Stikmon and Ruby's Excellent Adventure

“Late on Friday night (quite late), I arrived at the designated campground where I was to meet Stikmon. It had been a long drive, but I made it finally by 9:30 I think. Stikmon welcomed me with a hug and a beer. Finally...the weekend has begun! We sat around the fire getting to know each other while he made a fabulous stew for dinner in one of his many dutch ovens. After dinner we continued enjoying his beer and the whiskey I had brought until finally, realizing it was 2:30 a.m. we went to bed.

In the late morning we headed out on the trail. We planned to hike about 6 miles to the backcountry site. Our weather was stupendous, the wild flowers were in bloom. All over the forest there were humongous carpets of wild daffodils in bloom. Gorgeous!! Some of the stream crossing were especially picturesque and really were inviting to sit for a spell and relax.

By mid-afternoon we made it to our resupply point and campsite. As we approached the site we counted 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.......at least 2 dozen other people already there. Uh-oh...Scout troop. There were 3 picnic tables and 3 fire rings, of which the Scouts had commandeered 2. The third site was occupied by two guys. I said to Stikmon, "Let's go to their site. They don't look like Scouts." And so we met Scott and Will, who were very welcoming to us and invited us to join them. We made camp and hung out with them. Then I went to take a nap for a spell. When I awoke, two more backpackers had joined our group, Sarah and Chris. Once again, two very fine people. The six of us had a fantastic time hanging out around our roaring fire. Thanks to Scott and Will's local connections, we were able to obtain some of our heavier "provisions" that we had left back at our vehicles. The night got chilly, but we stayed warm thanks to the fire, the laughing and joking, sharing stories and sharing the Coors and Makers Mark. Stikmon entertained us with his pipe playing, which was hauntingly beautiful. But during his music making, he smoke charmed a thick tendril of smoke directly into his own face that followed him wherever he moved. Suddenly, his arm shot out, and he flipped off the smoke. We all about busted a gut laughing so hard!!!!!

That night it got very chilly after we retired to our tents, and I think some of us were shivering most of the night. But the next morning dawned to a more gorgeous day than the day before. After a quick beer to top off breakfast, we hiked out shortly after the Scouts did. Scott and Will picked up their garbage the Scouts had left behind. I will say this though about the Scouts. They were remarkably quiet and respectful in that regard. And because of them taking up most of the camp site, it forced the 6 of us to share a spot, for which I am truly thankful. It was such a treat getting to meet them all.

We told our new friends about this site, so no troll baiting. They're good people.

What a great weekend! Thanks for inviting me, Stikmon. While it was a much longer drive than I had anticipated, it was well worth it.

P.S. To our 4 new friends, as I hiked today I came up with ideas for trail names for you. Sarah-GeoGirl, Chris-TopoDude, Will-EpochDread, Scott-Erdos.

The rest of you, please fill in the blanks.”

“Ruby, you had just left, when Sarah and Chris emereged from the trail. We talked a bit and changed shoes and whatnot and Sarah/Chris took off. Will and Scott were telling me about an arburetum in Carbondale that was a riot of colr caused by blooming trees and flowers. Since time had not yet started ticking for me, I decided to detour to see this garden of color. It was awsome!!!. Dogwoods, Magnolias, daffodils, and many other flowering items, including a bamboo garden.. I snapped over 100 photos while walking around there. There were dogs and really nice people hanging around. Khatru got to play with lots of other dogs...It was "Dogs day out" and everyone was having a fantastic time.

Khatru and I left there and were heading home and went through the little town of Makanda. I stopped at a very strange place...looked like something out of an Arlo Guthrie song. Artsy fartsy 60's style art stores that are the town. The one shop opened was a place is called Rainmaker Art. the coolest metal art was what the shop was dedicated...using copper wire and copper sheet metal. He makes all sort of really fantastic dangly things too and is going to make a Stikmon for me. Dave Dardis is his name and during the haydays of the 70's, the dude made a fortune selling roach clips and does art and craft shows all over the country. We talked and chatted a bit and Khatru played with his dog.

I finished left there and was treated on the road to the MOST incredible sunset show. I snapped many photos

The chance meetings of Scott, William, Sarah and Chris was excellent and made a great weekend extraordinary. Ruby, As I said last night..thank you, you were the reason I was even there. Glad you had a good time, and I hope we can journey together again...canoe season begings now.

to the chance meeted posse. I hope you find this thread and will join the frenzy here.

Scott, William...Indeed, well met.

ps...I got the photos...I'll try and get to it...I'm way behind on photos...sorry.”

“Wow, carpets of daffodils! Sounds beautiful.”

“Cool trip! Bet Shawnee indeed looks great with flowers just coming out. Not quite to that point in NE Iowa, but we had 70s today for backpacking. :-)”

“good for y'all. Sounds like a great low impact trip.”

“sounded like fun! I can't remember seeing one single wild flower this year. It's about time.

You did take pics right?”

“Sounds great! I'm glad you got out Ruby! We ended up dayhiking over here.
Stikmon showed you his pipe eh? ;)”

“Stik, I can't find the thread you told us about. Can you pull it up for me? And can you post some of your pictures for me? I'd love to see a group shot and some of the daffodils.”

“Sounds like you guys had a great time. It's great to meet new people on the trail!”

“Whoa Whoa Whoa....wait a second....there's some explain' to do....

As posted by the lovely Miss Ruby....

After dinner we continued enjoying his beer and the whiskey I had brought until finally, realizing it was 2:30 a.m. we went to bed.

In the late morning we headed out on the trail. We planned to hike about 6 miles to the backcountry site.

Take notice!

Sumtin' is missin' here boys and girls!

You fergot to explain what happened between 230am and late morning!

Does the phrase "tube steak boogie" ring a bell...ding dong....hello?

Trip reports require all details!

Now git'cha arse back in gear and fill in them there blanks....he he he”

“LOL @ Stratusloop.

I liked the part about beer for breakfast.

Can't wait for the pictures.”

“You DOM!!!! LMAO!!!!


I could fill in the blanks, but they would be much less colorful than your imagination. So I'll just leave you to your thoughts. ;)”

“Hey, who you callin' DOM?....my name is Joe....now git it straight woman!”

“thats the beauty of trip reports...make em sound wonderful for the readers, but the travellers have in their minds....all the in between things...I have photos...lots of em...but it will take me some time to get em up...and its not a pipe, its a flute, a native american flute, made of western red cedar.

there were lots of things left out of the written history here...dead cell phone, missing phone #'s, frantic phone calls to the wrong person, militay seige in the tent camping area...oh...lots of missing data, but, one needs to go on the trips to experience the journey...I did realize something though...going back to my "journey vs. destination" thread...Sometimes there is no destination, just a wandering, that leads to many unexpected places...but most journey's start out with an end point in mind, sometimes that end point is achieved, sometimes not, but the journey the true JOURNEY, is what happens along the trip to the destination...I had a most excellant adventure, and will remember this particular journey for a very long time.

How bout the Ramen Noodle Troop...that was a riot! BEER run...”

“DOM ???
WTF ???

Dorky Old Muttonhead ??

Beer for breakfast.....that's my kinda woman!!

http://www.tsunamiflutes.com/”

“mine is from this man[url]http://www.guadalupeaz.org/spotlight.htm[url]”

“Hey, I just wanted to say that it was an excellent time. Remember that there was a strange man with the troops who attempted to knock over a large tree without any help or tools. I think he even grunted a little.

Thanks a lot for the name idea! Stikmon, it was great meeting you also...hope to see you all very soon.”

“Dusty, the Tsunami flute guy, is an aquaintance of mine.

He has made flutes out of some real pretty wood.”

“Justed wanted to thank all those that were present this weekend for making my first adventure a memorable one. Sorry we didn't make it out in time to bid you 'adieu' Ruby, but we spent a bit of time at the waterfall that Stickmon insisted we visit. I found all of yor stories intriguing and can't wait to impart my own upon you as we nestle around the roaring fire.

See you all again soon; another trail, another time.”

“Welcome to the insane asylum guys!”

“muah-ha-ha-ha-ha...new blood! Velcome...

Nice trip report..I love daffydills..I haven't seen wall to wall daffy's since London...I didn't know they even grew wild anywhere in the States...always learning new stuff!

Looking forward to pictures!”

“I keep going over the details in my mind and there were many omissions...like the waterfall and all the water all over the place in the gullies and creeks, and the stone basins where the water just cascaded. Sorry guys...I didn't write up my typical 97,000 word trip report. But we were there, next time, come out and join us.”

“I think you omitted these details.

Drinking binges with strangers you contacted on the internet is not healthy.”

“I just got home from a long day in Indianapolis. I'm beat, but I want to respond to some of the posts.


YAY! GeoGirl and TopoDude found us. I'm flattered that you like the names. They seem to fit each of you well. I must say that one of the things that made the two of you so enjoyable to meet was how well-matched the two of you seem to be. You just had an ease about you.

Guys, GeoGirl is a geologist and TopoDude used to make topos in the military (hope I got that right). If you had the two of them with you on a trip, I don't think you'd ever get lost.

DOM = Dirty Old Men. You all know who you are. ;)

Beer for breakfast after drinking whiskey all night. Yep. I found that a decent-sized uphill climb about 45 minuts after drinking the beer was particularly difficult. Not sure that drinking beer for breakfast was the best idea. But guess what? I'd probably do it again.

I did miss a lot of the picturesques snapshots, didn't do a good job of describing them. So Stikmon, out with the pictures. I am really looking forward to your water shots and the pictures of the daffodil carpets. Speaking of which, those are what truly amazed me. I'm not good with dimensions, but in some spots I think they were at least 1,000 square feet big, just jam packed thick with daffodils.”

“WHERE ARE THE DAMN PICTURES????
SLACKERS!!!!!! ;-)

Nice little TR.”

“This ain't right man.....Ruby....suckin' brews down just before doin' an uphill climb......that's cheatin' girl....

DOM? ha ha ha.....very funny....ya little two timin' no good brew slurpin momma...LOL....”

“that as I was putting my gear away, and packing my tent, I had a mighty thirst growing and I remembered the beers that I put into Khatru's pack, just in case rangers came by, and I went over and pulled em out and said that I thought it was beer:30 and high time to quench the thirst...it was great. It must have been 9:30 at the latest.”

“That's the great thing about hikng to me. Different memories will keep coming to you for days and days.”

“You're right, Currahee. Last night as I was falling asleep I remembered something else that was worthy of being mentioned here. But now this morning, I have forgotten it again. I hope that memory comes back to me again. ;)”

“....where are those pics dude.....like your fans are like reeeally gettin' aggitated bro....this ain't right man!

Dissin' TT like this....Matt should ban you!”

“Slackers! ;-)”

“Meeting new people on the trail is a treat. Getting to talk to them again via the internet is awesome. Sounds like you guys had a beautiful hike and a comfy campfire with liquid refreshment to finish off the day makes its so much better.”

“an EXTRAordinary weekend...Ruby is a Queen of a lady and a pleasure to be with...she ain't no stinkin Shiela, thats for sure.”

“Ruby...if Stikdud says you're cool...then....well....i'll take his word...

But....I was just reading back through the TR...did you say that you saw stikmon playing his flute? Would that be the skinned variety?

he he he.....




Yo mook......where are the photos?”

“I can't read, please post photos.”

“Yes!!! I finally found the trail summery! Ruby, I think you did a great job capturing the experience and thank you for the name suggestion but i had some trouble signing up my account, so for now i am "Brenneka" (Breh-neh-kah)-meaning: fire (blazing light);german(my heritage). Well, I guess I could add to Ruby's summary by telling you all even more campfire memories from the unforgetable night that we had, but then i could go on forever, and anyway i would much rather tell about what i took from the trip. The night fell together so perfectly with the most diverse, yet compatable, combination of people that i am sure there is a reason that we all met that night. I know after that week-end i feel a lot better about myself and also living shoulder-to-shoulder in this world with my fellow man. Ruby, Stickmon, Geogirl, Topodude, and Will helped me step back and realize what i really value; just enjoying life with good company while i can, and when my time is over letting my stories and memories live on through the people that i have shared all of those times with(maybe the whiskey helped with the inpiration? lol). I thank you all that were there for helping create quite the surreal night. Oh yeah, one extra tid-bit, about a mile or two before the end of the trail will and i desided to cool off so we jumped into one of the bass ponds along the trail. It was unbelievably cold but oh so refreshing. So until next time don't forget to stay real. Oh yeah stickmon, i think we should get together for a canoe trip, but lets just be sure there is water where we are going.
P.S.
If anyone is interested there is a music festival going on 4/15/05 & 4/16/05(camping overnight) @ Salt Petre Cave-Murphysboro, IL. I went to the same one in the fall and it was incredible! I have heard it is going to be really good again. I suggest you attend if you have the time.(20$ cover at the gate for all weekend) Here are the websites to check it out:
http://www.catalyticsouls.com
http://www.optixmusic.com/”

“Hey there! Welcome Brenneka! I like your name. Well done. I have been wondering if either of you two would show up here. Look around and get comfy. We tend to have a lot of fun here. I would love to get together on another trip sometime.


Thanks for the links. It sounds like a good time. Maybe you could start a new thread about it. You might get more response that way.”

“Trail sex...

Alcohol....


Recruiting new members....



Yep, this trip report had all the elements of a typical TT weekend.”

“Trail sex? Who got that?”

“Ruuuuuby....stop it now....you know what the man is talkin' about.....don't play stupid wit us.....he he”

“Ruby is overlooking the fact that I know stikmon.....



2:30AM? Beer? Late getting up?

All the signals were there.”

“Oh Puhleeeeeeeaaase! You guys crack me up!

Stiky was nothing but a gentleman with me.

He was pretty funny though. Every time he burped he would say, "Excuse me." Finally I said, "If I were a guy would you do that? You don't have to excuse yourself when you do that for my benefit."”

“Did he show you his hiking rod?”

“Red Rocket?”

“Oh my god, this is too funny!”

“No, but he did show me his cast iron. Oo la la!”

“iron rusts when exposed to moisture. Would that turn it into a red rocket too?”

“Ruby is a Hot hikin babe. I'd follow her down (or up) a trail anytime. Khatru and I are both in agreement that she smells good too. Hiking with a woman is...sometimes a delightful distraction...you know...2 babes wrestlin under a blanket thing...

Brenneka...Thanks for sharing the arbouretum with me...the photos that I took there are spectacular. I never did get that ice cream that I was craving, but I came close, the place had just closed when I got there.

Stay in touch...The river is wet and the sand bars are happnin.

Ruby...the next time we get together. I'll bring the protection, if you bring the lubricant. LOL

you guys are horrible!!!”

“Something tells me she'll bring the protection. His name will be Smith & Wesson.”

“LOL Dayhiker,

Nope, I'm not worried about Stiky. And I didn't mention that I love Khatru too.

Stiky, post the pictures already!!!”