I knew what I was doing when I called this blog "Adventures in Stupidity". Spot on.
We decided to go camping again this past weekend. Dave had Friday off, so I played hooky (J was my substitute--how cool is that?) and we went camping at Holliday Lake Friday through Sunday.
The weather was di-vine. It was just the perfect temperature during the day--plenty cool enough to hike in jeans and a t-shirt but not cold enough to need long sleeves, and even warm enough on the sunny lake to kayak. As soon as the sun started going down, the temperature dropped into 50's overnight, so we had big beautiful campfires and enjoyed sitting around them in sweatshirts and jackets. The heat in the camper works GREAT and we were very comfortable. There was plenty of hot water in the bathhouse and the heat worked well in there, too.
We took the kayaks and, since we are trying to find a new "cold" weather activity to do while camping, we also packed our hiking boots. Well, my hiking boots that were really riding/mucking boots and Dave just took his tennis shoes. I thought we might walk a mile or so and that would be ok. Oh. I also packed my knee brace.
It's a good thing I did. We hiked a total of EIGHT miles over the three days--6.3 of those miles on Saturday alone. We did every trail in the park.
On Friday, we arrived about noon, got everything set up, and went off on our first hike. The Northridge Trail is a .4 mile trail to an overlook over the lake. There is a lot of uphill which wasn't bad--it was the downhill on the return trip that hurt. Fortunately I put my knee brace on before we went, and that helped a lot. We decided to go kayaking after that so we changed and put the yaks in at the tiny boat landing. The lake is wide and it was pretty windy, so there were actual waves. That was very cool! We checked out some of the coves and sheltered areas and tried some fishing, although any fish that might have been in there weren't buying what we were selling. We got back to the camper in time to grill some steaks and baked potatoes and have a delicious dinner by the campfire. We stayed at the fire until we were both almost asleep. It was quiet and lovely.
We took the kayaks and, since we are trying to find a new "cold" weather activity to do while camping, we also packed our hiking boots. Well, my hiking boots that were really riding/mucking boots and Dave just took his tennis shoes. I thought we might walk a mile or so and that would be ok. Oh. I also packed my knee brace.
It's a good thing I did. We hiked a total of EIGHT miles over the three days--6.3 of those miles on Saturday alone. We did every trail in the park.
On Friday, we arrived about noon, got everything set up, and went off on our first hike. The Northridge Trail is a .4 mile trail to an overlook over the lake. There is a lot of uphill which wasn't bad--it was the downhill on the return trip that hurt. Fortunately I put my knee brace on before we went, and that helped a lot. We decided to go kayaking after that so we changed and put the yaks in at the tiny boat landing. The lake is wide and it was pretty windy, so there were actual waves. That was very cool! We checked out some of the coves and sheltered areas and tried some fishing, although any fish that might have been in there weren't buying what we were selling. We got back to the camper in time to grill some steaks and baked potatoes and have a delicious dinner by the campfire. We stayed at the fire until we were both almost asleep. It was quiet and lovely.
Dave had joked after the .8 mile (total) hike on Friday that we should do the 6.3 Lakeshore trail on Saturday. I told him he was insane. But I thought about it...and thought about it some more...and when we got up on Saturday morning at 10:00 I told him we were going to do it. We packed plenty of food and water, dressed with some common sense, and took off. Let me tell you that 6.3 miles is a lot longer than .8. I knew it was going to be tough but really I had no idea. At one point I was ready to steal a canoe and cut back across the lake. I suggested bribing the 4H teen counselors we saw on the lake with a case of beer if they would just go get our kayaks. But alas, no, we had to walk the entire thing.
It was really quite lovely. There are several beautiful overlook spots, including Brennen's Overlook which we dubbed "Fried Chicken Overlook" because that's what we brought for lunch there. The highlight of the trip, for me, was coming down a long steep set of steps to the metal bridge and finally being able to see the dam on the far side of the lake. I couldn't get close enough to see it Friday in my kayak, and the sound of a lot of water and the warning buoys encouraged me to stay safely away. It was so beautiful that we stopped and stood for several minutes, and took plenty of pictures. David wanted to try to climb down the other side to the pool below, but I wouldn't let him. It was far too dangerous.
After we finished our hike, which took us almost exactly four hours, we jumped in the kayaks for about an hour. Again, the fish were hiding, but I enjoyed just sitting down for awhile! I had left meatballs in the crockpot for dinner and boy, it was nice coming back to a hot meal already cooked. We built another fire and sat until it died down. It was just chilly enough to wrap up together in a blanket. The stars were just amazing. How could I not know how nice fall camping was??
On Sunday morning we had breakfast and set out for the last two trails of the park. The Dogwood Ridge Trail is .7 of a mile and goes just up above the Northridge Trail. It's a loop that goes back to the park road. After that, we went back down the Lakeshore Trail to the Saunders Creek Trail, a short spur that goes up along the creek. The fish weren't biting there, either. We went back to the camper, packed a cooler with lunch, and took the kayaks back out. Our goal this time was to paddle across the lake to a tiny cove just beyond Brennen's Overlook. We found a way in around the fallen and partially submerged trees and were able to get out of the kayaks and pull them up into the woods. I was TERRIFIED of getting out of my kayak and stepping into the completely murky water up under the bank in that completely wooded cover with all those trees in the water--I just KNEW there was a nest of watermoccasins waiting for me. But I eventually was able to do it and there were no snakes that I saw. We walked back up the trail and had lunch at Brennen's Overlook--still called Fried Chicken Overlook--and then kayaked back across the lake. The wind was so strong and the waves were so high that they were breaking across our bows and spraying us with water. It was completely exhilarating!
On Sunday morning we had breakfast and set out for the last two trails of the park. The Dogwood Ridge Trail is .7 of a mile and goes just up above the Northridge Trail. It's a loop that goes back to the park road. After that, we went back down the Lakeshore Trail to the Saunders Creek Trail, a short spur that goes up along the creek. The fish weren't biting there, either. We went back to the camper, packed a cooler with lunch, and took the kayaks back out. Our goal this time was to paddle across the lake to a tiny cove just beyond Brennen's Overlook. We found a way in around the fallen and partially submerged trees and were able to get out of the kayaks and pull them up into the woods. I was TERRIFIED of getting out of my kayak and stepping into the completely murky water up under the bank in that completely wooded cover with all those trees in the water--I just KNEW there was a nest of watermoccasins waiting for me. But I eventually was able to do it and there were no snakes that I saw. We walked back up the trail and had lunch at Brennen's Overlook--still called Fried Chicken Overlook--and then kayaked back across the lake. The wind was so strong and the waves were so high that they were breaking across our bows and spraying us with water. It was completely exhilarating!
We packed out and finished dumping the camper at exactly 3:00. We're getting really good at setting up/packing out. This gets easier and more fun every time we do it. We've already made reservations for this coming weekend at Twin Lakes--this will be our sixth oval sticker for the camper!
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