Saturday, July 20
We woke up around 8:30am and enjoyed a simple breakfast. I had a banana and a cup of Tang, while Chase went for the honey bun and a cup of coffee. We left the hotel soon after and arrived at the trailhead a little after 11:30am. I was super stoked to finally get on the trail and was ready to go soon after arriving. Chase took a little more time to make sure he had everything and that the car would be secure, but we were soon making our way happily down the trail.
We did it! I kept thinking to myself, We made it and we are actually hiking! I am setting out on my very first backpacking trip! It was surreal! And awesome!
The Kimsey Creek Trail starts at the Standing Indian Campground Backcountry Information center and then cuts through some of the campground before shooting off to follow the Kimsey Creek up to Deep Gap. This trail was listed in the “More Difficult” section of the backcountry trails surrounding Standing Indian, and they really meant it. The trail began going uphill very steeply within the first half-mile, and I thought I was going to hate backpacking. I am not in very good cardiovascular shape, and I was breathing heavy in under 2 minutes of the climb. But it got easier elevation-wise and we were soon paralleling the creek.
This was both refreshing and bothersome! Such a beautiful mountain stream! So many gnats! I was stopping every few steps to pick them out of my eyelashes. Yeah. Totally gross. (We used a picaridin-based bug spray, and it worked awesome! But it doesn’t repel gnats.)
Eventually we made it the 4.2 miles to Deep Gap! How wonderful it was until I realized that it was another mile to Standing Indian Shelter, and that hiking a mile takes more than a minute. The hike from the parking area to the shelter was pretty and less buggy for sure. We could hear thunder in the distance and the skies threatened rain, but we were spared. Making it to the shelter was wonderful. There were two hikers there who were setting up to spend the night. They had come from Carter Gap that day and enjoyed several weekend hikes throughout the year. They were very nice and even let us have a spare lighter when we realized we had forgotten to stop at the convenience store to pick one up.
We ate a lunch of a bagel with summer sausage and cheese spread at the shelter. Chase and his dad enjoyed the old “bagel and log” during scouting, but I don’t think it will be something I take as a viable meal on the trail. It was heavy in my pack and heavy in my stomach! One of the hikers at the shelter said he was cooking chicken and dumplings from scratch that night, but I didn’t ask him how he did it. It sounded too good to be true.
We filtered water to refill our hydration packs and bottles and carried dirty water to bring to the summit of Standing Indian, which is where we planned to camp that night. After leaving the shelter, it was a quick but steep two and a half miles to the summit. Our campsite was perfect. A grassy spot for the tent, exposed rock to cook on, a clearing to hang the food and relieve ourselves in, everything was wonderful. We got there a little bit late, so we ended up cooking a dinner of black beans and rice and tortillas in the dark. We didn’t get to bed until after 9:30pm. I didn’t sleep very well due to my sleeping pad going flat in the middle of the night (an REI garagesale item that I got for $20, so I’m not that upset). It rained in the middle of the night, and it was quite peaceful listening to the rain hit the fly.
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