SKOL: Season brings a difficult farewell

By the time Gretchen and I had settled down for the night, our small tent was littered with jackets, hats, extra blankets, books, bags and the fluffy heap of our sleeping bags. We had come to our camp near Lodi prepared for freezing temperatures, but the weather had turned mild so we were comfortable as we read by headlamps before going to sleep. We use our backpacking tent in colder weather because it retains more warmth and sheds the wind.