The Backpacker and the Great Big Web

On our first backpacking trip of fall, my husband and I spent a pleasant and uneventful night in the woods of Sproul State Forest. We awoke to a cool and lovely morning. I am happy to report that the new gear worked out quite well. The new inflatable Big Agnes sleeping pad provided a softer and more cushiony night's sleep. More comfort is always better, especially if the item that provides it is LIGHTER and less bulky than the one it replaced.

The jury is still out on the new bamboo travel pillow. It was fine. It was small. I'm not sure it was better or more comfortable than any other small pillow I might have taken along. Once removed from its little sack, it was difficult to cram it back in, and I finally gave up. And for $10, I think they could have spelled train right. (Lettering on the container it was in indicated the pillow was for use during travel by several modes, including "car, tran, or airplane." Hmmph.)

The new high-tech ladies' thermal underwear was whisper-light, and wonderfully soft and smooth and comfortable, almost like silk against my skin. I wore them under a pair of sweatpants in the late evening, and in my sleeping bag overnight. Once they were on, I forgot I was wearing them! So I rate them high on comfort. I will have to try them in colder weather before I issue any ruling on how well they keep you warm in extreme circumstances.

We spent a relaxing morning in the campsite, taking our time packing up. (You may see two photos of my campsite in Sproul here and here.) As early to mid-September is often a fine time for spider webs, I looked and looked around the woods near our campsite but did not see any. I did, however, find lots of fungus, in all shapes and colors.

Then it was time to pack it up and head out, and eventually head home. There is a photo my husband took of me, with my gear all packed up and ready to roll, in the extras. Yes, I'm very short, about 5 feet 2 inches. So my gear looks huge compared to me. My husband has to lift my pack and put it on me. And I am fortunate to have never fallen while backpacking; no, I could not get up from the ground by myself with the full pack on.

Anyhow, in the extra photo, atop the pack are my camera bag and fanny pack. Beneath that you may see my blue Kelty pack, with pads and blankets atop (bright blue), a green fold-up chair strapped on, a sleeping bag (darker blue), and tent (brown).

Oh, and if you hear reports of a girl who looked sorta like me, parading around this campsite wearing nothing but her Danner boots, her underpants, and a great big smile, I'd caution you against believing everything you read on the Internet. ;-) But I digress . . .

As we headed out of our campsite and into the woods to go back to the car, my husband spotted one of the biggest spider webs I've ever seen, outside of Florida! The orb weaver who made it was in the web, and I was trying to take pictures of the web and spider, without my husband in it.

But somehow I snapped this shot as he wandered into view, and it turned out to be my favorite shot of the day. I could try to say something profound about backpacking and the web of life - and how everything everywhere is beautiful, and inter-connected, and full of intricate artistry - but I'd rather you said that for yourself. So I'll leave you to look at the photo above and draw your own conclusions about what it all means. :-)

I will say this, though: the webs are there, whether you see them or not, so be careful when moving about the woods. It is easy to wander through one without knowing it, and the resulting spider dance is no fun for either the dancer OR the spider.

So carrying a stick in your hand isn't a bad idea, to hold in front of your face. But let me add that I do not advocate disturbing the webs on purpose. We took pains to walk around this one and leave it unmolested. As you might imagine, making a web like this takes lots of effort: the creation of an artwork, made by a master's hand.

And then, in the end, we left the woods for as good a reason as we went there. Which is to say: we were starving! And so we headed for home, with our first backpack of autumn behind us. Can't wait for our next trip! So watch these pages for more . . .

The song . . . I have not been able to find too many songs about spider webs that I like, so I'll simply include a favorite song to go along with this blip. It is a song written by Bob Dylan - Every Grain of Sand - and I'm including a version of him singing it. But here is a cover I prefer, sung beautifully by Emmylou Harris. Enjoy!

Several additional favorite web shots:
The Golden Web
A Web of Jewels on the Lily Pond
Weaver of Dreams
Web Work at Millbrook Marsh
Webs in the Woods (yes, this was taken at this very campsite!)
Webs of Magic at Childhood's Gate