A recent change in the operating schedule of the train behind my camp I decided it was time to get off the river. Three days of no sleep was really rough.
Not to mention my relative inability to catch fish. I may stay near town a little while longer and I may even try the river again, but the trains have made the situation intolerable for the time being
Getting back on trail after nearly three weeks is always fun.
The new river is dropping down to normal levels after some rain.
Master Fisher
I (still) haven’t had any luck fishing but I was able to observe a master fisher.
During my time here, one thing I’ve tried to do in addition to fishing is capture some bird moments. This usually fails because birds are very skittish and have good vision.
Last night I was able to fish about 30 yards from what I believe was a gray heron. It is a very elegant creature that has no trouble feeding itself out of these waters.
I haven’t posted an update in like a week. Time flies.
I’m still trying to figure out how to pull fish out of the water. I’m hoping finding live bait will help. So far I’ve landed one.
First Catch
I’m hoping real bait will make the difference.
The vagrants continue to be an issue. New encampment pop up faster than I can take them down. I still practice leave no trace and break down and pack out my camp whenever I leave.
My diet is very basic, and I’m rapidly losing my trail conditioning. I made a Dakota fire pit to cook on discretely.
I made a friend.
I listen to a lot of trains go by.
I slept really well last night. I reckon I was tired. The passing trains didn’t even wake me.
I woke about 7:20 and ate oatmeal with added protein powder and packed up camp.
I then went down to the vagrant camp site and began posting no trespassing signs with spray paint and a stencil and picking up some trash. There is an endless supply of trash.
I followed the trail up the road the main trail where people come and go, spraying more signs on trees along the way.
Around 12 my ride to work came. I worked around yard trimming hedges and pulling poison oak vines after a lunch of split pea soup, and peanut butter and crackers.
At about 6pm I called the day stopping by wal mart to get more spray paint and some extra food provisions.
Finally at about 7:30 I repitched my tent and settled in for the night, too tired to even start a fire. A quick dinner of salami and cheese with tortillas and I would be ready for sleep.
I didn’t sleep well last night. The trains seem to come about every hour or so all night long.
I did my usual morning routine at about 7:30
After breakfast I did a little exploring, maybe 1/4 of the beach front here. I noted some spots to try fishing later.
New River Beach
I chose a spot to dig in the sand to make a primitive cache/cooler: a buried tote.
the stay-cool
I explored some of the land between the rail and the road, discovering some neat rail ruins on the way.
Rail Ruins
I spent most of the day building a brush wall to obscure my camp from any lurking vagabond or kayaked. While packing branches and brush up the hill I found some other things.
The river is an odd entity. It is great equalizer giving and taking without rhyme or reason. The river, like the sun, is indifferent to the likes of me.
I found a few buckets of railroad ties, useful for making camps, but not recyclable locally. The metal yard won’t take rail components.
I found some dinosaurs and a few vehicles in the sand. Quite a good find.
I found a very mossy boot, a decrepit stroller, and all manner of flotsam and jetsam. Everything falls into the river, and the river deposits things on its way down.
My diet is still very simple, consisting mostly of trail food. Things I can hold without refrigeration.
Towards the evening I managed to squeeze in about 30 minutes of fishing. I chose a spot that looked deep coming off a steep cliff and cool with the shade of a few sycamore.
I used nightcrawlers for bait and got one fish hooked. I fought it for 2 or 3 minutes until it broke the line.
Just before dark the sky opened up with thunder and rain, cutting my fishing short.
No fishing victory for me today. Boring trail food before bed with hopes for a better tomorrow.
Little in the way of pics or vids here, as I havent yet figured out how to manage battery life while my phone is on. I’ll probably turn to an extra battery bank soon to remedy this situation.
I started out with a shower at the local gym, then a buffet for lunch.
After lunch I weed eaten an overgrown hill side. This task took me about 5 hours.
I collected a bank note and gave it to Walmart in exchange for food to keep me going.
I settled into a parcel of land with no road access between New River and the railroad. It feels very wild and untamed, except for the numerous camps left by vagabond over the years. I’m one of them now.
I’m putting my life as a mountain man on hold and devoted to becoming a river rat, at least for the duration of my time here. I set up camp as close as I dared to the railroad since that’s the highest ground available. The noseeums are oppressive. There’s something here I’m slightly allergic to, probably agreed.
Existing here is damp and sandy, and quire more challenging than I expected. I haven’t had any time to fish yet and I’ve barely explored the entirely of this strip of rocky beach.
Sleep does not forbode well with the cacacophy coming off the rail lines.