A week in the Kalamiopsis So. Oregon

[Bbbluee]

Hiked in Saturday about noon from Babyfoot Lake trail head. Sat night was nice at Cold Springs. Sunday night not bad at Limber Camp. Monday night at Chetco Lake was the most insidious fog I've ever seen (thunder in the distance). After the first hour I just got in my hammock and hunkered down. Although I was warm enough it worried me that everything was wet. And I mean WET!! My sleeping bag had puddles on it. It did not rain down. It rained from all directions regardless of gravity. Pretty much everything was soaked.

We left Chetco Lake Tuesday morning in hopes of finding a fog/mist free zone.

After a long misty cranky day on the trail we camped at Doe Gap above Limber Camp. Started a fire. Was not easy. Dried our gear. More or less. And hunkered down for (2) nights due to continued rain and fog. We kept a fire going the whole time. At least it was better than Chetco Lake, where the fog was like anti gravity rain.


Thursday morning dawned rain free. Hallelujah. And we packed up and moved to a beautiful ridge top camp for Thurs night. All day Thursday and all night were clear, warm and beautiful. Home yesterday through the fog again.

I think the section between Canyon Peak and Doe Camp is spectacular. Wow, we are going back to explore more. Off trial to Rough and Ready Lakes is on my list.

This was the wettest we've ever been. A little scary actually, but made us appreciate the fire and ultimately the sun, our favorite star.

I'll post some photos in my gallery. Also I should mention, we saw no one else the entire time.

[gussomer]

Nice pics. Is that a WM bag in your pic? If you had a down bag, how did it perform, given the conditions?

[Bbbluee]

Yes, that's a WM Megalite down bag and it performed flawlessly. Although water actually puddled on the surface, it did not penetrate enough to compromise the warmth of the bag. When I say puddles, they were more like big beads of water, but when it's all that's keeping you warm they start looking like lakes, if you know what I mean. It was about 40 F.

There was no matting and the down retained it's loft. I'm always really careful to keep my down dry so I've never tested it like this before. I was worried, but ultimately impressed.

[WildlifeNate]

Sounds like quite a test. I've encountered fog like that on a couple of occasions. It's pretty wild. Though I have to say, I've never encountered fog that dense that stuck around for 2 entire days before clearing. It has always cleared up by about noonish.

[Bbbluee]

The real stand out gear was the Patagonia Specter Jacket. I wore it constantly and it was comfortable , never wet out, and had great vents. Unfortunately mine is an ugly yellow green color, but showed great durability for it's 9.4 oz. I got it on sale $165 and did not have a color choice. My partner roasting the socks is wearing a nice blue one she got for $135 on eBay.

[big_load]

Your last picture makes me feel better. Sometimes the day starts with my campsite looking like a yard sale. Having lots of stuff to dry will do that to you.

[PBF Support]