2006 Spring Break Knobstone Trek

Our group consisted of one person who was in the class, and two other friends and one whom didn’t even go to school at IWU but had done some previous backpacking before, overall there were 3 of us. We went to the southern edge of the Knobstone trek and started at mile marker 0 and went to mile 13 and turned back because we didn’t have another vehicle to get back to our car, so we did 26 miles altogether. We arrived at the trail late Thursday night hiked just a few miles and set up camp. Woke up Friday morning and hiked all day to reach mile 13 just to turn around a hike a few miles back to a hillside we saw earlier. Saturday morning it poured down rain and we hiked back all but a few miles to do a little hitch hiking back to our car which is another story in itself.

Our Trail: Coach D’s link to all information that you will need

http://courses.indwes.edu/KD-PHE120/kt.htm

Our Group’s Advice

1. Check the weather in advance before you leave-if you can avoid bad weather such as thunderstorms your trip will be that much more enjoyable

2. Make sure you have a map of the area that you are hiking-we got on the wrong trail by mistake the first night and would have been able to figure that out if we had the map of the area.

3. Be prepared for the worst-luckily we had rain gear and boots for the mud when it rained really hard

4. When hiking the Knobstone trail keep your eyes open for the white markers which mark your trail because its annoying when you don’t see them any more because you are no longer on the right trail.

5. Always have a good attitude about the situation-we got into some bad situations which it would have been easy to lose our cool but through it all we had fun

6. Have an emergency kit- made up of a cell phone with charged battery, ID card and either a debit or credit card, we had to get a hotel because the roads to our car were flooded so we needed to get a hotel to which we used our credit/debit cards.

7. Have an alternative route to which you know how to get back where you came from- we had to cross a stream that was flooded and if we had an alternative route we could have saved ourselves some time and energy.

8. Along with having a hiking map of the area, it would be beneficial to have a road map of the area in case you need to hike along the roads to get to your car.

9. When parking the car park it on high ground and away from dead looking trees- luckily we parked the car on high ground so when the flash floods came, we were still able to get to our car and also when you are on the trail trees could fall on your car, so try to pick a “safe” place to park.

10. Pack light-this will help you have a better attitude because you won’t be as tired and you won’t be as sore either.

Individual Reflection

Greg Houghton

(I’m the one taking the picture, in the front)

My Previous Hiking Experience:

I have backpacked 10 days out in Philmont which is a Boy Scout ranch. I also backpacked for Spring Break down in the Grand Canyon. I have also done a few weekend trips here and there.

What I Learned:

1. I would take less food next time I go backpacking; I packed way too much food and could have saved probably 5 lbs or so.

2. Next time I go, I will make sure I have a hiking map and if you plan on ordering it online, be sure to give it plenty of time to reach you.

3. When I go backpacking next time, I will use a tarp instead of a tent because it weighed too much.

4. I learned that next time I want to do some serious hiking, I won’t invite a friend who has never done a day of backpacking in his life; you get slowed down quite a bit and get called a Nazi Hiker (yeah thanks Mark).

5. I learned that even if you have waterproof boots and its pouring down rain and you have to cross streams, your feet will still get wet; so you might as well wear comfortable shoes rather than big and heavy boots.

Memories:

This whole trip was one big memory. We didn’t get to the trail until 11:30 pm to which we hiked a few miles. Also I won’t forget how quickly those small little streams that we got water from before can turn into rushing rivers in a matter of a few hours when it’s down pouring. Another good memory will be the girls who picked us up when we were hitch hiking and taking us to our hotel. The feel of a hot shower after hiking for a few days and being soaked can never be forgotten, to which is topped off by ordering 3 pizzas from Domino for 5 bucks each, to which we each ate a whole pizza.

Kudos:

I want to give a Kudos to Mark Bell for this being his first time backpacking and never complaining once and having a good attitude even when it was pouring down rain and all he had was trash bags to which he taped around his body (which is a pretty funny sight).

I also want to give a Kudos to my friend Austin Hill for paying for the hotel and also for keeping his calm even though it would have been really easy to get really mad.

Conclusion:

All and all this trip was fun and quite adventurous to which I will never forget this Spring Break backpacking trip. Thanks to my two friends who went with me and sharing a tent which is fit for 2 people comfortably and making the three of us feel quick cozy. I know this will not be my last backpacking trip, I plan to go even more when it gets warmer outside and I would like to go some place that has amazing sights.