Out intended camping area was very packed by the time we arrived, so we headed a few more miles up the road to Christopher Creek. Originally we had also intended to hike in a mile to our camp, but at Christopher Creek, that wasn't necessary. However, it was a good test in packing light and using our compact camping stoves, mess kits, and light food. I decided to try out an old camp stove my dad and I used when I was a boy scout (it hasn't been that long!!). Or, has it...the stove leaked a little fuel and lit the base on fire for a few seconds. The quote of the trip came from Brother Clonts as he watched this go down. He calmly said, "Is that gonna blow up." This quickly became the phrase of the night.
Luckily, we did have other stove options, and everyone's dinner was edible. Being up north gave us a new challenge to adapt to - Bears! The camp site host advised us to not leave any food laying around, and definitely not to leave any in our tents. This advise was quickly put into action. The other bit of advise was to honk our car horn if we saw a bear. This would alert everyone else in the camping area. Very comforting, geesh!
We got comfortable for the night with a few old ghost stories and a night hike up the side of a large hill. Whose scared of a little bear anyway?! As the night went on, our fire did not. Expecting to hike into camp, we did not bring enough wood to last too long. We improvised with dry pine needles and whatever sticks we could find. And, this leads us into our spiritual thought...pine needles give off a burst of instant flames and heat, but quickly grow cold as it was before. In our lives we often are tempted by "things" that provide instant gratification, and seem to provide what we need at the very moment. However, shortly after, we find that we're left once again feeling cold, and without the flame of the gospel burning in our lives. Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and His righteousness...
The morning came early, as usual on a camping trip, but for one in particular, 2am rang with significance. Only a couple of us heard it, but a car alarm went off for about 30 seconds. For those who remembered the camp site host's words to honk your horn if you see a bear, this car alarm was startling. Startling enough to send a text to a leader at 2am and ask if it was time to wake up :-). After the initial scare, we realized it was a car alarm and not a car horn. Ahhhhhh.
We packed up and headed back a few miles to the trail head for Horton Springs. It was nearly 4 miles up and 4 miles back. The trail was quite rocky as it ran along the river. We took a few "short cuts" and made it up in just over an hour. Horton Springs is significant because it's the point where the water from the rim of the mountains surfaces from underground. Pretty neat pictures below. The water is fresh enough to drink without a water purifying system.
This post is getting a little wordy so I'll close quickly. After the hike, we made our way to Tonto Creek fish hatchery. It's was a quick self-guided tour of the different fish beds, and off we went. Another successful and eventful camping/hiking trip for Troop 880!
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