(There's a more recent post after this one)
The purpose of this trip was to try out my new bivy bag and experiment with tarp shelters and guy-lines. I have some purchases to make and I needed to get better information. Also, I needed to study and this would afford me time and solitude for that. It would be nice to get out of the June heat. The ultra-light weight can open up many new opportunities for stealth SN camping and hiking and freely in more remote areas.
I didn’t know where I was headed really, just Mt Lemmon. There was a trail at 7000 ft. and a camping area at around 9000ft. All along the way up there, I looked for spots where I might be able to camp and then hike just out of sight of the beaten path, checking terrain, vegetation and possibilities of water. This is always a beautiful drive. I had to stop with a facing motorist to allow the safe road crossing of a young coatimundi, a very unusual sight.
Mt. Lemmon is always a busy place in June as people escape the heat. I was counting on it being Thursday to increase the elbow room. I drove off of the highway into the dirt road through the forest looking for a site. At the least, I figured that I might find a way to set up the truck, camp and put my chairback to arrange some SN privacy. I spotted a difficult to drive up spot with a fallen tree on the ridge point that might block the view from the road with angles. But when I got there, I noticed that there was a further road leading back into the forest. Taking a short walk, I found that this deteriorated into a difficult, probably 4x4 situation of a not maintained road. It leads to a clearing that would handle multiple campers, but on the way there was a spot surrounded by young trees, like a small grove and fairly level, and virgin pine needles.
As I set up, I began to think about bears, as I would be sleeping out in the open alone. What about access to the tomahawk? These thoughts revisited me into the evening. I put a perimeter of small dry branches around the site to give me warning of any intruders, that night.
Despite my concerns the lovely jewel that I was involved in was wonderful. The day was still warm, the breeze was constantly heard in the various pine tree’s needles. They smelled good. At first, I had felt a chill, but I was camped with a fine windbreak. I soon discovered that this was the case in most of the area and the stronger winds blew well above me. I saw the shadow of a large bird above as I got something out of the SUV. I looked up to see a flock of buzzards overhead, not very high. I spoke, “I ain’t dead yet” and laughed. I still wished them away as I thought about being hit by a buzzard bomb.
I decided to tour the neighborhood. The seclusion in this area that I was in can be deceiving. Just over a hill there might be a camper, or a highway. It is all very much up or down hill. Venturing into the forest, I found two old forest service roads that had been blocked off long ago. It climbed to the top of the steep hill next to this, I found myself looking more than a mile downhill at the city in the valley below, as if flying in an airplane. More immediately was the Mt. Lemmon Highway. I knew that no one was in this direction.
I saw a marked intersection there with a street sign. I snuck down the hill, hiding behind trees, or squatting so that they couldn’t tell that I was naked, until I was near the road and able to read the sign. I wanted to see if the mobile phone worked and have a point where I could tell loved ones where I was camped, for emergency.
Back at camp, I experimented with the guy-lines and an 8x10 foot tarp, in various configurations of shelter. It would seem that a 9x9ft. tarp would make for a flexible effective rain shelter, and easily rearranged into a spacious lean-to for shade.
Next, I thought that I should explore the rest of the neighborhood for others that might stumble upon my SN. This direction, I took along my bath wrap, just in case. I put it on my shoulder because it comforts it from the camera and water bottle straps. I climbed to the top of the nearby hill next to the road. There, was a log. I peered over, not expecting anything, but was shocked. Six vehicles were parked on the other side of the road, practically neighbors. I used the ridge as a line of cover, continuing on. In less than 100 yards, I saw a bright color on top of the hill. It was a bicycle, AND a chair next to it. I then turned back heading to the place where I originally pulled off of the road, but then, I found a new camper up the hill on the other side of me unpacking (and not paying attention to my direction. I retreated back down the bad road to camp and decided to go back toward the road and explore. I saw what looked to be new tire tracks over mine. I was stopped dead in my tracks and had to turn around. Apparently another truck had driven in while I was away from camp and there it sat as they unpacked! With all of these people around, I figured that my bear visit concerns were much less likely to occur.
The sun behind the trees, the air began to get much cooler. I made a dehydrated miso soup concoction using the windbreak of a shelter I had made.
First Night in a Bivy:
It was now cold out and I sat dressed in warm clothing massaging my feet with bag balm. The sun illuminated the tallest tree tops and then was gone. The dusk was a rich blue. I suddenly noticed a white light on these same trees. The full moon arose to bring its brightness. It never really got dark. As I awoke into dawn, I rolled over to see if the moon was still around. It was now a great ball of yellow sinking as the sun brightened a new day. At 9000ft. I was watching it set below me in the distance, through the trees. I can’t remember ever seeing that before.
I had had concerns about being out in the open. This was unusual, because I sleep outside at home on the desert regularly with confidence. I was to try the bivy without clothing or sleeping bag, with clothing no sleeping bag, both clothing and sleeping bag, to see how warm it was. Not having to lug the extra three pound sleeping bag sometimes would make a great difference. I climbed into a sleeping bag, earthing blanket arrangement first. Very quickly felt a terrific womby effect. No, not like Elmer Fudd saying roomy. It felt w like a womb. I was transported into the most secure peaceful state. From my netted spot I watched the sky and trees, smelled the air, drifted off to sleep, awoke to watch another faze of the night and then drift off again. I did this for twelve hours!
I bought the longer larger size bivy. I soon discovered that by sliding down so the non-meshed part covered my nose and mouth as I breathed, would help heat the bag interior. The next humiliating discovery was that if I didn’t brush my teeth before crawling in something more that heat would accumulate in the bag. The bug screen against my face is no problem and there is enough room to place my glasses without crushing them. Wonderful.
The next morning, I went for a walk clothed, down to the highway bout a ¼ mile and discovered that my old favorite trek was nearby. I checked it out for a suitable camping spot. I returned to camp to eat, disrobe and get the day on.
After I broke camp, I stopped about a ¼ mile past San Pedro Vista, a very popular lookout to the San Pedro river Valley and beyond. I was at the Green Mountain Trailhead parking lot. I had hopes for this spot. Going up the previous day, there was a white SUV only. The same one was still there. As I pulled up naked, I had to park away because the people were just coming out to get in and leave. They drove off and the trail was mine. I didn’t know how far that I would hike, to walk this I was most interested in looking things over for future longer backpacking sojourns. Everything had been either stair step up or down. I knew by research that this one was a downhill and any distance would be uphill back. I was already tired.
I found an expanse of neet rock formations and a steep slope with pine trees amongst it. It became evident that this 7000ft. elevation, I was hot out of the shade. I traveled a bit past the first trail intersection when I heard a tree fall, down the trail. I noticed the trail descending steeply downhill quite a ways before me, as well. First I thought, “If a tree falls and there is no one to hear it…” Then I noticed that there was no strong wind here. There are many old carcasses of burnt trees from a fire a few years ago. I questioned, “Could a bear have felled one to get at insects? It is a drought.” These were two good reasons to convince me when I was really pretty tired. I turned around to climb back out.
I passed a tree that had fallen across the trail. It had needles on it still, then a large Ponderosa Pine the same way. But I didn’t remember these on the way down. I continued non-the-less. I topped a ridge and sure enough, I was at the San Pedro Vista and naked. I could head back and hopefully find the lost trail. I could wrap the bath wrap around me and walk along the road in public. Then there was a potential third option, climbing over the hill between, to reach the trailhead parking lot and my SUV. I tried the third. I trudged up the slippery pine needles on the steep hillside. When I reached the top I was able to see my red truck way below and saw no way to descend the steep slope.
I climbed back down and proceeded back down the trail. I just didn’t want to walk through public in the heat dressed as I was and the trail is beautiful. I found my trail, marked only by someone’s tie cord. The trail that I was deviated into, wasn’t listed anywhere, but it looked like the more worn main path.
As I reached the top of the ridge before descending into the parking area, I found a trail heading up the hill to the right, which upon further investigation took me to the hill top that I had last been on, but turned around on. Well, carnude, carnude, all the way home.
