Devil's Canyon Trail & Solo Overnight at Plum Creek
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| Devil's Canyon Trail Map Original Image |
November 4, 2017
3:45 p.m. - Gear, clothing, and food are scattered across my floor as I make a strategy for fitting it all into my pack. I had just returned from the local Academy after rounding out my shopping list for the trip, and I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to fit it all into the Mountaintop 40 Liter Pack ( my review can be found here) that had been delivered only a couple of days earlier. I wouldn't be carrying my tent or sleeping bag because we would be returning to the campsite for the night rather than camping off the trail, which is prohibited by park rules. Even if we had been allowed to camp off the trail, it would've been quite a task to haul my bulky sleeping bag and tent, as I am currently using hand-me-down gear while I gradually acquire lighter gear for backcountry camping. I would've also had to carry all the water for Koda and I for the next 20 hours because I am also short the gear necessary for water purification. Without further ado, the gear list:
Swiss Gear Kandersteg I Sport Dome Tent
Hand-me-down Generic Sleeping Bag
Mountaintop 40 Liter Pack with attached Homemade leash (link for how-to)
Patagonia Pullover
North Face Fleece
Levi's Denizen Pants
H&M Sweatpants
Extra T-shirt
UnderArmour Socks
Beanie
Headlamp
Bandana for Koda
Magellan Dry Bag for clothes
Tent Stake Mallet
Old Timer multi blad knife
5 Gallon Collapsable Water Container
Pot
Spoon
Coffee Mug
2 24 oz. Water Bottles
Toothbrush
First Aid Kit
Ziploc Contain (Koda's bowl)
2 bags of Quaker Maple Brown Sugar and 2 bags of Apple Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal
Mountain House Freeze Dried Biscuits and Gravy
Backpacker's Pantry Cajun Chicken and Rice
2 bags of Chamomile Tea
November 5, 2017
10:15 a.m. - I load the water container, tent, sleeping bag, backpack, and Koda into the car, and we head north out of town via U.S. Route 87. About 20 miles outside of town, we cross the Canadian river that is currently flowing wide and deep. Thanks to the regions wet summer and fall, Ute Lake outside Logan, New Mexico, is releasing water down stream to the severely under-filled Lake Meredith. I'm excited by the thought of hiking along a river with flowing water, which in West Texas is an anomaly. After driving through Masterson, we turn east on FM 1913, then south down Plum Creek Road to our campsite at Lower Plum Creek.
We were going to hike before setting up camp both because Koda was amped and ready to go and because I was going to do my best to imitate a backcountry trip and set up camp after completing the hike. I planned for us to hike a significant portion of the nine mile trail. I packed about 48 ounces of water, mostly for me, as I knew at a little over a mile and a half into the hike the trail would approach the river and planned for Koda to be able to grab a drink there. It was also only about 70 degrees so I knew that I would be able to ration my water well based on several of my hikes in Palo Duro Canyon.
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| Devil's Canyon Trailhead |
11:22 a.m. - Right from the start the trail was overgrown with tall grass and thorny brush. I knew after 10 minutes that it had been a mistake to pick shorts over pants. We walked down the narrow trail further with Koda essentially walking through a tunnel of grass, I scanned the horizon waiting to find my first glimpse of the river. After about 30 minutes, we would encounter the only people we would see for the rest of the hike, a father-daughter team of hunters. The first section of the trail was relatively flat with our biggest obstacle being navigating through the brush, but as we began to make a curve to the west and walked along the northern wall of the canyon, the trail became rocky and sloping. As we approached the 1.5 mile marker we came to the top of a hill which provided a nice view of the valley below.
We made our way further along, passing by numerous dry river beds until we finally sighted the river. At about one and a half miles in, the trail curved west again, and we hiked parallel to the river, only about 15 feet from the bank. Here it wasn't flowing as wide or deep as what we had driven across to get here. It look like at this point, as it neared the lake it spread out into smaller, shallower streams. It also appeared it was going to be more difficult to access the river as there seemed to be a constant, thick layer of brush along the bank. We were already more than halfway through the water I was carrying and I knew Koda was due for a break and drink, so I decided we'd go another half mile and if we weren't able to get the river we would relax there for a bit and then head back to set up camp.
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| Canadian River view from Devil's Canyon Trail |
Unfortunately, once we passed the 2.5 mile marker the brush gave no signs of breaking, so we found somewhere flat to sit and rehydrate. I had hoped to hike at least another mile further down the trail, but with out Koda being able to drink from the river the water would soon run out. We sat for about 30 minutes, Koda had a snack, and we headed back toward the campsite. The hike back seemed to pass much more quickly and before I knew it we were back at the campsite.
2:34 p.m. - We arrived back at the campsite and after grabbing a drink, I unloaded the tent from the car and started putting it together. I picked a site right in the middle of a bundle of trees which would provide us a little cover and plenty of kindling from their fallen bark and twigs. South of us there was a small creek with lots of fallen trees that I could collect for firewood, which I did after setting up the tent. Koda and I ventured into the dead forrest and I found a fallen tree about 5 inches thick and long enough for 8 or so pieces of firewood, which would last us through the morning.
After finishing the firewood I made a cup of tea and sat by the fire while Koda explored the empty campsite. As the sun started to set the temperature dropped quickly. I had to add another layer, even while sitting next to the fire. Finally, Koda started to feel the cold too and came to sit next to me. The rest of the night we listened to the crackle of the logs, the breeze, and the call of the crickets. I had only had 5 hours of sleep the night before and I was exhausted from the hike and cutting firewood so I decided to turn in early, around 9:45 p.m.
10:30 p.m. - I may have been a bit optimistic about both mine and Koda's comfort level sleeping on the ground. I hadn't packed anything for padding underneath my sleeping bag and after only about 45 minutes I was aching from the hard ground. I decided early on that night that my next investment in equipment would be a quality sleeping pad. As for Koda, she was completely out of her element. Although we had hiked many times, she had never spent a night outdoors. She is a pampered pooch who regularly sleep in a bed or on the couch in the living room. She was also very alert to any noise happening outside and there was almost no way to console her outside of wrapping her up in my sleeping bag and pulling her right up next to me.
November 6, 2017
1:17 a.m. - For what seemed like the tenth time that night, Koda woke me up because something had caught her attention. This time it was the pack of coyotes making their way across the valley to our south. The couldn't have been more than a few hundred yards away, as they were loud enough that I wasn't able to go back to sleep until they had moved out of the area. I enjoyed the glimpse into nature, but Koda on the other hand, was terrified of becoming coyote dinner. Eventually though we both fell back asleep, but not for long.
6:37 a.m. I was awakened once more, this time not by Koda but by an owl in the tree just outside of our tent. He was definitely not shy. His calls were louder than the coyotes had been just a few hours earlier. I could't have asked for a more badass alarm clock. We listened to the owl for about 10 minutes until he made his way off and I was able to pry myself from the warmth of the sleeping bag. I opened the tent to find it overcast, with no wind, and only a little warmer than 40 degrees. My favorite camping weather.
My first goal was to get a fire going to coax Koda from the warmth of the tent. The night before I had be able to light the fire almost immediately, but this morning, the combination of the dew of the morning, the my cold hands, and being halfway awake made the task a bit more difficult. Eventually though we had heat. I would be having the freeze dried biscuits and gravy for breakfast which turned out to be even better than the chicken and rice I had for dinner. Koda had her breakfast and we sat by the fire until we warmed up.
10:30 a.m. - We were full and warm. The sun was getting high and the rising temperature helped us get moving. I started to disassemble the tent while Koda got in her last exploration of the area. After packing everything into the car I pour some of our remaining water over the coals and we were back on the road toward Amarillo. The trip was just what I needed to shake the rust off of the camping skills I used to practice much more frequently and it was a good introduction for Koda. It was perfect for escaping from the crazy schedule of the real world for a bit.
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