Travelogue

Setting up camp at Liberty SpringsAt last! Now, by 5:30, the packs were on, the car was secured, the map was at hand, and we were ready to go. So begins our adventure. We hit the trail.

Fortunately we had a nice, flat, ½-mile warm-up from the parking lot to the actual trailhead that allowed us to make some pack strap adjustments before beginning the steep climb up to the Liberty Springs Campsite. Thinking back to the 2.6 mile climb to our campsite, I cannot really recall much besides it sucking. My pack was 15 pounds heavier than anything I’ve carried before, I felt out of shape, and we immediately had a very steep 3-mile hike. My legs were burning and my heart felt like it was going to explode. Fortunately the excitement and adrenaline that comes with the start of an adventure out of civilization and into the wilderness were enough to outweigh any physical ailments that could potentially have a negative effect on morale. Also, we were almost at Franconia Ridge, meaning that tomorrow would be a more scenic day with less climbing.

Nik cooking up some beansUpon arriving at our campsite, the first thing that Nik noticed were the somewhat luxurious tent platforms that we had available to us – a treat that we weren’t really expecting. The first thing that I noticed (once having caught my breath) was that it was really pretty damn cold up here. I felt grateful that I had decided to pack the warm clothes that I did.

We soon set up the tent, arranged our sleeping bags, and started cooking dinner. Our dinner this evening was not your traditional backpacking food. We indulged and brought heavy and perishable turkey dogs and beans for the first night, which despite the extra weight, were definitely worth it. It’s amazing how much better food tastes after even a few hours on the trail.

After dinner came to what both Nik and I would consider to be the worst (and our least capable) activity involved in backpacking – bear bagging. We have a long tradition of waiting too long, and then setting up really crappy bear bags in the dark – and tonight was certainly no exception. Maybe it has to do with our post-dinner laziness, or maybe our ineptitude with knots (unfortunately we’re not Eagle Scouts like our 3rd hiking partner, Ted), or maybe just a lack of good trees to tie too, but for some reason bear bagging tends to leave both of us either really pissed off, or hysterical at how pathetic a job we did. Tonight we left our 5 ditty bags full of food hanging off a young tree about 3 feet off the ground – good enough, we figured. Off to bed.