Backpacking Wilson's Creek, July 2012

Camping with friends has many benefits, but on this particular trip it was essential, since our friends Chris and Cortney had successfully navigated this trail multiple times and knew exactly where to take us when we arrived in the pitch dark from Raleigh at approximately 10:30PM.  A short vertical section preceded the largely flat traverse over a hill and down to the campsite.  Total mileage was only about 1.5, but it was our first backpacking trip in, so with the unfamiliar weight on our backs it seemed a bit longer.  Still, nothing we couldn't easily take on and enjoy.

The campsites at Wilson's Creek have some pretty amazing scenery.  We were camped next to a tributary of the main creek, and the sound of rushing water delighted us as we made giant steaks on the campfire and even attempted chocolate cake.  I had originally wanted to attempt to bake the cake in orange peels as I had seen on backpacker.com, however we left the oranges in Aaron's truck by accident and had to improvise with one of our metal pots.  It still tasted pretty damn good, especially being a bit raw in the middle.  I recommend coating the bottom of the aluminum pot liberally with butter to prevent sticking to the sides.

Breakfast the next morning was equally interesting - we attempted to create what were essentially danishes by placing a dollop of cherry pie filling into a flattened piece of raw crescent role before folding it in foil and placing it by the fire.  Had it not been for burning on the bottom, these would have been absolutely delicious.  For those trying it, we recommend using tongs or a rack to keep the foil packs warm over the fire, but to continually move them around so they do not burn on any one side.  Total cook time was around 20 minutes.

The next day we set out as a group to do the short day hike to the waterfall at Wilson's Creek.  Along the way we passed what has got to be the coolest and best kept secret to Wilson's creek.  By the waterfall there is a specific campsite where someone had taken the trouble to pull large rocks from the bed of the shore and arrange them into what appears to be living room furniture.  There are two arm chairs, a sofa, and an end table fashioned from solid granite.  These all face a sizable half moon bowl shaped from a granite batholith, the perfect receptacle for a blazing fire, where the heat can reflect off to the campers lounging in their nature made living room.  Very very cool.  We almost packed up and moved our site over there but unfortunately time would not have permitted this by the time we finished up fly fishing for that day (still caught nothing!).

That night we dined on pasta and drank red wine, tired from the overbearing heat that had turned our little backpacker tent into an Indian sweat hut the night prior.  Cortney had a harrowing run in with a spider earlier in the day and still hadn't quite seemed to recover.  The next morning we packed up and headed out to do more fishing (still caught nothing!).  All in all, HIGHLY recommend this as a beginners backpacking trip.  Definitely lots of options for shorter hikes or longer hikes depending on what you're up for, and you can play it by ear for the most part.