Hueston Woods

I went to Hueston Woods with my friend Stephen (no one else could go) and met up with Robby. It was sort of a covert camping trip. We got to the park and started getting lost, but luckily saw Robby walking down the street.

We got our campsite bought and all set up, and walked over to a beach they had at the park. It was an artificial beach and the lake was formed as the result of a dam, but it was still very fun.

We stripped down and floated about in the water, and there were pockets of refreshing coldness and strange warmth. We floated around for a while, until we decided to get out, dry off, and hike around.

We followed a trail starting by a field beside the shore into a forest. There, we went off trail and followed a stream, and we were hiking for quite a while. At one point we ducked underneath a bridge, emerging into a sunlit spot on the stream that glowed magically.

After hiking for a while, we made our way back to the campsite by hiking down the road. It was a good time, and Robby talked about these hikers from a commune he had met outside of his dance/exercise studio. Apparently this guy and girl had met at the commune and were hiking somewhere (I forget where to) for days. So Robby had talked them up and invited them in the studio for some water and such, and he drove them a few minutes closer to where they were trying to reach. The guy hugged him in the end.

Robby said it was cool, but he was wondering about that lifestyle, since you don't give anything to society, but rather take from society. This got me thinking: While I do think one should be self-sufficient more or less if they're going to make a journey like that, what most people consider respectable turns out to be the most parasitic of society there is. Businessmen, marketers, investors, etc. What do they do other than rob us of our money, pollute our minds and pollute our lands? Surely that is more parasitic than simply asking for some food from a fellow human being. Hell, I would welcome a traveler happily!

Well, we kept walking down the road, and along the way, found some wild concord grapes. I tested them out first and confirmed they were edible. They were really delicious, actually.

We finally got back to the campsite and picked some blackberries. We got some food out but then decided to drive to Walmart (rugged, I know) to get more food. We bought some mini bagels, some pizza rolls, some meat, and other things.

Stephen had the brilliant idea of using blackberries as a jam for the morning. For now, though, we cooked some flat bread, some hotdogs, some veggie burgers, etc. We also made a pie using the dough I brought with blackberries and marshmallow (should've used the cream cheese, too, though). It was delicious.

Before and After:

So we ate and had a good time, and met a hippie guy but only for a short while. After we ate Robby promptly went into his tent and fell asleep. Stephen went into our tent and did the same, so I went in and wrote in my journal.

We awoke around 7:00am. I woke up to a strange feeling in my head that turned out to be Stephen poking me with a stick. Haha.

We got everything packed up and headed to the beach again and climbed some trees and waded around. It was completely empty.

Then we drove to the lodge and hiked some trails near it. We went all through the forest and talked about various things. Afterwards, we decided it was about time to head out. We went to a diner and grabbed some delicious food to eat, and my mom called and got mad that I wasn't home from "the sleepover" yet.

I became very anxious and nervous at this, and began pondering, why is it that some things we look back at and laugh about are things that, at those times, we take so seriously?

Well, thankfully, when I got home there was no yelling or trouble to be had. I only wish I had foreseen that so I could've enjoyed that lunch we got.

Anyway, before we left, I hugged Robby, and then we drove our separate ways.

So I went camping at Mohican State Park again during the summer.

I went with my friends Josh, Jess, Pawel, Nick, Stephen, and Logan.

The first thing we did when we got there was drive over to a fire tower and climb it. I hadn't done it during my spring visit to Hocking Hills with all my friends, so I had to do it this time. Well, we got to the top and for some reason decided to take our shirts off and take a picture of us dropping them over the ledge. Hilariously, all of our shirts landed on the rungs of the tower. Josh said, "man, it's a good thing our shirt didn't land on one of these things," pointing to a little notch that we wouldn't have been able to reach. I looked down and saw my shirt and Jess's on a rung right by the platform of the staircase... and on the rung just below it was Josh's shirt. Right where it was impossible to reach. We started laughing hysterically, and three army-dude backpackers were looking at us, perplexed.

Well, we drove down to a river and stood around a bit, and then drove to the park entrance and got our campsite and everything. We waited for Nick and Stephen to show up, and Logan was coming later. So finally Nick and Stephen showed, and we went and set our tents up.

(From left to right: Pawel, Jess, Josh, Nick, and me in the front)

Immediately it started raining, and most of us ditched our shirts. We were in the middle of setting up the tents when it rained. Luckily, Jess and I finished setting up ours pretty quickly, but Josh and the others were having some trouble.

Well, afterwards, we stood around wondering what we should do. We were all shirtless and soaking. Josh wanted to try to set up a little canopy thing he had, but that didn't really work out in the end.

Needless to say, when Logan showed up and saw all of us, he was a little perplexed:

Logan: "Uh, Guys?"

Well, we decided to go on a hike through the woods. We were starting on the opposite end of the first trail I had gone on in the winter. It was cool to see all those pine trees again, this time standing more subdued against the greenery of the rest of the vegetation.

We hiked for only a little bit when people wanted to turn around to eat. Most of the group was waiting up for Logan and I, who kept stopping to look at little plant or fungi specimens.

So everyone except for Logan, Stephen and I turned around to head back to camp and eat. We continued hiking along the trail, and then decided to go off of it, down a steep slope. We slid down and sat, propped up against trees, talking and gazing at the beauty of the forest, and looking at various rocks and plants and mushrooms.

I thinkI can say with some confidence that a simple forest to me will always be more breathtakingly beautiful than the grandest man-made palace.

Well, those shining leaves were beautiful, but we eventually made our way back to the crowded campsite.

It was a far cry from the winter, all right. Hoards of people gathered close together, with their spruced up RV's and their picnic tables and their satellite dishes...

Don't get me wrong - I appreciated it on some level. The idea of a bunch of people coming into one, more natural area is awesome. But the problem was that nobody talked to each other outside of their own groups. If they weren't busy being cooped up in their air-conditioned, satellite TV-equipped "campers," they were sitting around a fire with the rest of their family, simply talking amongst themselves.

Well, our group was at least big and diverse enough so as to not really feel the need to meet anyone else.

Nick on the far right with Pawel and Josh in the background.

Jess on the left, Logan on right

Back at the campsite, we cooked some hamburgers, veggie Italian sausage (mostly for me), had some chips, some granola bars (including a wonder called SoyJoy that Logan had brought), and water. It was a great meal. We all sat around talking and laughing about how much trouble Josh had cooking the burgers, and various other things. Oh yeah, I had a can of baked beans I was cooking for Stephen (he's a vegetarian that doesn't like tofu at all), and I had to use some fishing line I borrowed from some neighbors (I guess they were actually cool... Probably should have tried talking to more people) to make a grabbing device.

Well, nighttime came and we sat around the fire, just enjoying ourselves. Josh had the fantastic idea that we should wade around in the river at dark. So after a bit of digesting and relaxing, I took off my shorts and boots (I failed to mention that I had remained shirtless thus far, as had Jess), and Josh, Stephen and I all went into the river.

Stephen on the left, Josh on the right, me in the middle in the river.

Aside from Stephen flashing everyone his junk... it was really awesome to just stand there in the river. It was very peaceful - the water flowing, the crickets chirping, the dark sky above and the trees all around... It was a very peaceful, zen moment.

And it felt so freeing to just go barefoot in that river; to let the water and the mud embrace my body. To just give in to the enveloping peace of nature and be living right there in that moment. That is what nature is about.

After all that, we dried ourselves off and packed our things up. Nick, Josh, Pawel and I went walking around the campsite. It was a beautiful light show that we got; there were hundreds of lightning bugs in the trees, and

We got into our tents, and I wrote in my journal and joked around with everyone. It was Jess, Stephen, Logan and I in one tent, and Nick, Josh, and Pawel in the other. We kept talking from tent to tent about various things (like Josh's mom - an inside joke), and at one point Josh, Nick and Pawel all came into our tent.

Sadly, we, uh... were not drunk.

Anyhow, morning came, and we had some breakfast. I had the last veggie sausage, and we had donuts and juice and water and toasted up some pop tarts on the fire. So much junk food...

We went canoeing after packing up, which was fantastic. Though it wasn't the most wilderness area (mostly a river surrounded by farm), it still felt very nature-esque. The trees hanging down from the banks looked beautiful. I was paired with Nick in a canoe; Jess with Logan and Stephen; Josh was with Pawel.

We tipped a lot of times. At one point, Nick and I saw a little inlet and decided to paddle upstream till we got into it. It was awesome. There was a little creek and we got around, walking about. Judging by the beer cans, some farmers had sat on those muddy banks before. On the way back out, I saw someone peeing. It was really fun though, exploring the place.

Everybody tipped a bunch, and despite the fact that Stephen lost his shirt and glasses, it was cool to feel all the water around me and not be bothered by it.

After that, Logan, Nick and Stephen left. The rest of us went to a Pizza Hut or something to eat, which was quite satisfying. After that, we went to Pleasant Hill Dam and went on part of a precarious trail I had been on during the winter. Unfortunately, Jess and Josh weren't willing to go all the way to the point that had inspired me so much last time.

Jess up on a rock. We explored off the trail a bit, and it was reminiscent of Hocking Hills's landscape.

But it was still fun, and I was shirtless and barefoot the whole time. We even saw a snake!

Glad I didn't step on that with my bare feet...

Well, it felt great to be so naked in the wilderness. I really did feel more connected to the earth. Like I was part of the natural world. It's amazing how comfortable you can be without shoes or a shirt (permitting the weather is okay), and how little we really need out there.

Day Hike at Conkle's Hollow, Books, and Thoughts.

So at college, my roomate Max told me and our suitemate Tape (we were the three that enjoyed the outdoors) about a day hike hosted by the Parks & Recreation society. It was awesome. We all got into a car with some other people (a driver, a girl I think, and two hippies).

It was funny, the ride down was a huge bonding moment for my roommate and I. Me being a societally conditioned introvert who was adverse to partying (and still is not a big one), I wasn't too close to many people in my suite. But on the ride down, one of us brought up the idea that Conkle's Hollow was named after an old man living in a hollow (whatever that is). We started using a deep old man voice, saying creepy things like "Why don't you come into my hollow here and sit 'cho self down on this hea' rock?" The voice eventually became a high voice like the creepy old man from Family Guy.

We were howlin' so hard!

Above: Inside the cabin, and the most bizarre multiple choice question ever.

We got there and went in a log cabin (looked like a great place to stay). We talked to a few people. A tour guide came in and showed us maps of Ohio's soil and other things. It was sort of interesting... sort of. Max, Tape and I were all starting to fall asleep, and we were laughing so hard (like when the guy said, 'this is interesting stuff,' we all tried to stifle our laughing).

We set out on the hike finally, and the tour guide kept stopping at every tree to talk about something, which made us laugh more. I asked why they called it Conkle's Hollow, and he said it was because an old man named Conkle came and lived here for a while, to which I looked at Max and said, "So the legends are true..." Hahaha.

One cool thing that the tour guide did point out was that there was a plant called Cherry Wood (I think that's what he called it) that smelled just like root beer (but it wasn't sarsaparilla). He broke off some branches and let us chew on it, and it tasted like root beer too.

He also said Conkle's Hollow was a nature preserve rather than part of the park, so we shouldn't go off the trail.

We did anyway. Hey, we treaded softly, and nature is meant to be interactive. The only reason we're so careful with it is because we have so little of it now. It was fun to go off the trail, and we all fell behind the tour guide a lot.

We especially wandered off once we reached Conkle's Hollow.

Max and Tape

Tape posing epically

Beautiful frozen waterfall (it was a huge column)

More frozen falls.

Up in some rocks.

Well, another thing I wanted to talk about was books. Particularily, good nature books. Walden (and other writings by Thoreau, like his Walking essay) is a wonderful book for any nature lover.

I haven't read this yet, but I really want to read My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir. I've recently picked up Aldo Leopold's Sand County Almanac, and Return to Wild America by Scott Weidensaul.

Works by Rachel Carson are also suggested. I haven't gotten around to reading any of these yet, though, as I am finishing up another book at the time (No Contest: The Case Against Competition by Alfie Kohn... I recommend it). I am, regrettably, a pathetically slow reader.

So anyway, I've been thinking a lot recently (as I always do), and I realized that all of my ideas are connected. My thoughts on simple living, on more economic equality... I believe it is so unjust that people like BP or Massey (the coal mining company) can ignore safety warnings and regulations, resulting in dead workers (11 and 25, respectively), and disastrous ecological catastrophes, just so the CEOs can try and make more money on top of the millions of dollars they earn annually.

On top of that, people are so disconnected from each other. This greed found in CEOs is the cause and effect of a deep materialistic and consumerist culture in America. I won't go too deep in this issue on this blog, but what I do know is that our desire for materialistic things is just a way for us to try and fill, in vain, a void caused by a disconnect of people. Neighbors don't know each other. People in New York don't talk to each other on the subways. People on the buses at campus don't talk.

What I realize now is that nature shows us so much about this. In nature, you live simply. Nature shows us how to be connected to nature (including the part of nature that is other human beings). In nature, you live to live. You support each other and other human beings. You have a deeply connected community. Nature reminds me of a nostalgic childhood where it seemed like that was how the world worked. But now I see nature can bring that communal, loving life to reality.

Go out in nature. Take your shoes off. Eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty. Connect with the trees, the sky, the animals, and the people. Love.

Mohican in the Winter

Robby, Bryan and I went camping in Mohican State Park in the winter.

It was absolutely beautiful. It was our first time there, and the snow blanketed everything, dissolving any separation of structure and nature. It erased any boundaries of the trails or roads. The weather was wonderful. It was snowing and it felt just like winter. So silent, so peaceful...

We hiked around on a trail, which was beautiful. There were trees with fluttering, golden leaves clinging onto the branches, and wonderfully green pines. We hiked about and adventured, finding things like a large toppled tree or small shelters.

After getting off the trail, we wandered around, looking at the river or some cabins, and walking around on the road.

After hiking, we returned to our campsite and set up. We put up a tarp to block the wind (not sure how effective it was), set up our tents, and managed to start a fire. We cooked up some flat bread (see my recipe post), some hot dogs, and soup. It was great. Unfortunately, the fire had a little too much smoke.

Well, night came and we got into our tents as the fire flickered.

Robby says he felt incredibly tired and it was wonderful once he got in his sleeping bags. Me, on the other hand... My feet were cold throughout the night (I had two 40 degree bags double layered, on top of all the clothes I had on). Bryan was using Thomas's zero degree bag that he let us borrow, and we switched at one point. Much better.

We awoke early, and the sunrise was absolutely breathtaking. We went to the river and watched the glittering of the water as it flowed, and the crystalline shimmer of the snow.

We drove to a dam structure and hiked on a precarious trail. It was a wonderful hike and the weather was great. There was so much clean, pure snow everywhere, yet the sun was out and the sky was blue.

There was one spot by a sort of cliff or slope where we just stopped and sat, staring out into a valley full of hemlock trees. They were radiant and green.

The snow shimmered in the sunlight like fragments of glass as they fell, slowly as feathers, off of the limbs of the trees. The leaves were so luminescent and wonderfully colorful, and the red trunks glowed with a nostalgic blush.

If anything could capture the words "Winter Wonderland," that spot was it. We sat there for a long time.

Well, we later drove to the area above to get a view of a gorge. We were walking, and when Robby caught first sight of the gorge, he began whooping in joy and running. So we ran as well.

It was beautiful, and the perfect punctuation to the trip.

This post only covered some highlights of the trip, and I'm actually surprised, looking back, at how much more there was. This trip was a wonderful one, and a great relief from the stress of school in an urban area. The entire feel of the trip was so magical, and I look forward to camping in the winter again.

P.S., check out the draft of the Camping Show that Robby was working on. It's low quality, but it really captures the feel of the trip perfectly.

-Andrew

The Negative Side of the Imagination

Just a quick thought...

I was thinking about how I really would like to go on a solo camping trip some day, but the only problem is that I would probably get really scared at night. There's monsters and shit, you know? Seriously though, it'd be scary to have to get out of the tent at night and pee in the woods.

Isn't it interesting, though? The only thing that would stop me from an amazing experience is what's in my mind. Monsters conjured up by me, by my consciousness.

Kind of like society. All that prevents us from being open and talking with other people as ourselves is this idea in our head that they'll think we're annoying or weird and judge us. But when we try to be something else, it only makes us more annoying.

Certainly, like being afraid of the dark, being afraid in society has its roots. Predators that lurk around at night, the brain preparing to sprint in case of an attack. People (including myself) making fun of each other, talking behind each other's backs and judging.

But it's mostly all in the head. Maybe one day we can overcome that.

-Andrew

Food Recipe - Flat bread

This is a super-easy way to eat something a little fancier than bagged and canned foods in the back-country without having to bring anything that will go bad or be too bulky.

What you'll need is a plastic bag filled with:

Flour

Some salt and/or sugar for flavor.

You may want an extra bag with some extra flour.

Wow, that was easy! All you need to do is take some water (you won't even have to boil or filter it if the water is from a fresh, running source, since you'll be cooking it anyway) and pour it in the bag. Close the bag and start mashing it until it becomes doughy.

Next, take the extra bag with flour in it and put it in whenever and wherever you need to help keep the dough unstuck.

Now, what you can do is use something like canned herrings or whatever to add some oil. This will add flavor and keep the dough from sticking to your pot. After that you can plop that dough in the pan, flatten it out and flip it till its done.

Depending on how wide your pot is, you might need to make several smaller things of flat bread. Heck, you could try using a heated rock to cook this if you wanted.

Anyhow, after that you can dabble on some canned jam, or maybe some herrings or grilled spam and enjoy it! You'd be surprised how good plain flat bread can taste.

-Andrew

Yellowstone and Grand Tetons.

Yellowboner and Grand tittytons. We met lots of cool people. A nice couple, a cool waiter, an amazing mountain man, and a friendly bard. It's been over 4 months since the trip, but that's all good.

When we arrived at Jackson Hole Airport, it JUST stopped raining, which had been happening for about 3 weeks. A distant rainbow greeted us as we walked down the flight of stairs.

My goodness, we were WHOOPING with excitement. Excitement levels were through the roof. We sat around in the airport; our parents drove over and we had to switch cars (none of us 4 - me, Bryan, Robby or Thomas - were over 25. So prices would've been way higher). Once we got all the stuff in, we were so excited.

I couldn't wait to pack and strap everything to my backpack. Man, the feeling of having all the gear you need right there on your back is wonderful. That night we went to Ripley's Believe it or Not in the town, but were kind of too tired to do anything else.

The next morning, we departed. It was really foggy at first, and we couldn't see the Tetons. We were on our way to Yellowstone. There, we saw Ol' Faithful erupt twice. The second time we had hiked up to a beautiful viewpoint (and hiked a little higher). We made lots of scenic stops. I don't remember the exact details, but there was one amazing point, definitely one of my highlights of the trip.

We stopped by the petrified tree, but that didn't look very interesting to us. Instead, we saw what looked like a little trail going up the side of a very steep hill. So we went on it. Turns out, it wasn't an official trail. But my god, that climb was awesome. I was going on all fours, and we were using walking sticks for traction. I was grabbing limbs and thin trees and roots and pulling myself up, and there were these curved trees (we might call them treenises) jutting out of the hillside that you could just lean back and rest on.

The climbing, though strenuous, was extremely fun. Going beast mode is awesome. Well, we got above the line of trees and dirt, and found ourselves on the hilltop, which was covered in bushes and grass. But we kept hauling our tired selves till we got to the very peak, where we found a stone with some leg bones by it. Not to mention, an extremely beautiful view. You best believe we were screaming with excitement!

Well, after two nights of motels (they were both very impressive, we didn't think they would be that nice. It was a Motel 8 and a Super Motel 6. Also, on the second motel night, Man Vs. Wild with Will Ferrell came on, which was awesome), we finally camped. It was at a campsite at the Grand Canyon [of Yellowstone]. It was so nice to know we'd be sleeping in a tent. We met a really nice park ranger who was actually from Ohio.

That night we cooked up a big dinner of bacon, beans and pasta. We sat out by the fire and gazed at the stars (unfortunately, during the whole trip, there was no milky way). It was so awesome and comfortable.

Well, the next night we went down to the Tetons again and FINALLY did some much needed Backpacking. We had to choose a totally new trail. We decided we'd stay in Phelps lake for 2 nights and then stay in Granite Canyon, but because of fatigue and time restraints, we only did the first two nights.

Us approaching Phelps Lake, our back-country camping site. This was the end of the uphill and the start of the downhill. What a wonderful mid-way treat.

It was SUCH a beautiful hike in. Beautiful poplar trees and pines, open fields in the distance, running streams, etc. It actually hailed briefly beforehand. We hiked in at the same time as an old couple. I think they beat us by a lot, ha! It was fun getting our packs all set (we had to have bear canisters, which doubled as seats. Honestly, they tell screw it shut before sitting on the lid). Well, we got there finally and set up and ate. I remember that night, we were all lying out, waiting for that damned milky way to come up, but it never did. Rob and I waited a bit longer after Bryan and Thomas went to bed. We watched the moon set.

We recorded us doing stuff for a long while that night, starting with Rob and I wading in the lake. Check it out. WW.68

Well, the next day we had to hike back to the car to resupply. We get there, and... NO... Bryan realizes he forgot the keys. Talk about the most horrible feeling haha. Well, he hiked back with Rob (Rob stopped halfway) and Thomas and I talked. At least he had no pack! I was feeling kind of down at that point, but I think it was actually because I got the impression that everyone else was feeling down too.

But then when we all got back together and ate up, we went and saw a man that a passing park ranger had told us about before we departed to the car.

Meet Black George, the mountain man!

He gave us root beer floats and told us SO many stories. He even had a story from Columbus, where kids bought a barber pole, and people thought they stole it, so they showed the receipt. Well, they started pretending to cut it down at every barber shop and then showed the receipt and got off, so the cops said, "alright guys, there are some kids pulling some pranks, so if you see two kids sawing down a barber pole, don't bother." Well, after that, everyone went around sawing off barber poles without getting caught! Hacha!

Later we went back to our campsite, full with those floats, and happy as ever.

Then we met a cool couple and the guy had actually lived in Jackson Hole, so he came camping every weekend. Sounds amazing. Robby was like, Andrew, we've gotta just ask them to hang out and not care about what they think, and you're the one who needs to do it most. So we asked, and we chatted over dinner. We had Ramen, and they had already eaten so they were having a Hershey Bar for dessert. Delicioso. Later we went over to Jumping Rock, a big rock by the lake, but the clouds were out and it started storming.

The next morning, we were eating some hot cider and oat bars for breakfast. We noticed in the distance the couple jumping off the rock (and we could hear them go WOO!... splash!), so Robby and I were like, "alright, we have GOT to do that." Robby was considering doing it the night before. But he was like, nah, I had better wait till its daytime and I can see the bottom (though the guy who's lived here assured us it was safe).

And so, we got our swimsuits on and nervously hiked on over. Got to the top of Jumping Rock and stared down. I looked. Man. It seemed like I would just have to go for it without thinking. So I did. WOOOOSHH, the 2 second fall felt like a whole minute, and I finally crashed against the water! SPLASH! I came up and swam to the rocky shore and climbed back up. I kind of hurt my balls on that first one, haha. Rob and I each dove 3 times, but of course my first time didn't get recorded because it was unexpected and impulsive.

Here's my second jump: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1118929180241

My god it was thrilling and fun. Some passer-by's saw us too, including two MILF's, and a group of old ladies (one of which said "if I was your mother, I'd tell you to get down!" to which I thought, thank goodness we're out here alone!). We talked to the couple a bit more before those two groups came by, too, and I thankfully got a picture on my camera of us (the night before all we had was Thomas's crappy camera, cause the battery I got was low already somehow).

Well, afterwards, we decided to take to the road, because it would've been to hard to hike back and try and get a spot at Jenny Lake in one morning (though we ended up not getting that site on the planned morning anyway, so...) We visited Black George again, enjoyed floats and more wonderful stories, like this one:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=102599798916&subj=660078916

Well the next night we stayed at Coulter Bay campsite and played cards and stuff. Then we stay two nights I think in Jenny Lake. We took a canoe out on Jenny Lake, too, and had a blast. We paddled across it to a little cascade. So awesome, so beautiful. We also visited Teton Village (regrettably, we didn't go para sailing, but apparently it would've been fine with the parents. D'OH!) We had delicious waffles though.

Arriving at Leigh Lake on a quick hike near the end of the trip.

Well, there's a lot more to tell about the trip, so maybe some time I'll type up the Adventure Archives and post it.

Until then, peace out.

-Andrew

P.S.: We took about 2,000 pictures. For a little over 40 of them, go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29255250@N03/sets/72157622411980524/