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Franklin Mountains Park March 3 &4
Mar. 11th, 2012 01:26 amLast week, Amanda and I spent the night camping in the Franklin Mountains.
We hiked what was supposed to be an eight hour trail to the tippy top of the mountain (they say this is the second most strenuous hike after Guadelupe Peak which is literally the tallest point in Texas). We never made it. Both of us are in piss-poor shape and we turned around after reaching one of the warning signs about possible live land mines in the mountain.
We set up camp in one of the lots. Everything went smoothly, no broken equipment or trouble except for lugging a Tupperware box full of supplies, two bundles of firewood, a cooler with food, sleeping bags, backpacks, etc. about a little less than a quarter mile from the car to the camp site. It wasn't easy in rocky terrain.
We made a supper of hot dogs, canned chili, beans, and canned corn. I drank a couple of Cokes while setting up the tent and mattress. And I snacked on the mammoth sized marshmallows Amanda brought. We packed too much stuff. We could have done without the chili which looked gross when we scooped it into the trash can. I told Amanda to just bring the wieners, a small can of beans, and maybe the corn and that's it for next time.
EDIT: And apparently, two lone females camping out there is dangerous. My Mom's coworker said that members of a local biker gang like to camp out there. I don't know how bad the Bandidos rank. I'm guessing that they're not on the level of Hell's Angels, but I need to research them.
Come nightfall, I froze my ass off despite using my brother's old mummy sleeping bag and sleeping with all of my clothes on. My legs and feet got the worst of it since I didn't buy thermal underwear. I never slept. I spent most of the night curling up and pulling a spare blanket over my head like a tent to keep in warmth. Then I had to pee in the middle of the night. I fought it, but like giving birth, nature always has the final say no matter how much you fight bodily urges. So I went out in the 25-30 degree weather and just squatted close to the rocky border separating our campsite from dirt and yucca. I was also scared of pissing on a rattler or having a mountain lion or coyote bother me. By morning, I got out of the tent and made a fire. The park forbids collecting brush or plants for fires but I was so cold that I didn't care. I used dry brush and fallen yucca stems to build a fire in the grill/fire pit for much needed warmth. Amanda heard me and woke up shortly after and helped with breakfast. We ate and lingered around the campsite talking, knitting (that was her) or writing in a paper journal (that was me).
We packed up and left to see a bird habitat close by. The rangers set up bird feeders and a small fake cave where viewers can hide and watch wrens and doves flutter about and feed. A family was there, one with several young children who were running around and yelling. At one point, one of the boys yelled so loud that the birds in the feeders actually flew away. The kid wasn't even in the cave shelter or near the feeders. I was mad, but Amanda had the balls to stomp out of the cave and ask their father to keep his children quiet since they were scaring off the birds. The man got mad and said that she couldn't understand what it was like having kids. They did shut up though. I wasn't sure if the confrontation was going to turn violent; that man looked like he was in the military. I know kids can be noisy, but there's times and places for it like the plastic ball pit at a burger restaurant. If the kids were going to be boisterous, the man could have ushered them away from the viewing area, or kept their visit short when others arrived to look at the birds. Amanda and I spoke about it all the way home. If I had been a noisy kid in a quiet area and someone asked my parents to keep me quiet, my mom would have gone Joan Crawford on me and torn me a new one.
We hiked what was supposed to be an eight hour trail to the tippy top of the mountain (they say this is the second most strenuous hike after Guadelupe Peak which is literally the tallest point in Texas). We never made it. Both of us are in piss-poor shape and we turned around after reaching one of the warning signs about possible live land mines in the mountain.
We set up camp in one of the lots. Everything went smoothly, no broken equipment or trouble except for lugging a Tupperware box full of supplies, two bundles of firewood, a cooler with food, sleeping bags, backpacks, etc. about a little less than a quarter mile from the car to the camp site. It wasn't easy in rocky terrain.
We made a supper of hot dogs, canned chili, beans, and canned corn. I drank a couple of Cokes while setting up the tent and mattress. And I snacked on the mammoth sized marshmallows Amanda brought. We packed too much stuff. We could have done without the chili which looked gross when we scooped it into the trash can. I told Amanda to just bring the wieners, a small can of beans, and maybe the corn and that's it for next time.
EDIT: And apparently, two lone females camping out there is dangerous. My Mom's coworker said that members of a local biker gang like to camp out there. I don't know how bad the Bandidos rank. I'm guessing that they're not on the level of Hell's Angels, but I need to research them.
Come nightfall, I froze my ass off despite using my brother's old mummy sleeping bag and sleeping with all of my clothes on. My legs and feet got the worst of it since I didn't buy thermal underwear. I never slept. I spent most of the night curling up and pulling a spare blanket over my head like a tent to keep in warmth. Then I had to pee in the middle of the night. I fought it, but like giving birth, nature always has the final say no matter how much you fight bodily urges. So I went out in the 25-30 degree weather and just squatted close to the rocky border separating our campsite from dirt and yucca. I was also scared of pissing on a rattler or having a mountain lion or coyote bother me. By morning, I got out of the tent and made a fire. The park forbids collecting brush or plants for fires but I was so cold that I didn't care. I used dry brush and fallen yucca stems to build a fire in the grill/fire pit for much needed warmth. Amanda heard me and woke up shortly after and helped with breakfast. We ate and lingered around the campsite talking, knitting (that was her) or writing in a paper journal (that was me).
We packed up and left to see a bird habitat close by. The rangers set up bird feeders and a small fake cave where viewers can hide and watch wrens and doves flutter about and feed. A family was there, one with several young children who were running around and yelling. At one point, one of the boys yelled so loud that the birds in the feeders actually flew away. The kid wasn't even in the cave shelter or near the feeders. I was mad, but Amanda had the balls to stomp out of the cave and ask their father to keep his children quiet since they were scaring off the birds. The man got mad and said that she couldn't understand what it was like having kids. They did shut up though. I wasn't sure if the confrontation was going to turn violent; that man looked like he was in the military. I know kids can be noisy, but there's times and places for it like the plastic ball pit at a burger restaurant. If the kids were going to be boisterous, the man could have ushered them away from the viewing area, or kept their visit short when others arrived to look at the birds. Amanda and I spoke about it all the way home. If I had been a noisy kid in a quiet area and someone asked my parents to keep me quiet, my mom would have gone Joan Crawford on me and torn me a new one.
