Photo of the Week: Autumn Bridge



This week, I am featuring an autumn photo for no reason other than I am ready for cooler weather! As I write this, nearby Fort Worth Alliance Airport is 91 F with a dewpoint of 70 F. Gross!

This photo was taken in Devil's Den State Park in northwest Arkansas (not too far from Fayetteville). At the time this photo was taken, the temperature was somewhere in the low to mid 40s. My group and I had camped here the night before (and the night following). The first night, Fayetteville Drake Field Airport recorded a low temperature of 16 F! Luckily, I was using my REI Trail Pod 15 sleeping bag, which is rated for temperatures down to 15 F. While the forecast showed lows dropping into the upper teens, and I knew my coldest-rated sleeping bag only went down to 15 F, I brought the thermal layers and some extra blankets, and ended up being quite comfy. The hardest part was at some point, I had to get out of the bag and get a campfire going. A couple of other cold weather camping tips I learned: keep your water bottle in your sleeping bag so it doesn't freeze, and also keep your phone in your sleeping bag, as the cold will drain the battery quickly.

Despite the cold, it was a wonderful camping trip, that I would gladly do again in an instant.

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