October Tipi Camp on Pistol Creek

October Tipi Camp on Pistol Creek

Andy,Rob and I set out Friday for Pistol Creek. Dave McF would join us on Saturday. We stopped to collect a set of poles I had left at Chanty Camp, foraging for mushrooms on our way up. Robert and I found only a few each, but my brother found enough chanterelles to...
The Drought Ends

The Drought Ends

           Friday evening, September 17th, 2021 the drought ended with the first significant rainfall in many months. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest lifted its ban on campfires which had been in place since the beginning of June. More than four inches of rain...
The Haint

The Haint

          The fire had burned low. Its flickering light joined the soft glow of a kerosene lantern hanging from the lifting pole at the back of the lodge.  I lay on my cot, staring up at the tipi canvas suspended overhead by a cone of slender poles.             Walter...
Camping With Dave McF

Camping With Dave McF

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Pistol Creek

Pistol Creek

Winter was dry. Spring was drier. By the time June rolled around, it was impossible to deny: we were in the middle of a full-on, record-breaking drought.  We went all summer without a drop of rain. Day after day the temperatures crept higher – a few weeks in the...