Rain, thunder, a flooding lake, wading, and bushwhacking make for a different start to a weekend’s R&R. Piney Creek Wilderness. Trip write-up: Ten-minute read, 45 pictures
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This is my current base winter pack, which has kept me comfortable down to 23°F.
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Three Days Solo Backpacking in Late January – The weather had turned warm, and the recent snow had disappeared, so I headed off to Hercules Glades with the intention of spending some more time contemplating Life, The Universe, and Everything.
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Back at the beginning of 2018 the majority of the trails at Hercules Glades were renamed. The more I think about it, the more I am coming to the conclusion that it wasn’t a good idea. There are lots of maps, videos, and references online that use the original names. Sooner or later some confusion is bound to arise.
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Hercules Glades Backpacking in November. Van problems forced me to select a nearby trail for a late fall break. Another visit to Hercules Glades was on the cards. [53 Pictures, lots of words and one short video]
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My cook pot, stove, and food (ready-made dehydrated meals) have been working well for both backpacking and camping. But the wind screen and pot stand are a little bulky and weighty – between a quarter and half a pound. So, in an idle moment, I thought I’d check and see what other options there might be. Read on to see what I found to replace them.
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Ninety-degree temps, and three days spent by Table Rock Lake at Piney Creek Wilderness. Some much needed rest & Recuperation time.
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A two-day hike at Hercules Glades to try out my new tarp and underquilt for my hammock. By taking a long route, I hiked 10 miles from the Coy Bald trailhead to Long Creek Falls and back.
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The last time Ginger and I went backpacking together was in August 2017. Family events, work, and lethargy has gotten in the way. For this trip, Ginger chose the trail — Hercules Glades Wilderness, Pees Hollow trail, and I chose the route — Counter-clockwise.
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An unplanned two-day hike at Piney Creek Wilderness.
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Pees Hollow Backpacking Trip – My new Hammock arrived last week and I couldn’t wait any longer to try it out.
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I spent a lot of hours researching hammocks before deciding on the Chameleon. I’m not going to say much about it until I’ve spent a few nights out on the trail, but my first inspection and impressions confirm what I’d read in the reviews, It’s very well made.
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It was time to go out on my long awaited backpacking trip with a hammock. Plan ‘A’ was for us to go on a quick, one-night visit to Hercules Glades Wilderness. When Ginger decided she wasn’t going, I quickly came up with Plan ‘B’ which transformed the quick one-nighter into a solo three-day, Friday through Sunday trip.
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I’ve been wanting to try hammock camping for quite a while. I’m reluctant to purchase all the necessary gear unless it’s something I’m sure I will be comfortable with — and in.
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I do not like bear bags. Well, that’s not strictly true. I’ve nothing against the bags or having to hoist all the camp food and ‘smellies’ up into the trees … What I don’t like is hanging them, nor do I like stumbling around the forest in the dark looking for a ‘misplaced’ bag.
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Just to manage expectations – if you want detailed instructions on how to make and light a campfire mosey on over to YouTube – there are hundreds of videos that’ll give you ideas. Here I’m just going to chat about fire lighters, share some fire making tips, and mention the tools we use when car […]
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My new everyday carry knife / multi tool. It weighs less than my Milwaukee Fastback or Swiss Navy knife. It has a carabiner and pocket clip – which was a must-have for me. The tools include pliers, side cutters, screwdriver (Phillips and flat bits) and, of course, a bottle opener. The only tools I miss […]
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In 2016 we took a serious look at why we weren’t getting out backpacking as much as we’d like. Work was one of the major obstacles, but we also identified several gear issues that caused problems. One of those ‘pinch points’ was the cooking system we used when backpacking. We wanted something lighter, smaller and […]
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Back in 2010 our outdoor recreation goals very quickly evolved. Within three months of our first weekend camping trip we’d bought kayaks to get out on the lakes, and in less than six months we went from car camping to backpacking and hiking. From the start we had difficulty finding campgrounds and sites as they […]
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We went eclipse backpacking on the Ozark Trail. The eclipse was more popular than I anticipated. My plan had been to wait until seven days before the event and pick a destination. I picked seven days because the weather forecast would be more reliable. Unfortunately, waiting that late meant that everything was already booked (and […]
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The next couple of months are going to be very busy for us, and opportunities for getting out hiking or backpacking will be limited. The prospect of a spell of warm Ozarks winter weather gave us a chance to squeeze in a midweek backpacking trip. We rearranged our work schedules and took off to Hercules […]
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We love campsites with spectacular views, who doesn’t? We hoped we’d managed to find a fantastic camping spot on top of a set of 260 ft. high bluffs overlooking Beaver Creek, in Hercules Glades Wilderness, we just needed to get there and check it out.
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The trails of the Ozarks are very rugged, fairly remote and access for any rescue party will be difficult. Our worst case scenario is that one of us will suffer a fall and become incapacitated.
If the worst happens we assume that there will be no cell phone service, and that any rescue attempt will likely take a day or more. So even on a short day hike our emergency kit is designed to enable us to survive overnight in the wilderness.
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Can a simple piece of one ounce gear invoke actual love? Yes. I admit it. I love my Platypus SoftBottle!
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Piney Creek Wilderness is one of our favorites.
Located in Barry County Missouri, the Pineview (Tower) Trailhead is 5.5 miles west of Cape Fair on Highway 76 off Farm road 2150, and around 4.5 miles on Highway 76 from Highway 39. See Getting To Piney Creek.
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