Camped at sunset.
May 20, 2023
Backpacking
Everything backpacking: our gear, trip write-ups, and individual pictures.
May 20, 2023
Camped at the end of Day Two — And I’m facing east, ready for the morning sun.
May 20, 2023
Ticks and Chiggers and snakes! Oh my! This (and the heat) is why I don’t like summer backpacking. All those places for ticks, chiggers, and snakes to hide! And don’t forget the spiders too…
May 20, 2023
I had just crossed Paddy Creek Road for the second time today.
May 20, 2023
Lunch in the shade by Paddy Creek.
May 20, 2023
Paddy Creek Crossing — Looking down Paddy Creek from the crossing. +1
May 20, 2023
Gary (and company) at the Paddy Creek scenic overlook. +1
May 20, 2023
It’s a long way down — according to the map, over 200 ft.
May 20, 2023
Scenic Overlook — Paddy Creek, looking southeast.
May 20, 2023
Scenic Overlook — Paddy Creek, looking northwest.
May 20, 2023
Scenic Overlook of Paddy Creek on the Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness, Missouri.
May 20, 2023
Spur trail to Big Piney Trail Camp.
May 20, 2023
All motorized vehicles prohibited on this trail — Sign just after crossing Paddy Creek Road.
May 20, 2023
Gary, about to cross Paddy Creek Road — The Big Piney Trail has three road crossings. I’m about to cross Paddy Creek Road, and if things go according to plan, I’ll be crossing it again a few miles further on and after lunch.
May 20, 2023
Day Two — Camped off of the North Loop of the Big Piney Trail. +1
May 19, 2023
Visitor — It’s not the first time I’ve shared my tarp with an amphibian when it rains.
May 19, 2023
Junction with the shortcut to the South Loop. Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness.
May 19, 2023
No one at home — someone has removed the surprise from this trash/swill can. That’s very mean. +1
May 19, 2023
Lunch Stop — Time for lunch, a cup of tea, some noodles and summer sausage. +2
May 19, 2023
Junction of the North and South Loops, Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness. For a change I’m starting out on the North Loop (left).
May 19, 2023
Starting Out — Hiking the Big Piney Trail Clockwise. I’ve taken a day off so that I can spend three days on a slow hike of the 16-mile loop of the Big Piney Trail in Paddy Creek Wilderness. Unlike previous trips, it is forecast to rain on the first day, not the last. +1
April 30, 2023
Back at the Trailhead — Two nights, 18.5 miles, and 1400 ft. of elevation. It took me a smidge under two hours to hike the four-and-something miles from ‘Cab Creek’ to the Tower Trailhead. One-minute read
April 30, 2023
Camped at ‘Cab Creek’ — Finally, the sun is high enough to start warming things up. I went and sat in the sun on the other side of ‘Cab Creek’ and enjoyed the morning. +3
April 30, 2023
Day Three – tea in bed at ‘Cab Creek’. Note the sun just rising above the edge of the hollow.
April 29, 2023
Rose Verbena (Rose Vervain) — Bit of a nothing picture. At the time, though, I’d just finished hiking through a section of dense trees, and the colors in the sudden patch of sunlight really popped.