Backpacking

The wonderful thing about backpacking is that it reminds you of the really important things in life- food, shelter, and companionship. Worries about bills, plans, and academia fade away, replaced by more important concerns like warming up cold feet and finding comfortable rocks to sit on. Minds that are accustomed to staying up all night suddenly crave sleep when the sun sets, and stomachs that were barely hungry for months start demanding 900-calorie lunches.
A backpacking trip was just what I needed to put this long and miserable semester behind me. So, last weekend Andrew, Becky, Cal the dog, and I set off into the Chiricahua Mountains for a four-day trip.

We were eager to escape the rising temperatures in Tucson, so we planned to take the crest trail along the top of the Chiricahuas. This trail winds along the backbone of the mountains at an elevation between 8000 and 9000 feet, visiting various springs, peaks, and meadows along the way. We had heard that the flowers were blooming, and we expected cool spring-like conditions and perhaps ripe strawberries. The hailstorm during the drive up the mountain should have been a sign that all was not as we expected. As we set off and trudged along in the rain, the trail began to look more and more ominous.

After several miles we began to notice that it had hailed along the ridge as well, and that some of the hail had not yet melted. Piles of hail began to appear, and soon we were slipping and stumbling through two inches of remarkably snow-like hail.

Although our planned campsite was only six miles from where we parked, we had not been on a long hike in a while and walking through the slippery snow/hail was particularly tiring. When we finally arrived that evening we were cold, wet, and hungry, ready to sit around a nice fire and roast the steaks we had brought. Unfortunately, all of the combustible materials in the area were also very cold and wet. As the wind picked up and the sun set, we spent two frustrating hours trying to coax a fire from wet wood and damp paper. Just when we were loosing hope we managed to start a nice warm fire to cook our dinner and warm our feet. In this picture, you can see Andrew attempting to dry his socks over our precious fire.

The sunset that night was cold, but beautiful.

The next morning began with sunshine, and I was even optimistic enough to begin cooking pancakes on my stove. Our hopes for a nice day were dashed, however, when a large hailstone punched a crater into the middle of my fourth pancake. We decided to try our luck at lower elevations, and packed up to head for the van.

Cal had his own pack, in which he carried his food, bowl, blanket, and Becky’s tent poles. He also had special dog boots to protect his feet.

Once back at the van, we drove down the mountain. We made a brief stop at the Portal house to get the forks and spoons we forgot, then headed for the South Fork trail at 6000 feet. In the gathering dusk we walked in two miles and camped at Maple Camp. Although it was still raining it only took us 20 minutes to start a fire.

After such a long day, the campfire burritos were delicious and the fire was mesmerizing.



We awoke to a warm and sunny day in the canyon, and made many successful pancakes. We sat under the lovely Maple Camp maple trees and had real maple syrup from Andrew’s parents.

Although we initially planned a long trek up the canyon that day, we were distracted by things like nice deep swimming holes.

We ended up going only three miles before coming to a spot so lovely we were forced to camp.


There were thousands of cicadas in the canyon, singing in the trees and occasionally landing on us.

I picked up this newly-emerged cicada and watched it pump up its wings on my finger. Here, it is almost finished.

We found a variety of interesting things, including this beautiful fungus growing on a rotting log.

That night we had no trouble starting a fire, and because we had eaten so much food it was easier to hang it out of reach of skunks and bears.

The next morning we hung around camp and then headed back to the van, stopping to swim along the way in a very cold and deep pool called ‘the bathtub.’ Even Andrew jumped in.

All in all, it was a very nice, very relaxed backpacking trip. We hiked a whopping total of just 22 miles, and we carried all sorts of luxurious and heavy foods like steak, gouda, and potatoes. The extra weight was definitely worth it. I would like to do more backpacking this summer, on more difficult trails. I will not, however, be carrying freeze-dried food.