Adventures at Brown's Hollow: Hills, Rivers, and a Cozy Campsite
After breaking camp our group drove to the start of the trail. I stepped onto the backpacking trail from Brown's Hollow Trailhead in the crisp morning air, eager to explore this corner of Iowa and get back into local overnight backpacking. The trail started out gently enough. A wide, packed earth path winding through towering hardwood forests with leaves ablaze in fiery reds and golds.
Our destination for the night was Browns Hollow, a backpacking campsite about three quarters of a mile off of the main trail.
A few moments later after crossing the road (we were going counter-clockwise instead of clockwise), the views really opened up and we got a glimpse of the hills in the distance, with a river forking in front of it and flowing beneath our feet. Sunlight dappled through the canopy, highlighting ferns and mosses clinging to rocks.
The path abruptly ended at earthen stairs indicating the base of the first of three hills. Muddy and steep, the path narrowed and snaked its way up the hill, becoming a more defined singletrack, dipping and climbing. Once at the top we had commanding views of the surrounding area, and could even spot our campground from the previous night below.
This was how the rest of the trail went, up and down up and down. We summited two more big hills, each as steep as the first. After coming down from the last hill we were assaulted by clouds of lady bugs, and we didn't waste any time in moving on. The trail leveled out, following the snaking river.
Reaching the campsite at Brown's Hollow felt like a reward. A peaceful clearing with well-maintained grounds. Water was not as abundant as we thought it would be, and we had to make due with a small muddy pool (which our water filters were able to handle without issue).
We enjoyed a campfire from dried bark and branches both big and small. Luckily the fire ring was massive and could accomodate branches of various sizes. With temps dropping we retired to our tents.