Camping Trips

1992 - LAKE ENOS. Back in the summer of 1992, Ray and Dave and I decided to test what we remembered of camping from the days of our youth. Ray and I drove to South Dakota where we picked up Dave (who flew in from Minneaopolis on a very little plan). We drove across South Dakota and Wyoming to the Grand Teton Park south of Yellowstone. We brought backpacks because we planned to hike into the isolated wilderness to get away from it all and relax. We purchased a map that showed all the contours of the mountains and also a compass, and we laughed about how silly these items were because we weren't going to need them, and probably wouldn't know how to use them if we did need them.

Rob

Ray Dave Rob Sean

Will a map help?

Before Picture 1998

It is Worth it!

But we used that map to pick out an isolated lake about 8 miles into the wilderness where we would set up camp. We hiked for hours spying only herds of cattle (no people, which is what we wanted). We came across a river and had to remove our shoes to cross it - the hard sharp rocks were rough on our bare feet. Shortly later we had to cross the same river, again and again. Eventually we were too lazy and https://https:// in too muchttps://to remove our shoes before crossing, especially me - I just plunged through in my tennis shoes (mistake number 1).

After about 8 hours our trail just kinda disappeared, faded into nothing. Then we realized that we really were lost. We tried to deciphe that contour map along with the compasss, but the only thing we could agree on was that we disagreed about where we were. We headed cross country - up the side of a steep ravine to hopefully intersect the path we thought we should be on. During our cross-country trek, I discovered an arrowhead, which I thought was greate because it was certainly genuine, given the fact that we were lost in the wilderness.

We did find the trail, but then we couldn't decide which way to move along the trail. It was getting late and we were out of water. We headed one direction for half and hour, then decided we should go back the other. As the sun was setting we found a stream, but a large site clearly stated that we should not drink the water. We followed the stream on up to the lake we had been looking for, arriving at dusk, only to find another sign clearly stating we should not drink the water because it was still contaminated from the fires that ravaged Yellowstone years earlier. Also, this beautiful lake we had picked out was NOT beautiful (though it was isolated). It was not beautiful because the entire forest around it was still just burned stumps. I guess we should have gotten a ranger's opinion before we came up.

We made camp, boilded water from the lake to drink, placed our belongings on a rope 20 feet above ground (to keep the bears from getting it) and collapsed for the evening. I took off my shoes, and I would include a picture of how my feet looked after a day of walking, through water and with blisters, but that would make this web page a "mature" site - such pictures are not intended for the faint of heart. Anyway, we slept, though not peacefully I fear, I was too worried about bears out here in the middle of nowhere.

We headed back the next day, the last 3 hours we spoke little and just plodded forward with our heads down, eager to get back to our van and the cold cooler of beverages it contained. We made it back, uneventfully, but our legs were sore for the remainder of our vacation, and my feet were blistered for a month.

1992 - Camping in Yellowstone.

1994 - Camping in the SMOKY MOUNTAINS.

1995 - Camping in CENTRAL MISSOURI.

1997 - LAKE SUPERIOR.

1998 - Camping in Arkansas.

1999 - Campling along the Mississippi.

2000 - Current River Canoe Trip - Missouri.

2002 - Elk Canoe Trip - Missouri.

2003 - Camping in Blue Mounds - Minnesota.

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