So, I'm not waterproof, but I was smart enough to WP my gear...(for the most part). So I don't have the best story to tell, but here goes. Monday, me and my buddy got there about noon. We parked at the trail head (very nice part of Ratcliff Lake), and we debated on doing this hike in the rain. Keep in mind, we had driven 180 miles to be where we were standing, so we both agreed yes. Very enjoyable for the first hour and half. The maps that were posted at every crossing with a road, a big help. I had a similar one, but tucked it away in a plastic bag in my pack, in case I really needed it later. At the gym, I can walk (not jog) 3.5 mph, so I figured in that we had about 25lb packs, and we were both were tanking a gallon of water, so I cut that 3.5 down by 1.5 mph. I was very accurate in my guess, and on a dry day, it would have even been easier. Needless to say, Monday was not a dry day! The hike was most enjoyable, and if it would have been 9.5 miles to the shelter, It would have been the best trip of my life. But that last leg of the trip, I slipped into a very large puddle of water, and did something to my ankle in the process. When I woke up this morning, my ankle was bruised, and I could not apply any type of pressure on it. So, Im pretty sure tha parks guy that let us hitch a ride, thinks we are some kind of city boy wimps, and that we had no clue what we were doing. The trip had a few fallen trees, that made for a small challenge, and I DO NOT suggest doing that hike in the rain. I feel like a much better person for finishing that last leg, and that wooden dry shelter at walnut creek camp was one of the best things I have ever seen given the situation. I made a great friend, and got to see parts of this great state of Texas that most of my peers will never see. All in all, I give this trip a 6 out of 10 (1 being the worst) and it would have been a 10 of 10 minus the rain and the fact that my ankle feels like David Beckam bicycle kicked it in my sleep! As soon as this ankle heals, we are planning another overnighter, just we will try to stay dry this time, so where is a good place to go next with the same conditions, trail to hike, shelter to sleep somewhere along the way? Thanks all for your advice, and if you have any more questions about the trip, PM me and I will be glad to share!
I have been getting into backpacking slowly having done a few 2 days trips around 20-30 miles each. I planned on doing the 4C in October of '06 as a three day trip in order to test myself for eventually tackeling the lone star trail. (A teenage dream of mine) Well I went and the forcast was for rain but I figured I might as well get used to it because that is part of backpacking. I hiked in and it began to drizzle within the 1st mile. I put on my rain gear by the 2nd mile and by the 4th mile it was a steady rain for the rest of the day. I hiked past the walnut creek shelter planning on going a few more miles. Well the rain got even harder, my shoes were soaked and I decided that sleeping under some sort of shelter was a good idea. :idea: So I hiked back to the walnut creek shelter and set my tent up underneath it. My sleeping bag had gotten a little damp but all in all not to bad. But the RAIN pounding on the shelter was deafening all night long. I think a hurricaine must have gone through. 
Well, anyways, the next day the rain was over but my shoes were still soaked and I was tired from lack of sleep and decided that I wanted to go back more then I wanted to go forward. On the way back I slipped on one of the bridges that was slippery from the rain and smacked my knee on the ground. It hurt for a month but at least I was still mobile. I was having 2nd thoughts about backpacking for a week or so but now have been planning for several months to go it again. That trail is not going to defeat me. Actually in hindsight the trip served its purpose. I learned I needed better rain gear, the stuff I had was cheap wal-mart quality and I learned I needed some treking poles to help in areas like walking on slippery bridges. I am planning to go again in a few weeks so we will see what happens.
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