I may have only one part to the saga, we'll see how it goes. The trip was a resounding success in that we all departed and returned (having travelled to and through Shawnee National Forest) with sound minds and bodies (at least as sound as usual). Other than that...all bets are off!
We left with the best of intentions. To arrive at the Garden of the Gods, stay one night, and hike the approximately 10 miles to Pounds Hollow Lake and swimming. Then after two days of rest, to return to the Garden of the Gods (and our car) for the drive home. Well, you know what roads are paved with good intentions...
;-) So what we did not anticipate includes the following (and possibly many other things): Schwarz's pack continually falling off his body and dragging on the ground, the VERY hilly terrain which exhausted us and the dog, late departure and slow progress (due in part to the dog stopping to lay down every time his pack fell off!), and more than 10 miles between our departure point and destination. After a while we realized that Schwarz was not going to make it with the pack, so at 2:30 when we stopped at the top of a long hill for lunch, Bret cleverly built a travois. This was a great idea, however no one could explain to Schwarz in a language he could understand what a great idea it truly was. He remained unconvinced and did not pull the travois. Bret did, however for about .5 miles before he realized that a travois on rocky ground is really noisy. Finally we just split Schwarz's supplies between Bret and myself.
At about 8:00 pm (still 2 to 3 hilly, winding miles from our destination) we stopped at a street and waited for God to send us an angel.
Thank you Lord! The angel arrived in the form of an older couple who stopped their pickup to see our pathetic and tired little troop. They provided Bret a ride to our car and he then came to pick us up and drive us to our campground. After setting up the tent we managed a quick swim (which helped the blisters) and then at about 9:30 I found myself heating soup for supper on our campstove.
We stayed the rest of the weekend at the lake, swimming daily and hiking short distances to points of interest. We enjoyed each others company, grew in faith and knowledge of God's grace, and experienced a family adventure together. It's definitely a story for future generations, plus, we came home with a new appreciation for the comforts of home!
Lessons learned: Know the topography because it REALLY MATTERS when you're walking with a 45 pound pack on your back! Talk to somebody who actually hiked there before, such as park rangers. 10 miles a day is a bit of a stretch for beginner backpackers. Don't count on your dog to carry his pack!
