The Moosejaw Comfortress 4

Camping Product Review

I’ve had this tent for almost eight months and am ready to talk about the Moosejaw Comfortress 4 from Walmart. Here is the link to this tent if you’re interested in it. Spoiler alert: I like it.

I love having a big enough tent to not feel cramped. I want to have room for my cot, a table, a seat, and my personal gear. I also want it to hold up to winds and to stay dry in rain (don’t we all?). I’d love for it to be cool in hot weather and warm in cold weather, but I’m starting to talk about an RV now.

The Comfortress 4 is designed as a car-camping tent. It weighs 20 pounds, so it’s definitely one for those trips where you don’t have to pack it in very far. It’s an 8ft x 8ft cabin with a 6ft vestibule at the entrance. It stands 6 feet tall in the center, which means I can stand up inside as I’m getting dressed.

MY FAVORITE THINGS:

The vestibule is awesome! As Scoutmaster, this is a great place to sit “privately” to chat with scouts or friends, well in view of others for safety. the front and side doors zip open to make it light and airy, and the third side is a window that zips down to reveal a screen. There’s room for two chairs comfortably, even when everything is zipped closed in the weather.
This spacious vestibule also is a good place to park shoes so you don’t have to try to navigate taking them off inside the tent. I like to set up a chair in the vestibule for taking off shoes, and then step on it.
Wet or rainy? You can still park your shoes outside the door in the vestibule. Add a floor mat or piece of Tyvek for ground protection.
The tent bag has a large zipper opening from end to end, so that you’re not having to fight the tent to get it packed in. The bag is large enough for me to add a tarp for extra floor protection.
The door inside the tent has a zippered window to provide privacy or air movement.
Rain and weather protection: This weekend rained and sleeted (the snow came after I’d taken it down) and it was windy! My tent stayed nice and dry, while my scouts had a lot more water issues. I used more guy lines than I sometimes do, and nothing was flapping in the wind. And the roof is sloped in a way that doesn’t collect water, even in a downpour.

THE DOWNSIDES:

While the tent goes up easily with three poles — two cross over the top from corner to corner and fit into cups on each corner, while the third supports the top crossways — the rain fly is a challenge in the light of day. Now do it in the dark and the rain.
You can do this by yourself but it’ll take 45 minutes, even when you know what you’re doing. A second set of hands helps a lot, usually to hold onto the pole that supports the front part of the vestibule as you pull the guy ropes to secure it.
No footprint: There’s no footprint with this tent, and I do like the extra protection for the floor. But no real worries — I bought an 8×10 tarp. This is nice because I get an extra two feet of floorspace in my vestibule that’s covered and safe. So is that really a negative? The tarp even fits into the bag.
I wish there was a way to close the windows from inside, but it’s been a long time since I slept in any tent where you can do that. As you can see from the troop campout photo above, the rain fly can be folded back to increase airflow, but if you want to get dressed, you have to go close it.
It does get hot inside the tent, thanks to the dark color. But want to go rest in the shelter? Go to the ventilated vestibule.
Size: This is a big tent, and the rain fly and vestibule make it even bigger. It seems like a lot of work for a one-night outing, but it’s so comfortable you can forgive yourself for the indulgence. And let’s please not discuss trying to find a place to dry it after a winter camping trip.

This weekend had some of the worst weather I’ve camped in. By the end of the weekend the entire campground was a sloppy mess of standing water and mud. My Comfortress 4 stayed dry all the way around, despite the small stream running exactly under my tent. (Why did I not take a picture?!?!) What I do have is a photo that one of our scouts took of the general state of the campsite.

No drips from the windows, no leaks at the corners or through the floor, no mud tracked in the door. NO MUD INSIDE, friends. I didn’t even feel a breeze inside as the wind blew all around. Temperatures were down to about 33 degrees at the coldest.

For comfort and function, I give this an A.

For ease of setup, it’s probably a C.

For packing it up to put it away, it’s another A.

For inside air circulation, it’s a B-.

The vestibule gives it an A+ for convenient features.

For subtlety, F-, but since that doesn’t actually matter to me, I’m dropping that score.

This is an excellent tent for Scoutmaster Jenny of Noblesville BSA Troop 222 for Girls. Perfect for long-term camping like summer camp but great for a weekend camp as well.

Winter Camping Adventure

Hey. Remember me? I have been neglectful to say the least.

But I’m back. I went on a camping trip with my 11-month-old Scout troop and wanted to talk about my gear. We’ll tell more stories later.

We camped two nights on an activity field, waking the second morning to an inch of snow and more falling. I’m going to reflect upon the gear I used for the event with room for comments on what I might be looking for. I have certain priorities for gear:

It must fit a plus-sized woman with comfort and moveability
It has to work — and it has to work for me
It has to be cost-effective. It helps if we already have it.

Tent:

The tent I chose all on my own was my son’s Marmot Limelight 2p. This tent has a reasonable amount of room inside for me and my gear and was easy to set up in the cold and dark. Unlike the larger tent I stole from my husband for most camping outings (Marmot Argent 4p), this still has its own ground cloth and a fly that goes to the ground all the way around it. That was a major bonus. Please enjoy my living room practice set up.

I stayed dry in the tent despite some rain or perhaps sleet the first night and snow the second. No wind blew in, and my vestibule was also protected (though I did stack my boots on top of my tote the second night just in case, but to keep mud off the floor of my kid’s tent).

Verdict: I liked it. I am very awkward getting in and out of this since it’s not standing height and I’m overweight and clumsy. Le sigh.

Sleeping bags:

My choice of sleeping bag was the ALPS Mountaineering Blaze 20 degree bag. I was skeptical of the mummy bag, but Tim has this extra-long bag (because he’s tall) and it turned out to fit after a bit of an initial panic attack. The blue stripe on it was a very nice color, and sometimes you have to find the thing that helps.

This bag has enough room in the hips (though that was questionable at first) and has a drawstring that tightens OVER the shoulders (not around them) to hold in the heat. It then tightens around the head. Your pillow does not fit in that space to then tighten, at least not if you have the awesome pillow my mom got me for Christmas. Was it warm enough? Not sure because I paired it with the quilt that he got me to accompany this.

The ALPS Mountaineering Radiance Quilt gave me an extra 35 degrees. I guess? I don’t know. I needed the comfort of more layers. It has strings that go under your camping pad to keep it from wandering off. I used two sets and should have used the third but was operating in limited space and bandwidth for optimum usage. I liked the setup and the extra layers. On the second night this got too warm.

I’m not sure if this is mine or not but I’d like to steal it for my camping. A quilt is less confining and scary than a sleeping bag.

On the first night (27 degrees) I was chilled enough that I piled a tightly felled wool cloak on top. Did I need the warmth or the weight? Who knows?

Pillow

This pillow is brilliant. The Klymit Drift pillow has a shell to keep it clean and a soft jersey sleeping surface, shredded memory foam inside.

I love it but — it was a little too big for the sleeping bag arrangement. But this is the “large” and they also have a regular, so I might put that on my Christmas list and see what happens. It also doesn’t pack very small, but it’s really comfy. This is a keeper.

Sleeping pad

It’s cold so I needed the R value of the closed-foam sleeping pad I guess?

We have these in the scout garage, so sure.

Friends, this is going to be a hard no.

Each of these rolls is two of them. And yes, they did insulate me from the cold cold ground. But they were So. Darn, Hard. I felt like I was lying on wood. Or a hard rock. Or something else not comfortable.

I am not a youngster and I’m blessed with ample hips and I’m going to have to work to get to be friendly with this thing. Or (better) find something else.

Base Layer

We would be having fun outdoor adventures so I wanted some base layers so I tried a couple new things. Neither of these was really up for a cold winter outing, but one performed better than the other.

Lands End Thermaskin

These base layer pants feel soft when you put them on — and you don’t notice them — in any way. They don’t feel warm. They don’t seem to wick moisture or really do that much. I think I’d wear these if I was at someone’s house that they kept colder than I liked. They fit well enough, which is nice. I’m not going to throw them out but won’t probably wear them for outside activity. When I brought these in at the end of the trip and started to unpack, these were still cold to the touch, even after other clothes had warmed up in my house.

32 degrees Heat

The 32 degrees Heat Midweight Rib Baselayer Legging was about the same weight as the Lands End, but was much more comfortable. I bought these on a great sale, and they were comfortable and easy to put on and felt warmer. They had good stretch and came up high enough to not worry about them falling down. I bought a corresponding shirt from the 32degrees website and was quite happy with them.

Socks

The socks that make the weekend are the Smartwool Classic Edition Full Cushion hiking socks. In Bordeaux. Because I have standards and they’re pretty much Smartwool.

These socks are my favorite for almost everything. I slipped a lightweight everyday Smartwool sock on first for extra warmth. Yes thank you. My feet barely got cold.

I also have a favorite Smartwool 1/4-zip and would love to have another someday, but people don’t bring those back to REI very often. I got mine because someone had worn a hole in it from it rubbing against their belt buckle but they claimed it was torn when they got it. Whatever. Tim paid much less than retail new and I darned it and love it.

Campfire

We were camping on the activity field of a local scout camp, so a portable campfire was required. I of course went for the Solo Stove.

The Bonfire is portable, efficient, and easy to use. Our scouts stayed warm and didn’t leave a mess on the ground when we were finished. It went back into my car with no fuss, and we’re ready for our next adventure.

There’s much more to tell but at this point I need to go to sleep in my comfy bed with all the pillows and quilts and stuff but it was fun to try this out — and I’ll do it again someday! Get outside and enjoy the winter!!!

New Scout Campout

I’m a new scout, and it was my first campout as a scout.

And I’m 49 years old.

My new adventure is a Scouts BSA Troop for girls, Troop 222, out of Noblesville. We have been working for months on this, and on Feb. 22, we had our first meeting, a celebration that we’ll call our birthday every year. 2/22/2022 of course.

Can you see what part of the Scout Law I picked for my Council patch?

We had eight scouts join, enough to register our troop with the Monon District, Crossroads of America council. I got my own Scoutmaster patch, and my own scout shirt. Pretty exciting.

Right now, we have basic activity shirts that we drew ourselves, but we’ll pick something and order them in April. But that’s another story. (This is my shirt — this is the back, and the front has the girls’ signatures, and I’m drawing things to make me remember this year. Today I added the North Star patrol and a tent and “At least we didn’t FREEZE… Um, Wait…” But I’m getting ahead of myself.

You don’t have to be artistic — just use your resources.

We had a ninth scout join last week, and on Friday, the adult leaders headed over to camp to set up to get ready. Because they’re ALL new scouts, they came on Saturday and spent the day in skills, training, and getting to know each other.

Assistant Scoutmaster Annie. Grubmaster, mom, and scout leader in another troop Mary. Me — Scoutmaster Jenny (or JR)

Okay, I’m going to say it. The weather was TERRIBLE.

My boys’ scoutmaster says there’s no bad weather, just bad preparation, but this was kind of awful. Very windy. Cold. Raining. Friday night it was serious storms and our new moms (and we) were rethinking the whole thing but there we were and it was going to happen.

They set up their tents on the platforms that are used for canvas tents in the summer (hence the frames — built by my kid during one of his service projects!). The tents were leftovers from the 2019 World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia. Free is good when you’re starting out. We’ll add more durable tents to our wish list when we make one. The girls needed help, and we gave it to them when they asked. Some of our leaders have been in Cub Scouts where it’s a little more hands-on, and I’ve never been a scout leader, just a scout mom, so there’s plenty of a learning curve for me!

Three layers of shirts plus a coat. Hat. Pants and a base layer. SmartWool socks. Hiking boots. Got cold.

It. Rained. All. Day. I’m sitting here Sunday evening and the sun is out and it’s been clear all day, but it was not yesterday. But we did the things! The parents met and talked about all the details with our Committee chair and members. Just like the leaders, some of the kids are experienced in some form of scouting, and some aren’t at all.

While the parents were learning administrative stuff and getting to know each other, the scouts were working on Scout Skills to help them advance in rank. We’re keen to get them through their first couple of ranks quickly. We had a program put together that would get them through by the end of campout.

Ah the best laid plans.

Putting up tents takes longer. Every section takes longer. We’re cold and need to get up and move. But it’s all good, we just mixed things up and got them done. Well, some of them.

The girls did hard things. They learned knife safety and got to practice and got their own knives and earned their Totin’ Chip. They learned to strike matches and light candles and fuse paracord. They got to try out the latrines. (The camp has glorious latrines, I kid you not. Really beaut. New with a very detailed cleaning system, which I learned about later. Can’t wait to tell the girls.)

We role-played what to do when you get lost. All of the teams who did little improv skits came up with different things to do in such situations, and all used the “STOP” methods without realizing it. It was great.

In the evening, some free time. When the boys in another troop nearby were running around and acting their own kind of wacky, our girls were rehearsing a skit for our campfire. That was a hoot.

Oh, and a big gust of wind took out one tent — mine. The pole had to be splinted. Le sign.

Did I mention it was also cold? Not quite cold enough to snow, but cold. And those girls didn’t complain one time. It’s hard to be grumpy when you’re all having that much fun. The grubmaster’s daughter walked her fellow scouts through making dump cakes — three of them — for our cracker barrel. I stole C’s mess kit bag but we fixed it when I found my *actual* bag. C and I have the same mess kit. I’ll be making a label for my bag, too.

We headed for bed. Cold so cold. We talked through how to stay warm. Take off all the day’s clothes and put on everything you have that’s still dry — your pajamas, tomorrow’s clothes, everything. Put on a hat. Wear your gloves. We talked about what to do if you can’t sleep. Don’t go to the bathroom alone; take your buddy. Read a book. Think about your favorite things from the day. Whisper to your tentmate.

Ready for bed? Pajamas. Pants. SmartWool shirt. Another shirt went on after that. Fuzzy socks. Added SmartWool socks under those. A buff and a hat. Added a fleece neck gaiter. Woke up and rubbed my feet to get them warm a few times.

Some of them didn’t sleep. There were bathroom trips, conversations that wafted across camp. Coyotes, though I don’t think they bothered the scouts — I had warned them and told them they were quite far off. They were. It was cold. In the morning, the rain on our tents had frozen into ice droplets. The bugler at another camp bugled his troop awake at 7:30, instead of the 6:30 wake up we had enjoyed the morning before, when it was 10 degrees warmer.

Packing up. Taking down tents — talking the girls through what to do and not doing it for them. Packing up. Keeping scouts busy cleaning up so they don’t wander off to the campfire and leave all the work to L, who will go take down your tent for you and fold it up, but has to be reminded to help, not DO it.

H and C sweep the latrines that H didn’t even want to go into the previous morning. They volunteered.

A short Scout’s Own service. E plays the perfect sidekick (though not planned) to Mr. Tim’s discussion of being reverent. H is refreshingly frank — fun fact. I loved this weekend with these girls.

Leave things better than you found them. The shelter is swept clean, trash is picked up. I’m exhausted and no longer cold because it’s almost 9 hours later and I’ve unpacked and showered and stuff, but Walking Bear campsite at Camp K is always going to be special because that’s the first place we camped as a brand-new troop.

A New Adventure

Hello my patient friends, and I apologize for a paucity of production on the writing front, but believe me, there has been a lot simmering since my backpacking trip back in October.

The biggest news, however, is the start of Scouts BSA Troop 222 for girls, something that sort of popped up a while back, then seemed to die out, and then burst into life. With a team of enthusiastic leaders, I have been able to put together a concept — we have piqued interest — held a recruitment meeting in January — and will be turning in our paperwork tomorrow to start our troop.

As you might guess, I’m excited.

Annie is a den leader of a Webelos den, and her daughter is crossing over and will be a founding member of our troop, along with several other girls she knows from scouting. We have a few who have never connected with scouting before, and we have a couple of younger sisters who have been waiting while their brothers did all the cool scouting things.

Annie and I have a funny history. We had a bunch of mutual friends for several years — met in person at a gathering at one of those friends’ homes — and then her son (and husband, let’s be honest) crossed over into my sons’ BSA troop. It was this family that really stirred the pot to get things going as their daughter was coming soon behind her brother. We backpacked on the trip this past fall — and on our campout shakedown we discovered our boots are siblings, ordered at the Scout Outfitters at the same time (we also both wear size 11 hiking boots). Annie is my assistant scoutmaster and also will be my Wood Badge and IOLS buddy.

I enjoy sewing patches onto scout uniforms (and even merit badge sashes) but it was an extra thrill to sew patches onto my own uniform!

Did you know that the World Scouting patch is part of all scouting uniforms world-wide? And that there are scouting organizations in most countries? Interestingly, most nations’ scouting organizations are co-educational. But while girls are now welcomed into Scouts BSA (Boy Scouts of America), our troop is just for girls, and won’t be doing activities with the boy troop that our guys belong to. We have our own Committee (those are the adults who take care of the adult stuff like training and budgets and paperwork and stuff) and all of that. Annie’s husband is our committee chair and runs a tight ship.

We did some knot activities with the girls who came to our recruitment meeting. Would they even enjoy it? Would they think it was weird? It turned out they did not. One of the older girls who came is a bit of a knot-fanatic. She was making knot-art with her knot string. (Apparently this is something they do around the house.) Everyone learned. I learned. I continue to learn.

So, dear friends, sewing and cycling Jenny is also now going to be camping and scouting Jenny as well. Wish me luck!

Reflections on the trip, a week later

I’m glad I went.

There were some challenges. I felt like I was not as physically fit as most of the trip participants and struggled more with pace, stamina, and energy. It is what it is. Doing this more, makes it easier to do.

I did not start out drinking enough for a hot day on the first day. I adjusted this by making sure the tube for my hydration pack was more accessible from there out. (Annie passed me some electrolyte powder that helped a lot; should have brought a little of that.) As for water — we were asked to bring four liters of water for our hike due to uncertain water sources. Turns out there were sources to get water for filtering, but we were still appropriately prepared. (Note: two Nalgene bottles plus a hydration bladder full = about 8 lbs of water. Next time maybe replace the Nalgenes with a second water bladder?)

Food: We were supplied with freeze-dried two-person meals. These meals are very lightweight and great for backpacking, but are expensive for the backpacker on a budget. Two of the best meals: chana masala and chicken noodle casserole.

We also brought our own snacks. As a Hobbit, I am most concerned about my meals and getting enough to eat. HOWEVER, I brought way too much food. There were granola bars (didn’t enjoy them), raisins, almonds, banana chips, dried apples (most of those were okay), peanuts (never touched them), old Clif bar from my bike trip (excellent). The end result was that I probably had about five pounds of snacks that I didn’t need. Next time: the meal-food plus one or two snacks for the day. The end. Our eating utensils were plastic bowls and a spork/knife set. I think I’d like to try the long-handled spoon option (better for stirring in the bottom of the bag.)

Clothing: Three pairs of socks (three days) plus an extra pair. Didn’t wear the extra socks; maybe would just plan on wearing a pair I’d already worn if some got wet. Pants: I took one pair of pants to wear and one pair of zip-off leg pants that I wore as shorts for sleeping. I meant to bring a pair of shorts but forgot. That would have been nice. Then I could have worn those pants for hiking. The zip-off legs would have enabled venting — it was hot. Long sleeves vs. short sleeves — I brought one short-sleeved shirt and changed into it on the second day of hiking. That was welcome. I wanted long sleeves because I wanted to ward off bugs, and I did seem to (were there bugs? not so many), but it was in the 80s and pretty hot.

(*Important clothing hint: I took a change of shirt, pants, and shoes for the drive home. Genius move — just left them in the car.)

Hat: I brought my favorite hiking hat — wide brim, neck strap, etc. — and stopped using it almost immediately. The brim on the back kept hitting the backpack and falling off, with the strap around my neck. Didn’t work, ended up rolling it up and tucking it into my backpack. Works for day hiking and shading from the sun, not for backpacking. Spent the rest of the time with a buff on my head. (I packed two or three buffs and wore one. Used a second for sweat. Didn’t need the third. Brought a bandana. Used once? Maybe didn’t need it. Wore it on my head. We were given amazing DNK Presents hats — I wore mine for our first daypack hike but don’t really wear caps that often, so decided to save that for later.

Gear:

Y’all. I have a backpack. It’s 20+ years old, bought it at Galyans (may they rest in peace)… It’s tall and thin and needs to have the back length adjusted when it’s not full. I’m thinking I need to add a couple little pockets to the hip belts to make snacks accessible without taking off the whole pack to access the brain. (This is what I learned: the top of the pack, which is detachable and can be used as a daypack, is called the brain.)

“Jenny, look cool.”

“I’m wearing a fanny pack.”

I packed the food in separate bags inside my pack. Really, one bag is good.

Same for my lighting. All in one bag.

Same for my nighttime needs (ear plugs, medicine, chap stick, toothbrush/paste). All in one bag.

I had an inflatable pillow for sleeping. I’m a two (or three) pillow sleeper, and one pillow just wasn’t satisfying, but do I need more than that? I don’t know. Breann had a down jacket that she stuffed into a bag and used for a pillow. Down pillow PLUS a little warmth for sunrise? Pretty genius. I had a 40-degree sleeping bag, which was a little warm for the circumstances. I learned how to sleep with it unzipped, feet in the foot bag area, and treat it more as a cover. That was helpful for many reasons. Camping pad: used an inflatable pad, a Very Good Choice. Padded the ground enough to be comfortable but not so much that “going flat” was a concern. A little added weight but wouldn’t go without. Tim got me a little rechargeable inflator but, while it was very successful, I didn’t carry it with me. Added weight. Some people had these cool inflator bag situations, but I found I did just fine using my own breath.

Tent: one-person tent with full rain fly. Didn’t let in much ventilation but very good for keeping out rain, dew, etc. Enough room for me, my clothes, and my pack. Boots and camp shoes (and potty kit) in the vestibule. Easy to set up, easy to pack.

Seating: I have a tripod stool that I have had for lo these many years. It’s nice for a brief break but then gets very uncomfortable, especially for a larger seat. Need a better chair. Have some ideas. In the photo below, you see my poor stool straining under the load (I would move it back and lean against a tree for better comfort but not perfect) on the left, and Brandi super comfy in her $20 Amazon backpacking chair on the right. There was also a little foam pad that Tim gave me to use to sit on the ground. While it would keep the rear dry in case of damp seating, it was pretty much good for nothing else. But it didn’t weigh much either, so I guess it could possibly stay.

Trekking poles: YES! These were very useful for keeping from stumbling, especially on downhill portions, as well as keeping the hands up and active. I will always use the poles for hiking.

Wipes: I had a couple sets of wipes — one in my potty bag and one in my nighttime bag (for wiping my face, etc.). Probably could have taken a couple facial wipes and left the packet behind. Also, while the wipes were handy for bathroom needs, they leave a moisturizing residue. Yuck. Glad to have them, but… sigh. Also remember a bag to pack those bad boys out. An old gallon ziplock was good for this.

Luxury items: Everyone had something that wasn’t exactly necessary as a luxury item. Pam had her coffee frother. It was small and lightweight, and while we chuckled about it, it was worth it to her. Breann had her down jacket. I really can’t tell you what other people had as their item, but mine was a Kindle, and I had downloaded a few books to it, and I stand by that choice. There were a few times when I was awake at night and wanted to be asleep, and so I pulled out the Kindle and read for a bit, and pretty soon, I was asleep.

Stove: we had a jetboil-type stove with a small fuel canister, perfect for the length of time we’d be gone and the amount of water we needed to boil. It was very easy to light and the construction kept the flame from blowing out in the wind. It was also very stable; didn’t worry about it falling over.

Towel: went back and forth on whether I needed it. Probably should have brought at least a little one. We joked about it a lot, because I left it behind. Then it was frequently “If only you had that towel.”

Will I do another trip? I hope so, soon, before I lose interest. It was a lot of fun, and getting out there with other women made it especially great. My friend and I are thinking about opportunities not far from here, even if only for one night. (Yes, let’s!) I have another friend who backpacks who might let me join her for a short trip. I am not sure I want to do it solo, but I would be interested with a friend or two.

Where am I going next?

The Last Day, in which we only hike a couple of miles but I still have many pretty pictures

There was some talk about getting up for the sunrise. Possibly even hiking somewhere to watch the sunrise. But everyone was tired and no one much wanted to get up to hike to a sunrise, even if it would be amazing — weather was coming in — it would be lovely.

But across the road in the campground from our site was a lovely outcrop, facing south, which was suitable for both sunset and sunrise, and the people camping at that site had graciously told us they didn’t mind us crossing their site to get to the view.

But. Who is going to wake up that early?

Quite a few of us, it turns out.

It was windy out on the rock — very windy, and chillier than it had been at any point in our adventure. (Should’ve brought my sleeping bag over with me.)

And we sat in the wind, watching the dark sky, waiting.

And the color started. Purples, then the hint of pinks, then more. Mobile phone cameras don’t give a true representation of the colors of the sky, but what they give looks pretty spectacular. It maybe wasn’t that vivid, but lovely indeed.

Paige, Annie, and Rebekah joined me on the rock. More will come as actual sunrise approaches.

We did try to stay quiet — none of our wacky evening laughs — and I think the neighbors slept through our visit. (They have a white whippet named Aspen and she doesn’t make a sound, either.)

Spending sunrise with these ladies is just part of this amazing weekend.

Sunrise. Breann used her puffer jacket at her pillow. Genius move. She’s warm while the rest of us… really weren’t

Once the sun had come up, we went quietly back to camp and had our breakfast, then started the process of breaking camp. The wind is serious, not cold, but you don’t want to leave anything lying around or it’s going to blow very far away.

While we’re packing up, the ranger stops by to warn us about the weather. There’s a storm coming, and it’s a doozy. We’re going to want to head out sooner rather than later. No worries; we all plan to be on the road home well before anything happens. But it does give us a little added urgency to get packed up. We’re aiming for 9am but everyone’s packed up and ready by 8:30.

We circle up and share our accomplishments and celebrations from the weekend, and we’re ready to take off.

We get to hit that pit toilet for one last visit, and drop off anything we don’t want to take home in the convenient Dumpster (thank you, potty jar, but I will replace you for the next trip). We can also refill water for the last bit of the hike.

Once we get out of the camp, we hit the trail. Out of the wind, it’s still cloudy, but it gets very warm again. But we only have a couple miles to go.

We could have walked the road from the campground to where we parked our cars, but where’s the hiking joy in that? Instead we hiked a couple of miles through the woods, stopping off at Arch of the Gods for photos, climbing, and our last true Garden of the Gods scenery.

This map from Google has the important parts of this day’s travel in it. You can look up Pharaoh Campground, Garden of the Gods to get a better view.

Our campsite is marked here with the red star. The upper left-hand corner is the Garden of the Gods observation trail — this is where the most impressive formations are, in accessible trails and available for climbing and stuff (please be careful). The yellow star marks where we sat to watch sunset and sunrise. There are cliff formations visible from the trail below.

We left camp, going downhill and west to the lavender star, where we caught a trail clockwise around the camp area, below the cliffs, getting to the green star, Arch of the Gods. Once we finished there, we continued to the orange star, which is where we crossed the road to get to the backpacking parking lot (marked on Google maps with an orange marker, barely visible).

Sort of funny to think we were just above this overnight.

We came out across the road from the campground, and we were back at our cars! It was weird to load everything up and head out, as if there hadn’t been a crazy amount that had happened over the trip. I changed clothes in the parking lot because I was feeling pretty mangy at this point; a shower would be great when we got home but at least a different shirt and a skort were a welcome change from the pants I’d been wearing!

We made new friends on the trip — of course I would learn that a few of these ladies have mutual friends with me — and have some plans to get together with at least one in the coming weeks (Paige lives very near us!) — and I do want to do another backpacking trip, even if it is a shorter one, maybe just an overnight. I will share reflections, things I learned, and things I will do differently in another post.

WE MADE IT! This sign marks the River to River Trail, part of which we hiked today.

The Second Full Day of Hiking, in which I do not die

Can anyone sleep late on a morning on a cliff? Surely there are those who are so acclimated to sleeping in strange places that the sunrise or stirring of fellow campers might be what awakens them, rather than the insistent feeling in the mind that it’s time to get up, even though it’s still full dark. That, and the bladder.

CONTENT WARNING: BATHROOM SOLUTIONS
I am a person (in the interest of disclosure here) who feels the need to use the bathroom often during the night. For my dear readers who do not know me, I am fast approaching 50, and as a woman of a certain age, this is a topic of not insignificant concern. This is one of the biggest barriers between me and happy camping.
To address this issue, my back packing friend recommended a sort of chamber pot situation — a wide-mouthed jar or container with a tight-fitting lid, which could be emptied and rinsed in the morning and carried discreetly in a waterproof bag.
Night 1, in Pounds Hollow, I tried this situation to some success, and I was pleased with this option over a hike in the dark to a distant toilet. On this next night, we are in the backcountry, and there are 13 of us, but I’m still not keen to trek out into the woods… And the jar served admirably. Though to be honest… this is not the solution for a person who is very concerned with… say, tidiness and freshness. But I suppose backpacking isn’t the best for that either. Anyway. I didn’t have to go out into the woods, and still was able to manage those needs overnight.

We get up in the morning and have breakfast. It’s already warm, and we’re eager to pack up. We do see the other campers from on up the hill passing by. We all pack up our tents and belongings — I didn’t leave anything on the couch, thanks — and circle up to stretch and get ready for the day.

Setting out on the trail, we met up with a group — three men with a group a very young kids. We’d meet up with them later — two brothers and a brother-in-law and 7 cousins. They were camping down along the creek in Hobbit Town.

Footing is a little tough as we work our way down the hill. We’re careful — no one wipes out or gets stuck in the mud. Whew!

Darlene and I in Hobbit Town, day 2. It’s a warm one!

We stopped in Hobbit Town to filter water and rest a bit. It’s nice and fresh down there, but we can’t stay! We’re heading back up the hill to find our way — and keep an eye out for all the horses! (I’ll save you the anticipation — no horses. None.)

It’s hot — and it’s lovely.

We find caves and rocks and overlooks and views. It was great! Yes, the backpacks are heavy and my feet are very tired but this is amazing, and we’re doing the thing!

Around the middle of the day, we stopped for our lunches on the top of a hill. It was wonderfully windy — the stiff breeze was the saving grace for a very hot day. It’s October but it’s in the high 80s! We wanted a place with breeze, views, AND shade — and we found it!

After lunch, we’re back on the trail, as we have miles to go before we sleep.

The plan is to — we hope — have a campsite in the Pharaoh Campground just past the Garden of the Gods Overlook. But this campground is popular; would we be able to get a spot? The plan is that Darlene is meeting some friends for a continued adventure after our trip. These friends will be heading to the campground and will make the effort to reserve three sites; if they can’t get us a spot (or two), we’ll go on to the backpacking loop from yesterday morning to find a spot.

This area is really gorgeous. The rock formations are nothing like we could imagine being here in southern Illinois. You really need to go see this place.

We’re hiking, hiking… and then we get to a paved road! It’s the Overlook — and then it’s the picnic area — and then it’s the campground, and there’s Darlene’s friend with a campsite, and a second site right next to it, and there’s a PIT TOILET!

The friends had secured the *last two sites* in the campground, and they happen to be near enough to the toilets to be quite convenient (without the smell).

My tent is the orange hint behind the tan tent at left center. The building in the upper right corner is the toilet!

We set up our camp, then hiked with daypacks down to the Overlook. It’s amazing! I don’t feel like photos do justice to it, but we were willing to try! Photos — laughs — scenery — it was great.

Back at camp, it’s supper, then watching the sun set at the overlook behind the campsite across the road.

Our supper tonight is chili mac with beef — and it’s — not satisfying. Fortunately we were encouraged to grab an extra meal “just in case,” so we boiled some more water for some chicken noodle casserole for second supper. We hobbits plan ahead. Supper was out on the rock as the sun went down.

Back in the camp, we have a fire going, and there’s time for laughing and joking.

Pam finds a photo. Somehow due to some forced perspective and where we’re sitting, I look unusually small, and Pam looks strangely large. She’s Gandalf. I’m clearly a hobbit, as we already discussed.

Kevin Bacon, the hobbit, with Gandalf (Pam)

This is funny. We’re laughing so hard.

But then there’s something else. Rebekah is in her tent, talking on the phone, with some back lighting — and she talks with her hands, even on the phone. And she’s unwittingly performing a shadow puppet show for all of us!

We watched the show for a while. It was just so funny.

Eventually it was time for bed. It’s sooo windy — and still pretty warm — and there’s a lot of tent-flapping in the night. But we’re so tired, we’re off to sleep.

I wake around 11:30, and Annie had told me that if I got up and needed to visit the toilet, I should invite her to join me, as we seemed to be on a similar schedule for such things. And sure enough, Annie was up for a trip. It was really dark, and the stars were lovely. We had such a pretty view as we walked over.

Took a little time to get back to sleep, so I read for a little bit, then went back to sleep, and again, had a decent sleep, if not great. And whatever comes next will have to wait until tomorrow’s story.

Backpacking in Garden of the Gods

Saturday morning was the beginning of our actual hiking adventure with DNK Presents!!

After striking camp at Pounds Hollow, we met at the backpacking lot at Garden of the Gods. There was a full lot, but ultimately, we had enough space for everyone to get in as some of the cars belonged to people who were leaving.

Our first task was to meet the group. Several women met us at the parking lot, and the rest of those who had camped the night before met there, though there was a bit of a delay thanks to a car’s dead battery at camp. But there we were! We started out with a short loop with daypacks on the backpacker loop. This was a nice introduction to the park, including hills, overlooks, a cave — but then we returned to the lot to reclaim our backpacks, have lunch, and start our FULL adventure.

Before we started out, we introduced ourselves to our group. We told our names, why we were going on the trip, and defined which we would be: a fairy, a mermaid, or a werewolf.

Well, friends, you know I can’t just be one of those — I’m a hobbit. No, my feet aren’t hairy, but stay with me: I’m mostly concerned with creature comforts, and I need to know where my next meal will come from. So Hobbit I am. Also, we were laughing about mutual friends and connections, and I told them that in a game of six degrees, I am Kevin Bacon…. And there was my trail name. (Really, it ties in with being a hobbit — Bacon!)

Me! Darlene! Blair’s arm! We’re doing this!

Off we went. The day would include hills, mud, sunshine, shade.

We had received some pre-trip intelligence from local folks that our guides had reached out to, information that might have changed some of our plans. First, water sources would be sparse at best, so we’d best carry all the needed water just in case. (Water is heavy. FYI.) Also, this weekend was a Very Big Horseback Riding Event, and the trails would be Full. Of. Riders. and maybe we should not come this weekend. Plans were already made, obviously, so we’re here, we’re going to take some different trails that aren’t horse trails.

Yes. I am smiling for all of my intentional photos. Get used to it.

The trails are lovely. The trees haven’t started to change yet. There’s fungus everywhere. The trails don’t have tons of markings (any). They’re pretty narrow, and there is poison ivy everywhere. As we head downhill, we start finding more wet areas. At one point, we meet up with some pretty sticky mud. Darlene and I get through it but — then disaster hit.

Brandi didn’t just step in the mud. She didn’t just get stuck in the mud. The mud STOLE HER SHOES. Both of them. It was so thick and sticky and… well. That was our weekend’s quicksand. This was a major downer for her — but after a while, the sting would wear off and the next day she did have a good laugh about it.

We found a lovely quiet spot by a creek — a creek full of water (water?!?) — that was cool and fresh and was a cozy home. Loved it. So pretty. I welcomed everyone home!

There was plenty of water to purify at the creek. And you know what else? By this point — afternoon — we hadn’t seen a single horse. Not one. We’d seen horse tracks. But not a single horse. (The source had told us that her company would make all their money for the year this weekend. I can only hope she’s not actually planning on that.)

We rested here for a bit, had some snacks — then set off again. We’ve been told that there’ll be a campsite up the hill, but don’t take the first one — the next one is even better — and the one after that is even better.

Met a friend on the trail. This gray ratsnake was resting in the shade by a log. Fortunately we surprised it with a trekking pole, NOT a foot.

Up the trail we climbed. It was pretty… but we were starting to wear. No worries. There are campsites. We’ll find one that’s amazing, soon.

We came to the first site. It was really pretty — but we’ll keep going.

The next site was really impressive — and occupied.

As was the next.

And now we’re ALL getting tired.

I’m leading our gang back down the hill to the campsite! Let’s go find a place to sleep!

Blair hightailed it down the trail to that first campsite — fortunately it was not occupied!

We were all pretty darn tired now, so we did not wait to pitch our tents!

My camp is on the right in the back, kind of orange and gray. There’s a rock just to the left of it in this picture (small, on the ground) — and I was tired enough the I was not able to tell someone the bug repellant was on the rock — I told them it was “on the couch.” It was the couch for the rest of the evening.

In camp, we fixed our dinners — boiled water then poured into the bag and let it sit. Learned a bit about these meals, namely, make sure you stir all the way down.

Sunset off the overlook. It’s lovely. I’m tired. Let’s go to sleep.

After dinner, it feels like we should be thinking about bed. Only really, it’s 6:30. So maybe not.

There’s firewood piled in the area — there’s more to be collected in the area — and a campfire is set for laughing, chatting — and the revelation of some “trail magic” left by a mysterious trail elf…

It gets dark early on the trail. We’re all tired. It’s lovely at night. But it’s going to be bed time soon. But first! We learn how to blow acorn whistles!

The sun sets, it’s dark, and we go to bed, read for another day tomorrow.

And now for something new…

I have long liked the idea of backpacking… but my camping skills are not so great. Packing overwhelms me, I don’t sleep so well, and… all of the things.

But it’s time to try things. To do things that are hard. To challenge myself.

It’s a three-day trip. Even if I don’t sleep, it’s only a couple of days. I have had other times that I haven’t slept well tha tI have lived through. And besides, hiking will keep me upright, right? And even more, this is a women’s trip, beginner-to-intermediate, put on by an organization that does this — gives women outdoor experiences. And the guides are people I know.

I posted on Facebook, to see if any of my friends would like to take on this challenge with me, and I had a taker! My fellow Troop 183 mom, Annie, said yes, and so for a couple of weeks, we practiced and planned and got ready! We camped out one night in my yard, then hiked the neighborhood. The next hike was with packs at Cool Creek park. And then we were off on our adventure — hiking in the Garden of the Gods, Shawnee National Forest, in southern Illinois.

Annie and I arrived at our campsite in early afternoon after driving a few hours.

Never mind the guy at the corner when we turned off to head for the park. Scary guy — chainsaw — no shirt — glare — yeah. That was funny… once we got away.

Paige was the member of the group who got to the park early and reserved three sites for our first night. We’d have a chance to sort out what we’d brought and what we still planned to bring, hang out at the campfire, meet some of our group — all the things. We’d also get to try out the systems we’d set up for … personal needs.

Tents are set up — but not for the first time (we’d already tried them out once)

We turned in with some nerves and anticipation of what the next day would hold — and, while no one sleeps very well the first night camping, we did get some sleep in. But there was more to come. Stay tuned.

DAY 6: In which we reach our goal

Day 6! We’re on our last day! There’s a lot of packing and getting everything ready for the last day and heading home. Breakfast is fruit, yogurt, and granola parfait, and then it’s going to be heading out time, but first..

Designated departure time was 9am, but we were loaded up and ready to go at 8:45 so off we went!

I made the (not so difficult) choice to ride the first two legs of the day in the van — my knees were tired of the climbs and I did want to finish alive today, since we had a six-hour drive home ahead of us after the ride.

I got to chat more with Rachel as we drove — and the truth is, on my previous trip, I didn’t get to know our guides much all all, because I was always in the pack (never the van or the rear). Rachel and Heather are really great, and any participant on one of their tours will be fortunate indeed. (I thought the same of James and Raina, to be sure!)

Once the group gathered at Indian Trail, I got on my bike and headed toward Point Betsie Lighthouse. It’s a gray and chilly day, and I’m glad to have my bright shirt with long sleeves!

On the way to the lighthouse, we’re advised to turn right and prepare for a steep climb to the lighthouse… and I prepared but managed to throw my chain as I downshifted a little too fast! Fortunately I was with other riders today, and their extra hands helped me get it un-stuck and back onto the gears — and fellow cyclist Gina had wipes on hand to clean my hands! (No grass needed.)

We took a little time to look around and take some pictures of the lighthouse.

Then it’s back on the road for the last bit of dunes before heading toward Crystal Lake and our final stop.

A lot of the riding is along a highway with nice wide shoulders, but I’m not crazy about stopping along the roadway for a picture, and I planned on someone stopping to get a shot of the house with the planted roof with a goat statue on it — but so did everyone else. So alas, no Goat on the Roof photo for us. (Alas, searching the route also gives me no hint.)

At Frankfort, we took a quick stop then joined the Betsie Valley Trailway, a rails-to-trails path for the last part of the ride. This part I rode with Gina as we rounded out the trip. A lot of this trail was crushed limestone gravel again — not as easy as pavement but generally level and not steep! The homes and cottages along the route are so pretty and nice — this looks like a place that would be nice to visit again!

Beulah is the end of our route! It’s a cute town and there’s a great park where the rig is parked and ready for us to load up and finish our trip!

At the end of the ride, there was a celebration with a Wilderness Voyageur tradition — the cowbell! Our guides decided to celebrate everyone who hit their longest mileage on this route with the WV Cowbell!

Erica, Gina, Heather and I all hit our longest mileage on Day 3!!!

We had lunch at the Ursa Major Bistro, then got into the van to head back to Traverse City.

There, we unloaded bikes and bags, loaded the van (the kuat Sherpa 2.0 rack was easy to reinstall and load!) and hit the road! It was a good thing we were heading south — the roads were full of people headed Up North for the holiday weekend.

Six hours later we were back to Noblesville, thankful for a wonderful trip. Loved it. LOOOOVED it.