My son & I got out for a quickie up in Arkansas this past weekend. Prefect weather & a great trip. Had to sort of cut our trip short & wound up hiking out at night at the last minute. In all the years I've been backpacking, this was my first time hiking at night.
Unlike several past trips, the trails were pretty empty people wise, which I attribute to school being back in session, everyone going back to work & things getting back to normal after all the Wuhan drama. I think we only encountered maybe 8 people total while we were out. Quite a difference in trips over the past 1.5 years for sure. Another noticeable thing, was the Little Missouri River & all the creeks that feed it, were/are way down water wise. In fact, in all the years I've been going up there, I don't think I've ever seen it so low, although there's still some good spots to swim around Winding Stairs where we like to end up overnight before getting back to the car.
We were both using our Chameleon hammocks with Loco Libre Operator 50 UQ's. A quick plug for the Lapp Hitch as demo'd by Special Agent Moulder in his knot video... super simple, chimp easy to rig & worked like a charm. I also got a chance to use my new HG 40 deg. Burrow TQ & HG dyneema camo tarp & my son used my DIY Apex 2.5 Wuhan TQ & Zpacks dyneema hammock tarp. Another item I was anxious to try out, was my new Zelph stove setup... Sterno Inferno cook pot, 3 oz. fuel capacity Starlyte alcohol stove & titanium cone pot support. What a great combo & it worked perfectly with water coming to a boil in about 4-5 minutes. For our packs, I used my LiteAF Multi-Day 20L pack, while my son used my Zpacks Nero 38L pack & both performed great. I'm really digging the Multi-Day 20L pack too. It's ultra comfy & even though it's only available in one size (medium), it fits me quite well. The capacity is perfect for a 3-4 day hike & the stretchy front pocket can hold a LOT of stuff if needed. I'm gonna order the 35L version I think for longer trips I have planned. I added LiteAF's fanny pack to the ensemble which is another great piece of gear. It integrates into the optional hip belt & is just the right size for a cell phone, snacks & other items you might want/need to be handy.
Zelph Stove Kit
Shhhh... Quiet Please! Morning Sunrise In Camp
HG Camo Dyneema Tarp
Zpacks Dyneema Hammock Tarp
ERL Vista Pano
All in all, a really fun but quick trip... hope you enjoy the short videos.
Day One
Day Two
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