![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Elliott Knob
Nov. 10th, 2006 01:56 pmI haven't been updating my LiveJournal, but I've still been doing things. Lack of writing doesn't (necessarily) imply lack of a life.
This past weekend, I joined Jeff M. and Jerry C. for an overnight backpacking trip to a peak named Elliott Knob in Virginia's George Washington National Forest. The hike was my most arduous to date -- almost five miles and climbing two thousand feet in altitude with a pack. The hikes in and out really kicked my ass, but I managed to soldier through.
And it was cold. Very cold. It was pleasant during the day, but it got very cold as soon as the sun went down. On Sunday, we were told that the temperature in the valley was about twenty-six degrees, and we were on a mountain at least two thousand feet above that. In addition, just as soon as the sun set, strong winds started coming over the peak, adding a severe windchill.
Each of us had dressed appropriately for the temperatures. Dinner was difficult; even after we got the food warm, it chilled rapidly because we were eating in freezing temperatures. I also realized that my sleeping bag wasn't appropriate for this kind of cold, so I slept curled up in a ball to keep my feet away from the bottom zipper. If I had a zipper that wasn't drafty, I think it would have been fine.
At our best guess, we started hearing an animal outside the tents around 9:30 p.m., after we had all gone to bed. I heard something moving and pawing at my tent. Then I heard a dog-like whine. At one point, it growled. None of us poked our head out to see what it was. Personally, I wasn't going to risk confronting an unknown animal in the dark.
But the next morning after breakfast, we found a lost hunting dog in a thicket, curled up against the freezing temperatures and the wind. The poor thing was shivering and was very timid. We gave it food and water and found information about the owner on its collar. Jeff called 911, which patched him through to animal control, which made arrangements with the owner to meet us at the foot of the trail.
So we struck camp and tied a line to the dog's collar and led it back down the mountain to the owner. The dog was wearing a collar with a radio transmitter, so he knew where she was, but he had expected her to come down the mountain on her own. Apparently that's what the dogs do when they get separated from the pack. He told us her name was Tess.
I really enjoyed the trip, despite the hard hike up and back. I'm definitely going to have to get a lighter sleeping bag that's rated for colder temperatures, but I'm going to wait until next year when I get my REI dividend. The bags I'm looking at are between $250 and $300. I'm also going to invest in some trail books for the local area; there's no reason for me to wait for Jeff to suggest a trip.
Pictures of the weekend are here.
This past weekend, I joined Jeff M. and Jerry C. for an overnight backpacking trip to a peak named Elliott Knob in Virginia's George Washington National Forest. The hike was my most arduous to date -- almost five miles and climbing two thousand feet in altitude with a pack. The hikes in and out really kicked my ass, but I managed to soldier through.
And it was cold. Very cold. It was pleasant during the day, but it got very cold as soon as the sun went down. On Sunday, we were told that the temperature in the valley was about twenty-six degrees, and we were on a mountain at least two thousand feet above that. In addition, just as soon as the sun set, strong winds started coming over the peak, adding a severe windchill.
Each of us had dressed appropriately for the temperatures. Dinner was difficult; even after we got the food warm, it chilled rapidly because we were eating in freezing temperatures. I also realized that my sleeping bag wasn't appropriate for this kind of cold, so I slept curled up in a ball to keep my feet away from the bottom zipper. If I had a zipper that wasn't drafty, I think it would have been fine.
At our best guess, we started hearing an animal outside the tents around 9:30 p.m., after we had all gone to bed. I heard something moving and pawing at my tent. Then I heard a dog-like whine. At one point, it growled. None of us poked our head out to see what it was. Personally, I wasn't going to risk confronting an unknown animal in the dark.
But the next morning after breakfast, we found a lost hunting dog in a thicket, curled up against the freezing temperatures and the wind. The poor thing was shivering and was very timid. We gave it food and water and found information about the owner on its collar. Jeff called 911, which patched him through to animal control, which made arrangements with the owner to meet us at the foot of the trail.
So we struck camp and tied a line to the dog's collar and led it back down the mountain to the owner. The dog was wearing a collar with a radio transmitter, so he knew where she was, but he had expected her to come down the mountain on her own. Apparently that's what the dogs do when they get separated from the pack. He told us her name was Tess.
I really enjoyed the trip, despite the hard hike up and back. I'm definitely going to have to get a lighter sleeping bag that's rated for colder temperatures, but I'm going to wait until next year when I get my REI dividend. The bags I'm looking at are between $250 and $300. I'm also going to invest in some trail books for the local area; there's no reason for me to wait for Jeff to suggest a trip.
Pictures of the weekend are here.
