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Hurricane Creek Wilderness AreaTwo man overnight backpack into the Hurricane Creek Wilderness Area with bluff action
11/3/18
In a world, filled with trees, located in the middle south...two men entered the forest. Fall foliage was prevalent and welcome. An uphill climb was initiated and after much effort, a suitable elevation was reached. It is here that these two men, brothers in fact, continued forward seeking the location desired for a fine and memorable camping experience. Please be advised that prior to arrival at this particular wilderness, breakfast was had at Dewayne's in Dover. The meal there was found, as usual, to be quite delicious. A group of locals dining there were asked to move from my favorite spot. They did relinquish the table after a brief scuffle, realizing our Kung Fu (snake technique) was far superior to their white crane style. We hated to make a scene, but hey...it is my table. My plate was populated with eggs over medium, browns that were hashed, sausage patties, biscuits with the gravy, side loaded, and coffee, of coarse. We ate with much gusto, theses meals of ours. When finished, we exited without paying our tabs...as is customary. From here, we return to the story already in progress.
The sky was thinly lined with a cloud cover lacking texture. Some sunlight did manage to filter through these, these clouds of without character. The temp was around 51°. This combination provided for a pleasant morning as we made passage along the side of the ridge. By 11:30 our bluff was before us. We took up residence there for the night. The light breeze caressed our loins as we made preparations for the stormy night that was expected in the hours to come. The temp was now close to 60°. It was savored as we lounged in our hammocks and viewed the finely hued valley laid wide before our asses. By sunset, the clouds had thickened and we were sore afraid of the impending storm expected after midnight. Dinner was prepared and eaten as the light dimmed on the horizon. A moderately sized badger invaded the camp just after the supping and I was forced to wrestle and subdue the intruder. He fled in the wrong direction and plummeted over the precipice. Sad.
The time for fire making came just after the above occurrences. In true bushcraft fashion some dry reindeer moss was ignited with two chunks of sandstone and within seconds...we're talking two...a fire rose up and burned for at least 10 minutes without any further attention. Its warm glow was admired for a goodly amount of time, then I kicked the coals over the bluff to the valley floor. We then retired to our respective tent units. Light rain started within two hours and thunderstorms developed not long after.
I arose at 6:15...the rain was gone. All was quite moist. Keep in mind that even my very high priced gear was still capable of wetness. After a final look at the valley, we moved down into it. Treacherously slick conditions hampered our progress. The swollen creek was eventually in sight. It was a good thing that crossing was not required. The origin point was hit at 9:00 with 53°. It was still cloudy. We looked at each other and nodded...knowing full well that our lives had been spared, just barely. This time we survived...next time...who knows. It was 53° and miles hiked...just three.
