| I've been itching to get up to the mountains, so as soon as I received word that the roads were open, I started preparing my gear and checking the weather forecasts for the area. This will be the first trip of the year.
I had some new pieces of equipment I wanted to try out including a Rob Simonich Nordooh knife, a Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet, a Marlin custom .22 magnum survival rifle and a custom fire striker forged by Tai Goo. Since I would only be carrying a Lowe Alpine shoulder bag and a bedroll, my gear would be limited to what would fit inside these two items. My plan was to drive up to the trailhead the night before and then sleep in my truck. In the past, I would wake up very early in the morning, drive five hours, and then spend the entire day on the trail. That makes for a very long day. With my new plan, I all I would have to do is pull into the trailhead parking lot, unpack my sleep gear, and go right to bed without all the fuss of setting up a tent. It didn't get very cold that evening so I was hoping that would be an indication as to what the weather may be like the next couple days. The next morning, I woke up to a sunny and beautiful day. After I got dressed, I set up my mini kitchen so I could start preparing some bannock pancakes and jump-start my heart with some nice strong coffee. I had the bannock mixture in a Ziplock bag so all I had to do was add water and work it around until I had the desired consistency. From then, all that was needed was to cut off a corner of the bag and squeeze it like a frosting bag right into the pan. I used Ziplocks for the butter and syrup as well. This method worked well and made cleanup quick and easy. The bannock pancakes turned out great, providing a very filling breakfast. It didn't take long to ready my gear so I was able to hit the trail by 8:30 am. Hiking to the first pass, I began to recall last year's final trip of the season. The trip had to be cut short because of a storm heading in. I can remember the feeling I had at the time and it was as if I wasn't supposed to be there. The feeling could be compared to that of when you walk into a store five minutes before closing. Sometimes employees will you give you that "look," so you feel a bit uneasy. On that trip, everything appeared to be closing down for the winter. The plants were brown, the birds were gathering seeds, and there was a chill in the air. I felt as though I was being told politely but firmly to leave. As I traveled down to and across the first meadow, I stopped to rest at the sentimental site of my first solo survival trip. I find it interesting to visit my old camp sites, trying to remember the thoughts and feelings I had at the time. There were strong memories in this area. Not only was it my first time visiting the area but it was also my first solo. That trip was a very big step to take and I believe it reshaped my life. On this particular day, I would travel to an area that I've been to several times before, only this time I would take an indirect route by following a stream that runs through a canyon and beside a small meadow. This would allow me to explore some areas I've never been in before. The first leg on this route required me to do some boulder hopping. When I travel alone I usually don't like to take any unnecessary risks like climbing around on rocks, but soon I was down on level ground. Pretty soon I came to another boulder field which was much larger and would be both dangerous and time consuming to negotiate. Instead of trying to go through it, I chose to climb up the canyon and follow the ridge line until I felt the obsticle had passed. When I thought I was clear of the boulders, I followed a drainage channel back down to the stream. From that point on it was a tight canyon without many setbacks. As I traveled further downstream, I came across a stone oven. I'm not sure how long it had been there but as I looked the area over I spotted a nearby boulder that had a large, fire scarred crevasse in its face. To me, it looked like it may have been used for cooking as well. Some time had passed before I had to stop to catch my breath. As I stood there resting, something caught my eye across the stream. It appeared to be some type of horizontal beam or pole, but I wasn't sure. Looking closer I could barely make out a structure or primitive shelter of some kind. Wanting to get a closer look, I jumped the stream and started to walk over. As I got closer, a sense of excitement came over me because it was turning out to be what I had thought it was. A shelter/camp of some sort. For me, its a lot of fun stumbling across and exploring these old camp sites in the wilderness. Each camp holds its own interesting and unique story. The Kitchen
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| A clue
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In the kitchen there was a table, a couple old iron stoves, and a lot of collected wilderness "treasures". I had stumbled across many old cow camps in the past but this one was different. This camp had more of a purpose and more creative thought behind its construction. I felt as though I stumbled onto a piece of history. I left everything as I found it because after all, I was a guest.
| Another view
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| Rock overhang
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| The Nordooh
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| Wilderness crapper
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After spending some time exploring the kitchen and its surroundings, I realized it was getting late. There was a really nice camp area just above the kitchen so I decided to spend the night. The overall vibe of the area was great. I felt welcome.
| First things first. I spotted two large rocks that just happened to have a log resting across them. The structure would make a perfect ridge pole for my canvas shelter half so I started in making my shelter. First nights shelter
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Using my Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet, I carved some stakes and trimmed off any sharp areas on the ridge pole that could puncture my canvas. Even though the hatchet was performing great, I found myself enthralled by the Nordooh, studying her every curve and angle.
| With my shelter built and firewood gathered, I wanted to use the remaining daylight to sight in my rifle. Using the bench in the kitchen, I took some shots at a few tin cans set up on a distant log. Thinking I was a pretty lousy shot not being able to shoot the cans off the log, I went over to check the cans. They all had holes directly in the center. I guess I expected them to move a little when they were hit. I placed some small rocks on top of the cans to make the hits a little more dramatic. Later on, I started the evening fire using flint and steel. The striker I used was made for me by Tai Goo and is as artistic as it is useful. Dinner that evening consisted of a few handfuls of rice, beans, and some jerkey. I really didn't have time to try out Rob Simonich's Hole In the Ground Stew as I had planned, so boiling the mixture would have to do. When it came time for bed, it was obvious the mosquitos were going to be a nuisance. I would be sleeping in a wool blanket folded in half on top of a layer of pine needles with my Mexican poncho thrown over everything. It wasn't too cold out, so I ended up using the poncho as a pillow/face cover. The little Bloodsuckers were ruthless but overall, I slept well. The next morning, I finished the stew from the night before, made some coffee, and began packing my gear. I'll have to say that I really enjoyed my stay at this camp. I find that some areas just don't have a very good feeling about them, but this camp felt good to me. I knew that I would return someday. It wasn't long before I was in the meadow heading toward my final destination. I had been to this camp exactly one year earlier with two coworkers that had never been to the wilderness. As I walked, I thought about the looks on their faces as they started their first fire with a sparking rod. That was a special trip that I'll never forget. Soon, I spotted two hikers in the far distance heading in the same direction of the camp where I planned on staying that night. Feeling a little nervous that they may try to steal my spot, I took to the tree line to try to get there before they did. Cutting through the boulders and trees I finally made it to the camp. I felt like an assassin waiting for my victims to arrive but they never did. I came to the conclusion that they turned and went up a nearby trail. I was happy they did. The first thing I did when I arrived was look for a place to set up my shelter. Up the slope and next to some boulders, was an area thick with pine needles so I thought it would be a good place to start. Wanting to build a different shelter from the night before, using my canvas, I went into one of my "what if" modes. This time my "what if" would be pretending I didn't have any cord or logs to suspend my canvas from. Front view
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I noticed a boulder that had a straight side to it that I thought would work well as the other half of my shelter. Using some pieces of yellow pine for wedges, I was able to pound them into some cracks in the sides of the boulder to use as hooks to suspend the canvas.
| Side view
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By using a log and some heavy rocks, I was able to make a complete tent type shelter that seemed to be strong and protected well from the elements. The pictures will present a better idea on how everything worked in unison.
| Now that my shelter was in place, it was time to go look for some meat for the dinner pot. I knew I was close to what I had known from the past as Marmot Central, so after assembling my rifle, I headed out to a distant rock pile that I knew housed many of the furry treats. No marmots over here...
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...none over there
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As I walked through the rock pile I only saw one marmot. Not knowing if the hikers I saw earlier were in the tree line behind what was to be my target, I adhered to the Fourth Rule of Firearm Safety and didn't take the shot. Most marmots are active in morning and evening but go into the rocks during the afternoon. I decided to come back later in the day when there was more activity
| Since I had some time to kill, I thought I would try to get in some fishing. I constructed a fishing pole using the components from my mini kit. Luckily, I had spotted a small feather earlier and tucked it under a stone for just the occasion. A good catch
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At first, the little Golden Trout didn't want to bite, but as I refined my technique, I started hauling them in. There must have been six or seven trout that I tackled on shore and lost to fumbles. I ended up with six fish. After I cleaned the fish, I strung them on a willow branch and placed them back in the water.
| After I got through fishing, I decided to jump into the chilly stream for a quick bath. Man, that felt good! It sure is nice knowing no one is around to hear you scream like a sissy! Dinner!
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Rifle in hand, I headed back towards the area I had been to earlier only this time I spotted a marmot after only about two minutes of walking. I took a shot but missed. The marmot looked at me for a moment then walked around a rock out of sight. Just as it disappeared, another marmot stuck his head out from behind a rock to see what all the commotion was about. That was my cue to sent a Maxi Mag+V though his teeth. I had to laugh at this point because now I wondered if I would be able to climb up the rocks to find the marmot! Luckily I found it right away and knew that it was a clean, humane kill. By this time, my mouth was starting to water.
| A good day of hunting and gathering
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When I returned to camp, I cleaned the marmot and began soaking the meat in some Lawrys tenderizer. Karen Hood had passed along this tip so I was eager to give it a try! I believe I even used the same pan she did to cook her marmot in her Cave Cooking I video! Hopefully there were still some cooking spirits left in the pan.
| Well, the marmot came out tasting great! I had the fish for desert. Thanks to the spirits watching over me I had a full stomach. That evening, while I was enjoying my fire, I made one of Ron Hood's candle lanterns from an old beer can I found. When I headed back to my shelter, I was really amazed at how much light the lantern produced. Crawling into my shelter, I noticed a small crevasse in the rock face that my lantern would fit into perfectly. The lantern added a nice "homey" feeling. I slept great that evening. The next morning I woke up feeling a bit sad. I always feel that way when it's the last day of a trip and I have to head back to the scum and slime of city life. On the other hand I was happy that I had such a great trip and got to learn some new things. Rock Shelter "stowed"
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Knowing I would be back next month for a week long trip with my two good friends and fellow Dirt Eaters Bill and Wally, I decided to leave my shelter set up. The only thing I did was roll the canvas up while leaving it still attached to the framework. I figured the canvas would be less prone to rot being up out of the pine needles and less noticeable to people passing by. I believe I will leave the shelter in tact because I would be interested to see what effects the mountain elements would have on it year after year. I can also tell others that I have my own place in the Sierras!
| The day on the trail was routine but about halfway through the day, something white and about the size of a small dog, darted across the trail ahead of me. I had no idea what it was. I happened to be on the edge of a meadow so I bent down to see if I could see it through the trees. As I crouched looking through the branches, I spotted the biggest Jackrabbit I had ever seen in my life and it was staring right at me! I swear its ears were as tall as the area from my wrist to my elbow. I thought I was looking at something left over from the prehistoric past! I'm sure my pace on the trail quickened after that incident! I've never heard of a man being mauled by a rabbit but I certainly wasn't going to be the first! Final rest
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Just before heading up to the last pass, I laid down on one of my usual resting areas, rubbed my feet, and tanked up on water. My mind began to drift forward to the next month, thinking about when I would be returning to the area to spend time with my friends Bill and Wally.
| The End
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Copyright © 2001 by Eric Stoskopf. Back to the Contents page. |