Gone hiking

I took my parents hiking this week, getting them out backpacking for the first time in three years. And their second time out, ever. It's odd to think that for all of us, our first experience with backpacking was three years ago, on the Kalalau Trail (see picture at top). Since then, I have covered many hundreds of miles, and they have refrained from setting foot, under weight, on the trail.

To be fair, they're a little bit older than I, and they're quite interested in hiking. Backpacking is just a little more intense. It's hiking on steroids. Hiking all day, for many more hours and miles than most people endure. Plus carrying weight, which makes hills and uneven terrain (of which you find plenty, in the wilderness, where one is generally backpacking) very difficult to maneuver. And nights are comfort-free and to be endured, rather than enjoyed. Very different from hiking. Or even camping.

The trail I took them to was called the Thunder Swamp Trail, a rather ominous name for a relatively tame trail. It was either rocks or swamps, with relatively flat terrain throughout (three days of hiking, and only 500' of vertical elevation gain, total). The pace was slow, since the trail was only about 25 miles long, and we had all week. I would have done the miles in a day, but then I wouldn't have been up there, 2 hours from Philadelphia. And it would have been a half-hearted two-day attempt, so I'm glad that I had a good reason to go.

The scenery was decent, with no staggering views (and no nasty climbs, to make up for the lack). This is the lake we camped by on our first night.







The trail was well-maintained, for the most part, with reliable blazes and cleared footing.









There was a lot of water (we realized they weren't kidding about the 'swamp' part of the name), and on occasion the trail was completely underwater.







We didn't see too much wildlife, which was fortunate, since my mom is scared of meeting a bear, and bears are quite common in the area.









The weather was great. It was cool and a little breezy, and overcast to keep the sun off of us, but with peeks of sunshine to brighten the day. The nights were not too bad, especially with all the right gear. My camera did fog up in the early morning, giving me an interesting view of the inside of my tent. The blurriness obscures how small of a space I had for sleeping and after-dark living.