Houghton: Backpacking Edition

Lots of things have happened since last I wrote. I've done lots of things. Things like Easter break, homework, papers, tests, plus there were stairs to be cleaned and food to be eaten, and don't forget spending quality time with my bunk bed... But today's story is all about backpacking. I have posted a hodgepodge of pictures on various other social media sites, so I'll just post a few here for illustrative purposes.

So anyhow, let us begin this tale. My backpacking class has been planning and preparing to go on an overnight camping trip since the beginning of the semester. This past weekend was when it actually happened. About 24 of us converged on some point in PA for many hours. I can't do math and thus tell you how long we were there, but you will figure it out as I tell you this story. Saturday morning, Sam, Nancy, and I consumed breakfast, realizing that this would be our last prepared meal, eaten in a warm, sheltered environment, for a while. Then sun came out briefly, fooling us that it would be warm out. It wasn't. After eating, we strapped our backpacks on our backs and staggered up Shen Hill to the gym, from where we were leaving. A couple minutes after we arrived safely in the gym, it commenced pouring rain.

 Sam, Nancy, Dan, and I rode in one of the cars, driven by fellow student Austen. The drive was about an hour or an hour and a half, but it was pretty scenic. And no, saying that and following it up with a picture of our lovely faces wasn't some sort of hubristic joke, but it is kinda amusing :)

 Once we got there, we strapped on our backpacks (bonus points: I didn't fall over or hit anyone any of the times I put on my backpack). We all had some random personal gear, like clothes, and a sleeping bag, various tent parts, and lots of food and water. Before we plunged off into wild nature, our instructor Larissa gave us a last minute pep talk about something I can't even remotely begin to remember. I was basically at that point being all like "what if I have to pee while we're hiking???!!" It's an easy thing to freak out about.

Our group split into two groups for the hikes to and from our campsite, because there were two trails. One was the longer, harder trail, and one was the easier one. Saturday afternoon, Sam, Dan, Nancy, I, and several other people took the harder trail. It included many steep hills...and by hills, I think I mean baby mountains. They were pretty steep, and there were several. But it was super pretty, and the weather was good--not too hot for sure, and not too cold while we were hiking.

Funny story: So, I was hiking along, when I suddenly noticed that someone's shoe was untied. Since this person had recently sprained her ankle (cough cough :) ) I bent down to tie it for her. Now, we were at that point on the side of a hill, and I was squatting on the downhill side of the hill, if that makes sense. Anyhow, when I went to stand up, the weight of my backpack, and the gravity from the hill-ness pulled me onto my back, where I lay, helpless, like a turtle. I was totally stuck. Fortunately, there was a strong dude right behind me, and he hauled me to my feet. I was laughing pretty hard...cause that would happen to me :P

When we got to our campsite, we set up our tent and helped start a fire. Andrew was our resident pyromaniac, which was good because it was pretty cold and windy. I didn't stop shivering for a significant amount of time until about midnight that night, so it was good to have a campfire to keep some of the chill off. We also used little camp stoves to make supper, which was penne with spaghetti sauce.

Our campsite had a couple of picnic tables, several colonies of tents, a fire, an outhouse, and a pump for water. We used the water to rinse our dishes out, and to get water which we filtered and boiled and used for food/drinking. We colloquially called the pump the giardia pump, as we assumed all the water pouring forth from it was teaming wildly with giardia protazoa, and would promptly infect all of us and we'd die or something. 

 After hanging around the campfire relaxing for the evening, we headed to bed (and I use the word 'bed' here very loosely. Very loosely indeed). I shivered and shook for a little while, and then told Nancy to cuddle with me. She did, and so we were both warm. Very stiff and sore, but warm. After breakfast, we packed up and headed out.

 We took the easier trail heading out, but our joints were stiff, and our muscles achy. The sun beat down, heating the atmosphere up to a raging inferno of 50 degrees. Thus windburn. My backpack rubbed and rubbed, thus raw blister spot on my waist. My toes rubbed, thus multiple blisters. But we persevered. We struggled through. We straggled through. We supported each other, encouraged one another, and around noon, we reached the end of the trail, whereupon we collapsed and ate lots of food.

 Above is a lovely picture of most of us weary travelers. You can see the victorious smiles gracing everyone's faces (all but Nancy and Preston, that is) as we celebrate the feat of weary feet completing the trek. Clearly, Nancy and Preston are already in a daydreamy haze thinking about food, sleep, etc. You can see it in their eyes. Nancy's all: "If you step in the way between me and my Nancy Nest, you are so dead. I can't even articulate how dead you would be. Let me give you a slight demonstration of my eyes' laser capabilities." And Preston's totally like "That cloud...yes that one...looks just like a hamburger. It looks like that hamburger Grandma made me last summer. That was one good burger. Oh boy." The rest of them are more or less like "whooooooo we've almost made it! Keep that smile on!!"

So we ate lunch. Then we drove back to Houghton, which is an entertaining story in and of itself, unpacked our backpacks, and went and collapsed in our respective dorms. And that is the story of the backpacking trip. The end!