I found myself back in the Buffalo Peaks Wilderness area again on Monday. I had been there before but I had hiked in from the opposite end on the Four Mile Creek Trail.
This hike combined the Rich Creek Trail and the Rough and Tumble Creek Trail for about a 12 mile loop and it's ideal for an overnight stay.
I was glad that I followed the trail counter-clockwise as was recommended. The Rich Creek Trail follows an easy grade along a slow, meandering stream to big, open meadows. The Rough and Tumble section travels downhill most of the way and then up for about a mile to the trails end.
There are lots of places to camp around the meadow - just walk a hundred feet into the woods and you'll find where someone has already set up a fire pit or 2... unfortunately, too many ignore the "leave no trace" principle.
It was also the time to try something new so after looking at the weather report, which offered a 50% chance of rain for a few hours, I decided to try sleeping in my hammock instead of a tent.
Unfortunately, the weather report was wrong. LOL! It turned out to be 100% chance of rain from 2:00 in the afternoon on Monday to sometime after 6:00 in the morning on Tuesday. The only saving grace was that it was a light steady rain instead of a blustery storm. My completely inadequate rain tarp would have failed miserably in any wind... but my mosquito netting was worth EVERY penny.
On the plus side it was actually pretty comfortable, considering I'm a side sleeper, and it was also quick to set up. On the down side it got a little chilly where my butt and hammock met. lol Next time: some insulation.
