Our equipment was loaded, our location confirmed, the weather was
beautiful – sunny and about 65 degrees – and we were both filled with absolute
excitement for our 1-night, 2-mile backpacking adventure.
As is the case with many of us, we fit a lot (too much) into our
weekend. So before we headed out, Niko, my almost 10-year old son, had a
basketball game. We didn’t start our one-hour drive to Pederanales Falls until
about 2pm. On our drive, I wanted to make sure Niko had plenty of protein
before our hike in, so we stopped at Sonic and both ate as if we were going to
be in the backcountry for a week.
We found the ranger station and checked-in without a problem, picked up
a map and a field guide to animal tracks (including a puma, to which Niko
swears he saw tracks along the way). As a side note, always bring cash, as in
addition to the $10 camping fee I paid online, there was a $3 park admission
fee.
I was getting nervous about our late start. I was frustrated because
nature and a first experience in it are things I don’t ever want to rush. We
parked, loaded our packs on our backs, hung our whistles around our necks, took
a peek at the trail head map and headed in. Literally a few seconds later,
Niko’s sternum strap snapped. He was
disappointed. I tried to tie the whistle string around the straps of the
sternum area, but that didn’t work. I am continually amazed and grateful for my
son’s flexibility and ability to go with the flow. He took it in stride
(literally) and off we went.
The hike was very well marked and wide, a combination of gravel and
dirt. A group of boy scouts passed us up, so we had a nice and quiet hike ahead
of us…until we both realized we had to go to the bathroom.
After our pit stop, we walked at a nice, leisurely pace, crossed 3 beautiful
little streams, rested on a bench, snacked on our GORP and whittled, took in
the view and made it to the primitive camping area with plenty of daylight. At
exactly the 2-mile mark calculated by my watch, we found a great place to make
our outdoor home. Although a water source wasn’t immediately nearby, we had
packed enough in.
We immediately began setting up our tent. The Eureka! Amari
Pass Two-Person tent (4 lbs, 9 oz., $140) was a cinch to set up, but the
compartment area is confusing and unnecessary. Niko stepped in coyote scat
(realizing our adventure is for real) and continued to roll out our sleeping
pads and sleeping bags. We brought Niko’s pillow; I used my sleeping bag
holder, with my extra clothes shoved in, as my pillow. We hung a lantern from
the tent ceiling. The ground around our tent was surrounded by rock and very
loose soil. Even though Niko grabbed a rock and pounded in the stakes, I was
happy that there were no winds to make secure staking necessary.
We set up a small kitchen area by our backpacks, secured our headlamps
on our heads and lit our MSR MICROROCKET backpacking stove. It worked like a
charm and we decided to make hot chocolate and tea. As the sun set, it began to
get chilly. With our warm drinks, we walked around the area briefly (and I must
admit, I was trying to get a cell phone signal).
We snuggled up in the tent and played a game of Rummy. Then, we went
outside, lit the stove again and with a cup of boiling water and 9 minutes of
waiting, turned our dried beef stroganoff into a delicious meal. After dinner,
we each ate a dried ice cream sandwich. With a limited amount of water, I used
the hand sanitizing wipes to clean out our aluminum cups (which we used for
both our drinks and dinner).
We were both ready to turn in for the night as campfires were
prohibited. I gave Niko a customized version of 10
Things I Want My Son to Know Before He Turns 10 while we were huddled in
our tent and we read and talked and fell asleep.
During the night, we both got cold. We put our hats on and switched
sleeping bags as I think my bag is warmer. We made it through the night, but
those sleeping pads are not comfortable! I felt like I was sleeping on the bare
ground.
We woke up with the sun and started our stove. This time, we had a
breakfast skillet with hot chocolate and tea. Niko took on the challenge of
setting up the hammock, which we didn’t have enough sunlight to do the previous day. He
was an expert on figuring out the knots to hold the hammock in place. And, we
had the perfect trees for hanging a hammock! It is very compact and was easy to
fold up and pack.
With our water supply running low, we began breaking down our camp and
loading our packs. It was much easier to pack the second time around. On the
way in, Niko’s sleeping bag was outside of his backpack, but on the way out, I
shoved it inside and the balance was much better.
We said goodbye to our beautiful campsite, then begin the 2-mile hike
back to our car. It was a wonderful hike back and we were able to be completely
present, breath in the air and truly appreciate the way nature fills your soul,
transports you to stillness, gratitude and wellness.
We were happy to see our car, dropped our packs and Niko immediately
filled up our water bottles. Fantastic adventure with more to come!
