Kirkwood Backpacking

I just got back from my backpacking trip to Kirkwood ranch on the Snake river.  It was nice to get out of town and hike back into the Hells Canyon river gorge where there were no cell phones, computers or day planners, only free time and good weather.
It's kind of a funny turn of events that led me to backpacking in Hells Canyon.  I was given the opportunity to take over a backpacking class at LCSC down in Lewiston when the original teacher had to leave on very short notice for a job interview.  I thought it would be little more than a guided backpacking trip much the same as the ones that we put on in the UIOP.  I quickly discovered that I was not only going to be a weekend guide to a few LCSC students, but that I was taking over the class in full making me an Adjunct Professor of backpacking for the Kinesiology department.  Now I am the person who dishes out the grades, as well as deals with all the paperwork, arrangements and liability.  A pretty lucky opportunity I believe and I hope I lived up to the expectations of the people participating on the backpacking trip.

We got into camp at mid afternoon and spent the rest of the evening fishing and stretching our sore muscles.  Kirkwood was a nice break from Moscow since it was lower elevation and had many lush green hillsides to enjoy.  We spent some time playing Ultimate Frisbee in the field next to camp and had a very competitive game going which was made more difficult due to the abundance of knee high bushes that made a game of tangling up your feet.
The river was running very high, from spring run off, which made the water a greenish brown color and prevented us from spending any time swimming, but it was very nice water to drink and had the cool crisp taste you usually only get form glacial streams.  We had quite a few bladder bags on this trip so we spent quite a while pumping water for them.  It wasn't so bad though, sitting by the stream listening to it gurgle by and talking about this and that.  I even found the opportunity to instruct a few of the students on using an MSR water pump and the proper way to clean the ceramic filter when it gets dirty.

The next day Brigette and Kyle and I hiked to the top of one of the hills next to camp.  I guess its not really a hill so much as a side of the canyon, but either way it was a steep scramble to get to the top.  There was even a tight gully where we were able to get some climbing in before we reached the rock strewn summit and took in the view.  It was a story book scene laid out in front of us, with the lush green valley stretching out below us and climbing up the side of the canyon until it met the snow line and the frosted peaks above.  It was fun to sit in my rolled up pants and short sleeve shirt and look up at that cold snow only a few hundred feet higher in elevation, it makes you appreciate the strange and fascinating world we live it when you can stand in the warmth and marvel at the cold only a little ways away.

We decided as a group to hike part way out that evening so that everyone could get back early on Sunday and enjoy Easter with their friends and families, also it got the daunting Kirkwood switchbacks out of the way so we wouldn't have to worry about them come morning.  The hike back was nice with the evening shadows keeping the trail cool, but adequately lit for hiking.  We made really good time back and camped a mile from the trail head in order to enjoy the seclusion but still be only a short hike from leaving.  Since some of us didn't want to set up our tents we simply laid out tarps and slept out under the stars.  You can never really appreciate the stars living in the city.  Even a small city like Moscow doesn't let you appreciate just how many small twinkling lights there are at night.  How, on a clear night, you can make out constellations that have no names and watch flashes of shooting stars streak across the sky.  Even down in a valley with very little horizon to be seen it is awe inspiring and makes you want to camp out every night just to have the chance to see it again.  Sleeping under the stars also has a draw back though.  When we woke in the morning everything was covered in a thin layer of frost, caused by the cold temperatures and the due accumulation on our gear.  Since we wanted to get out as quickly as possible there was no chance to wait for the sun and we had to simply brush off what we could and stuff our gear back into our backpacks.  Luckily that was our last night, since my sleeping bag was soaked after being stuffed into its stuff sack still half covered in melting frost.
Now that the trip is over its time to take up my other teacher responsibilities and read each students reflection paper and finally deal out grades.  I am a little excited to give out grades, since this will be the first time that I punch in the grades in stead of simply passing on my recommendations to the lead professor like I was required to do with the rock climbing class I taught, but I guess that's the bonus of becoming Adjunct Professor Bloch in stead of just instructor Bloch.

You can see all the pictures on my Picasa page.