New_to_it

I'm planning my test entry into the world of backpacking next Monday -- hiking two miles into the primitive camping area at Colorado Bend state park, for a two-day stay. Yeah, hardly a trek, I know, but it's a first for me and I'm excited! I've only done car tent camping before, and not even much of that. I love the idea of being two miles away from roads, cars, etc, out in the country...

But it is June, in Texas -- am I crazy?!?

I'm starting to get worried about drinking water. I usually drink 2-3 liters of water a day, even at home or at air-conditioned, sedentary work. I can down half a liter easy after a short bike ride... I'm trying to pack a light pack since I weigh only 110 lbs and am in reasonable shape, but in my late 40s and no super athlete. At 8 lbs a gallon, I don't want to take more water than I need... but I don't want to be thirsty and miserable. I plan on arriving at the park by 9:30 AM so I can get to my campsite by 11:00 or noon at the latest if I really need to rest on the trail. But its still going to be a good hot little hike. Especially with a big old pack on.

I plan on using the creek to stay cool and wet, but the dog and I will still need to drink a lot! (She has been on long summer hikes with me and does okay with the heat, and I know about signs of heat exhaustion for her and how to prevent it, so that's covered, as long as we get to our camp before it gets to full sun, 90+ degrees.) And unless the creek is super clean, which I don't expect anything to be anyore, the dog shouldn't be drinking much from it either (though she will some, unavoidable -- she still needs fresh water).

How much water should I expect to drink in three hot days and two nights? I plan to refill at the park entrance on day two, but that will involve a two-mile hike to the road and then another five miles to the water spigot (I could drive that part).

How would you all handle this? Can I just boil water from the creek to drink? Is it worth getting a water filter or something? Seems dumb when I am only 2 miles in...! (Plus I am not buying lots of gear but renting/borrowing, since for all I know I may come back and say "picnic tables, coolers full of cold beer, and nearby composting toilets are the thing for me!" Though I kind of doubt it -- I've wanted to do long back country solo hikes for a long time, and am really psyched about this test run.) It's strange -- many years ago I went hiking in New Mexico in august, not knowing what the hell I was doing, with a little day pack and some amount of water, and i did fine. But the thought of "BACKPACKING" suddenly makes it seem so mysterious. Plus, it has just gotten HOT, as all you Texans know.

Thanks for humoring me with my first-timer nerves and questions!

--"Scratch" in Austin (I'll register soon, I promise)

ploddinTod

Well, you're a gutsy little thing to try your maiden backpacking voyage in the Tx summer. :cool: Just tell yourself before you even embark that if things don't work out as you had hoped, then you'll give it another try under better climate conditions.

Stash a few gallons in your car just in case. And, yes, you can boil water to purify. Let it go a good two minutes at a rolling boil. You could also use iodine or chlorine dioxide tablets for purification. Bring a handerkerchief or bandanna to filter any large particles, silt or sediment.

Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world of backpacking. You're gonna love it. :yes: (Well, maybe your first trip won't be the best....mine wasn't.....but you'll learn a lot.)

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PloddinTod

copuswalker

What time do you folks get up !!

I second Todds sentiments. It can be done this time of year with the use of water to cool the body.
If you are feeling hooked on backpacking then you probably are and will stay that way!
Might look into a filter?? Katahdyn has a new one that is a lot faster than my MSR mini works. They also have the pills at academy for purifying water. they say they are tastless but I don't know cause I filter
I made the mistake of getting the wife involved in hiking so have not had the solo trips as of late. I can't go without her wanting to join :confused:

Oh, I guess I can live with it But do miss the solo's.

Hiking with a dog could be fun. I don't have a dog but do have a rooster and 15 chickens :idea: Hmmm, could find the snakes

Good luck New-to it and check out backpacker.com as well for gear info.

PS. the system told me I used to many emoticons? The part with the wife is supposed to be a joke.

Just in case she reads it

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There are those that hike and those that don't and those that say they will but won't.

Shannon

Too funny. Seems our forum software here has a feminine persona, hence limiting you to a set number of emoticons.

(Actually, it's a setting somewhere. On the off chance someone's overtaken by a desire to flood a message with 500 smilies, I guess!)

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Shannon

Crazy is relative. Have you camped during the Texas summers? If so, you'll have a better idea what you'll be up against. You won't need a sleeping bag -- we've ended up leaving ours in the car or sleeping (stickily) on top of them on humid summer nights.

I haven't backpacked yet, but have done my time in Texas summers. I tend to avoid camping in summer now. Guess I'm getting older, though I don't think I'd pair that with "wiser" just yet.

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Purchases in the Wild Texas Gear Shop support our continued operation. Thank you!

New_to_it

Thanks for all the support and tips. I think boiling extra water makes the most sense, as well as having some back-up in my car (I can freeze a couple of gallons and keep them in a cooler so they may be only warm after a day or two, rather than "freakin' hot and nasty"). I saw that Katadyn has a small filter for only about $30, but I really don't want to buy anything like that yet... I am definitely doing this one step at a time. I'm totally prepared to bail early if I am not having fun -- but I think I'll be fine.

Yeah maybe I am a gutsy little thing or maybe, like they say, if you're gonna be stupid, you'd better be tough... I have camped in Texas in the summer and was (mostly) okay. I don't think I'll set out on a hike at 2 PM again, though.

Oh, but my BEST Texas camping story is the time my sister (from Boston) came to visit me here in Austin one summer years ago, and wanted to go camping in Big Bend. She'd been there a few years before -- IN MARCH. This was August. I had no air conditioning where I lived at the time, and I pointed out to her that the candlesticks I had on the bookshelf had melted to the point where they were gracefully draped over the edge of the shelf... but no, she said "We'll be in the mountains! It will be fine!" So bright and early at the crack of 9:00 AM the next morning, we piled a tent, a cooler, and some food into my non-airconditioned Toyota, and headed out. We arrived there a couple of hours before sunset, and staggered out of the car, positively stupified by the heat and dehydration. The altitude didn't help either. I vaguely remember a meal in an air condtioned restaurant, followed by a miserable night in the tent before we got up the next morning at 4:00 AM to leave before the demon sun began attacking us again...

BUT that was then and this is now, and I've done more moderate summer camping here since. And it is indeed fun with a dog -- more fun than with chickens, I imagine. Not that I have anything against chickens. My dog reminds me that absolutely EVERYTHING is just utterly fabulous and fascinating. Every trail, every animal encountered, wow! We're going to the creek? Wow, great! Water! We're going back to camp to lie down? Wow, great! Dirt! You're going to take a leak? Wow, great, can I come along? (Okay, that part I could do without...)

Okay I'm a little worked up about this trip, enough rambling. I appreciate y'all helping me get over my fear of dehydration. I realize that as I am having my deep backcountry experience, boiling my water and eating my gorp and dehydrated eggs, families with toddlers will probably be ambling by my campsite with strollers. But as the wise ones say -- "Camping? Wow, great!"

ploddinTod

New To It,

Let us know how your trip went. I'm doubtful that you were able to sleep in this heat. :asleep:

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PloddinTod

copuswalker

Eventually you pass out! :eek:

New to it. are you an anti chikite :rolleyes:

I saw your sister was from Boston. a good portion of my youth was spent there. My son is going to school there as well. Nice spot if it wasn't for the locals

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There are those that hike and those that don't and those that say they will but won't.

SKOT FREE

Good luck, I have recently returned home from 21 days solo on The Contininental Divide Trail in New Mexico. Water sources were scarce, and alot of it was water in name only. Most of it was like cafe' con leche' garnished with cow poop, at one springhead there was a dead rat bobbing around. I used the Katadyn Hiker Model. I also carry a few coffee filters and a bread tie or two to pre-filter. It is very important not to cross contaminate your clean water. Make sure all the hoses are stored seperatly And DRY!! You can also use Aqua Mira if you want to go lite, But I personally am in to filtration. Boiling wastes fuel, and soils pots if you use a campfire. As that I advocate the principles of LEAVE NO TRACE I normally don't have a fire. As for dogs on the trail, I choose to torture Myself on the long trails. My dog can not make those decisions. But I love to take her on weekenders. I hope that you have a great trip and remember that we can go about three minutes without air, about three days without water, and about thirty without food.

Shannon

Any "Lessons Learned" from your extended trip? Things you would have done differently, in hindsight? Things you wouldn't have taken along, or conversely, things you really wished you'd had?

Trip Report! Trip Report! Trip Report!

Just 'cuz this is WildTexas.com doesn't mean the folks here (including myself) don't love hearing about adventures outside of Texas!

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- Shannon Moore
Your Host @ WildTexas.com

Purchases in the Wild Texas Gear Shop support our continued operation. Thank you!

ploddinTod

The CDT is on my list of future hikes as well. But the NM section doesn't appeal to me for the reasons you stated. Basically you're filtering from stock tanks along the way and the distances can be great between them.

I would do the Gila Wilderness section, however. But, of course, you have the Gila River meandering the whole section.

I think I'd start in the South San Juans in CO close to the NM border and hike north from there.

Map and compass and/or GPS skills are necessary on the CDT because sometimes the trail disappears.

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PloddinTod

New_to_it

Well, here's the report of this trip -- learned a lot, have a million questions, had fun... but it was not the experience I expected. That about sums up life, doesn't it?

The park employee who registered me told me that no, there was no creek or water at the Windmill backpack area. Some people scooped water that collected at the base of the windmill and filtered or boiled it. Shade? Nope, they are doing grasslands reclamation there so there really isn't much. Mid-June, 95 degree days, no water for swimming, no shade, two miles from parking and 5-6 miles from the river or creeks? Mmm, sounds like.... HELL!

So I did a one-mile hike in to the river primitive camping area. Just getting used to the wearing a 35 lb. backpack when we get there, oh well. The nicest shadiest spot has a great view of the riverbank cliffs on the other side -- and a great view of the expensive home someone has built on it. Kind of breaks the "Oooh, I'm way out here!" feeling, you know? Found a place where the bank and trees mostly blocked the houses and staircases down the cliff to the water.

So after a day of trekking down the hot gravel road past the RVs and group campsites to get to the BEAUTIFUL hiking and swimming holes in the spicewood springs part of the park, and a couple of trips out for water from the water spigot (just seemed silly to boil scummy muddy river water when I am a mile from clean water), I was feeling like this was a lot llike car camping just really inconvenient.

So the next morning we moved to the walk-in river tent sites -- lovely, hardly anyone there, rented a kayak, and the dog and I paddled downriver to some gorgeous waterfalls a mile or two away (Kayaking with my dog was a hoot since neither of us had done it before), did nice easy strolls to the swimming holes by the springs... stayed there that night in a soft grass, shady spot right on the river and had a great time. Beautiful water birds to watch, armadillos nearby... and I guess I am finally a real Texan after 23 years here, because I no longer am impressed by seeing deer. Rather, i think of them as large, pretty rats or pigeons -- nuisance animals, overrunning the area thanks to our wiping out their predators. But yeah, there were PLENTY of deer. And okay, the babies were kind of cute.

One question -- the first night, in the middle of the night I woke up to see white flashes of light that I thought were lightning. But I heard no thunder. Sat up, and said "Oh wow, that's not lightning, it's just some really intense lightning bugs!" Watched them for a bit then lay back down. But they weren't like any lightning bugs I've seen before -- they were many bright small flashes of very bright white light, nearby in the trees... not the usual greenish yellow firefly lights. And in the middle of the night? Were they fireflies, or....?

Good challenges that first day/night, too -- how to pick a campsite -- shade vs. level vs. not in a potential mud puddle if it rains; how to clean a pan when the dehydrated eggs came out SO gross even the dog won't eat them and now they are congealed on the bottom but you are limited on your water; how to package up melted oily stinky cheddar cheese that was once neat little cubes for snacking but gave up in the heat; how to tell regular anthills from fire ant hills (did okay there but it was luck since there were ants by all the campsites)...

Great trip, all in all. I do still want to really try the backpack thing but I want my destination to be somewhere I want to be. I don't mind stopping at sites to sleep along the way even if they are just places to pass the night, but I'd like to end up at a base camp that offers a pleasant environment. Either a nice view, or swimming, or wildlife or something. And I want to do it really alone -- having my dog was wonderful but she is still another being to think about; a distraction from really just being completely alone in my own skin. Not that every trip has to be a navel-gazing transformational event, but I do want to experience that, in at least semi-wilderness, really on my own.

Thanks for all the help and support here! And no matter how hard I try, I cannot think of any meaning for "anti-chikite" that could possibly make any sense here, so I guess I can't answer that one.

(P.S. Thermarest rules! Even though I didn't sleep much -- too excited, plus one very alert and excited dog in the tent makes it hard to sleep -- when I did sleep, I could even sleep on my side! On the ground -- that is pretty amazing for a bony body like me.)

Unregistered

If you want to really "go for it" just take a couple of liters, and some empty gallon jugs. You can filter the stream water through a bandanna and use potable aqua plus to kill the microbes. It's cheap and light.

If the stream looks nasty, I would hike with a days worth of water (3 or 4 liters), and then on the morning of day 2, hike back to the car and hike back in with just the two gallons of water. It's not that far of a hike, your pack will be pretty light, and you don't have to mess with the creek water.

Also, don't drink just water. Add some gatorade powder or something like that to give you some calories and electrolytes.

Will you be able to sleep at night? That would be my biggest concern for you, as far as having a good time.

Have a great time. You should have the place pretty much to yourself.

ploddinTod

Thanks for the trip report. Sounds like you had some challenges but made the necessary adjustments along the way.

So what's next for you? More summer trips? Next destination? Maybe we can help.

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PloddinTod

New_to_it

I'm thinking spring and fall hiking trips sound a bit more appealing than summer again, if I'm staying in Texas or the Southwest. That old song "...Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun," is starting to make sense to me. And for my next solo backpack trip, Guadalupe mountains or Big Bend area sound appealing... I do like views and vistas. I'll start browsing parks, forums, and looking for ideas.

But I'm thinking my next trip will be a car camping trip with my girlfriend. I've only done solo camping, never with anyone else. It would be fun to actually go with family-- hike together, kayak together, eat the better food that she would cook for us... :>) And she's actually into the idea now. As long as we wait till the weather cools off a little, I think it will be fun. If not -- well, I'll have tried, we've weathered worse together, and I can go back to solos or with friends or other hiking partners!