Me Fire, You Food

Monday, April 6, 2015

Eager to test our newly purchased sleeping bags, James and I decided to spend a night at a camp sites James remembered from his childhood. If you follow the Appalachian Trail south where it crosses Route 183, near the Blue Marsh Lake in Berks County, an old, blue-green reservoir and twenty foot waterfall awaits you.

The last time James and I hiked along this particular section of the Appalachian Trail was during Christmas of 2014. There is something special about winter hikes. The snow seems to mute the usual sounds and turns the surroundings into an enchanted wonderland. Coming back to this hike during spring allowed us to experience the trail in a totally different light. The forest presented a beautiful feast to our eyes with its blooming flowers, lush trees, and singing birds.

After a few miles following the white blazes, we started to hear what sounded like a large group of geese. The closer we approached a small, swampy pond on the side of the trail, the louder the noises became. Trying not to scare away the unidentified animals, we approached the pond on our tiptoes, but when we reached the pond’s edge the noise suddenly ceased. To our surprise we determined the sounds were coming from what seemed like hundreds of frogs croaking.  We found several more of these ponds scatter along the trail as we went along.

Continuing our hike towards the reservoir, we took a little detour to visit a spectacular rock field in the middle of the woods. I am glad that it was not warm, because this place seems like snake paradise. For safety reasons, I kept my photo shoot as short as possible.

As we approached the campsite, an unpleasant, sweet smell filled the warm spring air. James and I could not identify the source of the smell but in my eyes it smelled like melted chocolate from someone making s’mores. James on the other hand, thought of rotting flesh. This made me wonder about my smelling ability.  However, regardless of where the smell was coming from, we were also concerned about the fact that other campers may be causing odor. You have to know that the “first come, first serve” rule applies for this hidden camping gems, and it would have been a pity if we had to find an alternative camping spot. Fortunately, the wind changed, the smell disappeared, and luckily we were the only people around so the campsite was all ours.

Our first overnight of the year not only allowed us to  test our new sleeping bags and water filtration system, but we also used this opportunity to test some new, cheap food options.  Instant mashed potatoes, fettuccine alfredo, and homemade granola were on the menu.  After dinner, James went through some very entertaining troubles when trying to secure the extra food from wildlife.  When backpacking, it’s common to hang your food in a tree using a method called bear bagging in order to keep it out of reach from bears and smaller rodents.  Sometimes easier said than done.  After losing his throwing rock several times, the rope he was using became tangled in some branches well above his head, which caused about 20 minutes of struggling.

*Photographic documentation of this whole process was strictly prohibited.

Come morning, after a restless night of sleep, I had seemingly regressed into a caveman like state, snorting to James “Me fire, you food”.  We quickly packed up our camp, retrieved our food from the tree, had some breakfast and hot tea, and hit the trail for our hike back to the car.

Overall, our first overnight hike in 2015 was a success and provided us with some valuable lessons. Dehydrated mashed potatoes turned out to be the most lucrative meal for two frugal soon to be homeless hikes. Furthermore, nonfat dry milk surprisingly provides some creaminess to cheap, dehydrated pasta meals. Our sleeping bags keep us warm during the night, as long as we stay on the sleeping pad and avoid any contact with the ground.  Be selective when choosing a spot to hang food.  Also preparing tea over a campfire rather than using the stove, not worth the hassle.

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