Imagine for a second you’re walking along a trail and you look to your right. For as far as your eyes can see, there are trees in deep shades of red and vibrant orange. Look to your left. There’s a crystal clear stream, showing off perfectly rounded rocks and dark green moss. Breathe in the scent of clean, cool air and listen to the sound of fresh water from the stream. That’s the fall outdoors trip in a nutshell.
The trip began at 7:30am exactly on Friday, November 5th. Everyone put their backpacking backpacks in a big trailer and climbed onto one of three buses. After a couple hours, we stopped at a gas station for food, and an hour later we arrived, ready to begin the trek on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) into Wilson Creek Wilderness. After unloading everything off the bus, we distributed group gear and weighed packs before officially beginning the long anticipated hike with high spirits. The day was spent hiking downhill, with two major stream crossings. 8.2 miles later, we arrived at the campsite. Two sizable fires were made with the help of everyone gathering firewood, tents were put up, and clothes were changed. We began the process of boiling water to make dinner, and then bear bagging.
Bear bagging was a process completed every night after everyone put in absolutely everything that could attract bears (like toothpaste and Chapstick). All the food bags were then attached to a rope that was thrown over the tree, which was hoisted up into the air so it’s six feet out from the trunk and six feet up (aka untouchable by the bears). After bear bagging, everyone headed to their tents and that concluded day one.
Day two was a major water day. Which, let me tell you, was interesting. The day began with swimming (more like jumping in for half a second and running out to avoid hypothermia) at Harper Creek Falls, a gorgeous waterfall. After those who were brave enough to swim finished swimming, we continued along the MST trail. 7 miles and many stream crossings later, we arrived at camp to finish day two.
Day three consisted of more water. We packed up and hiked to Gragg Prog Falls, a waterfall that we used as a lunch spot and polar bear plunge (it was eventful). It was a total of 4.8 miles, not too steep but uphill. That night was the last night and began with a contest among mini teams to see who could gather the most firewood. People ended up dragging entire trees onto the campsite, but at least we didn’t run out of wood.
The morning of the last day was a bit of a rush. As soon as possible, we began a steep upwards climb to the buses. It was a total of 3.6 miles until we reached a large outcropping of rocks with breathtaking views of Wilson Creek Wilderness and Grandfather mountain. By this time, everyone was hungry for something other than freeze-dried meals and granola bars, and we climbed eagerly onto the buses to head to Cracker Barrel. That was the last stop before home, making up for all of the calories we didn’t eat on the trip in one meal.
All in all, it was an amazing trip. One thing I will say is that it was COLD. When crossing streams, my feet went so numb I couldn’t feel where I was stepping. Despite how cold the crossings were, they were entertaining. Plenty of people lost their balance and fell, yelling as the unwelcomed cold water splashed over them.
It was even colder at night. We tried to stay warm around the campfires during dinner, and while gathered around listening to scary stories and going over rose, bud and thorns from the day. But the real problem was sleeping. My tent partner and I ended up leaving our tent to squeeze in with two other people, so we were four people in a two person tent. Three of us lay in a row like sardines with the fourth person sideways above our heads. It was tight, but the body warmth was incredibly helpful.
The other thing was the blisters. Ouch. When the leaders tell you to break in your boots, break in your boots. Don’t suffer through limping around camp, popping blisters with a pocket knife and taping up your feet.
It was all worth it, though. The feeling of being outdoors is addicting, and I hope everyone gets a chance to take a trip… the next one is coming up soon (February 25th, the first week of spring break). Sign ups for the spring trip were due a couple weeks ago, and if you’re going, know that you’re in for the adventure of a lifetime.