities. Being in shape is a lot more fun than not.
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- Boy Scouts Might Advertise More Co-Ed Aspects
- Georgia Super Hikers
4 Comments so far...
smokyscout Says:
22 July 2009 at 7:37 pm.
From where I sit you had a very successful trip. The event was not cancelled. Your crew made the necessary adjustments to accommodate a need within the group and everyone was kind to the person who needed the accommodation. You stayed within safe guidelines and did not push to the point where you got into trouble and needed rescue. Your group learned that flexibility is a very important attribute when doing outdoor activities. And it sounds like, rather than accepting the current limitationjs, you personally are inspired to make some lifestyle changes so that you can expand your options in the future. Congratulations on a great weekend!
admin Says:
24 July 2009 at 12:24 pm.
Thanks, Smoky! Yes, I’m trying to get out more often. I’d like to be able to enjoy the outdoors with my kids now that they’re old enough to go to places more exciting!
Bryan Says:
25 July 2009 at 8:25 pm.
I agree, sounds like the trip went well. Everyone showed the flexibility necessary for a great outdoors experience. The heat sounded like it was getting to even to those in the best shape.
Camelbak Flow Meter Introduced at $30 Suggested Price | BoyandGirlScouts.com - News, Opinion, Advice Says:
11 August 2009 at 5:07 pm.
[...] habits on your hike, I have to admit I think it seems like a fairly decent idea. I know when I was hiking with my Venture Crew last monthand we were running low on water I knew about it because I was using water bottles and could see it, [...]
