Facing the now bitter cold and the approaching end of the year, it was time to squeeze in the 5th and final camping trip of 2024 to a park I haven't camped at since... well, let's say I have no memory of camping here, yet I've been told I have! That place would be one I have visited many times before, as day trips only. The park? Taum Sauk Mountain State Park. This park was built upon the highest point in the state of Missouri with the highest waterfall in the state just a short, but very difficult hike away!
Once again, on this trip I would be conducting a more thorough test of the recently purchase and tested LF Bros diesel heater. The power source, again, would be the recently purchased and tested Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 portable power station. Again, enjoying the extra space and headroom, I would stick with the 6-person Coleman tent rather than the smaller 2-person Kelty. This choice was for testing purposes to see what it would take to heat such a large tent but it would also prove to be an unrecoverable mistake.
Packing light and fast, I would have a target departure time of 2 PM which I unsurprisingly failed to meet by leaving a solid hour and a half later. I would get to camp well after dark and have the largest tent I own to setup, solo, with nothing but a headlamp to light the way. Why, do you ask? My Coleman Dual Fuel lantern started acting up on the Montauk trip and is awaiting replacement parts. The battery powered lantern I bought to make do until it was repaired, that I first used on the St Joe trip not long ago, would already have dead batteries. All I had left was handheld flashlights and headlamps. Redundancy at its finest! After standing up the tent, I would get the heater setup and ready to rock overnight expecting the temperatures to be in the 20°F range; colder than the temps of St Joe. Adding to that, around midnight, the winds would pick up greatly bringing in the colder air from the north.
Before bed, I would get to try out astrophotography for the first time from my phone. Not bad results if I do say so myself! Targets of the evening were the constellation of Orion as well as the Milky Way opposite of Orion in the sky!
The next day would greet me and it was definitely chilly! The wind was howling from about 1 AM local time throughout the day. The heater would not be able to overcome the wind and cold on the lowest setting this time. I would be running the heater at 2.0 - 3.0 (minimum is 1.4 and the maximum is 5.0) through the night which kept me comfortable. The major issue was the tent. With the large side windows and the direction of the wind, the cold would blast right under the rain fly and into the screened rear wall of the tent and right down on top of me. This was my unrecoverable mistake. That and not adequately blocking the wind from the tent. I did have tarps and could have better insulated the openings from the wind but I was not able to prepare having arrived at camp so late the night before. Instead, I decided the trip would be a one-nighter and I set the heater to full blast and let the wind do its worst. I knew I didn't have enough battery to make it another night anyway and, even though I had alternative sources of heat, I decided I would be better off packing up and taking a hike before heading home as the wind would persist through the entire day.
Wind blowing the tent; very hard to keep the heat from the heater when the wind rips it away!
Making my way out of the tent for a much-needed trip to the bathroom, I would catch a glimpse of some falling snow flurries! Although it wasn't much, it did add to the trip experience. I certainly didn't need to see snow flurries to know it was cold though. The biting wind and the frozen water jug were more than enough to let me in on the big secret. Additionally, given my meals required water either for drinking, cooking, or cleanup, not being able to use my water was one more good reason to bail out of the trip early. If I had better planned the use of the heater and tent, I could have easily kept the water from freezing by bringing it in the tent with me overnight. Oh well, good information to have for the future in any case!
The spout of my water jug completely blocked with ice as well as the water freezing in the jug itself.
After breakfast, the wind still howling and the heater still blazing at full power, I would begin the process of packing up camp so I could hit the trails for a hike!
I have to say, although it was very cold, it made cleanup pretty easy when it came to the tent! The bottom of the tent did get some moisture however, when exposing the underside of the tent to the air outside, it would either evaporate pretty quick or freeze and peel off the tent as ice. Either way, nice and easy cleanup!
Locking everything in the trailer, hooking up, and rolling out it was finally time to hit the trail and it would be very much like my hike just a few years prior in December 2020 and December 2022. Lots of water and ice all over everything!
The falls, when you can catch them with water, are always spectacular but it usually means the hike, difficult in good conditions, is even that much more difficult! It is absolutely worth it though!
After the hike, I would take off my layers and get ready to trek back home! It was great to FINALLY be able to camp on the highest mountain in my home state (not counting any trips I clearly don't remember) and get back down to see Mina Sauk Falls again flowing as strong as ever. A successful final trip for the end of 2024 camping season!
Before rolling out of the park, I had to stop and take a peek at the overlook. I do love this area of the state for its immense beauty! Until next time I can get away in 2025!
Span of 2 days; Approximately 247.0 miles; Approximately 17.46 gallons of gas used; Approximate average MPG of 14.374; Approximately $49.23 spent on gas.
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