Conquerers of Ben Lomond

So here are some sweet pics from our expedition up Ben Lomond on September 19th and 20th. I had a hard time finding a second leader to come with us so I had my dad come with us. He was glad to get out of canning peaches but not quite as excited to hike 16 miles. He was a good sport.

Brian and Samuel both had tests to prepare for and take so they couldn't come. We had a pretty good turnout. Jake, Ben, Harrell, Cody, and Michael came.

Day one we hiked about 3 miles with our packs to our campsite. That night, Ben, Harrell, Cody, and Michael all crammed into a 3 man tent (I usually subtract one to get the right number of people for a tent). They broke a zipper or two but I think that kept them warm. Jake slept in a 2 man tent. My dad and I slept on a tarp under a tarp to protect us from the rain.

I don't think many of us slept well. It was very windy and the tarp above my dad and I flapped really loudly. It sprinkled a little during the night but wasn't too bad and the ground was dry by morning.

In the morning we grabbed some water and snacks, left our packs and other items at camp and hiked to the peak. It took us just over 2 hours from camp to the peak but we all made it... even my dad. Check him out.

We rested at the peak for a while before heading back to camp for another short rest and then took our packs and headed back to the cars. When we got to the cars, most of us laid down on the asphalt because we were so tired.

All in all, it was a great experience and I think everyone (except my dad) will probably want to do it again... as long as it isn't next week.