Every now and then I get a bee in my bonnet about doing some event or visiting some place. For example, I must go to Alaska and see Denali. Once I decided I needed to run a half marathon (this year I decided I might need to run two). I also really need to go to Switzerland – my name is Heidi for crying out loud. And I need to see Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat. Recently I decided that I need to hike the West Coast Trail on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
To be completely honest, I’ve never really been backpacking. I went once with my dad and another father/son pair when I was barely old enough to carry my own pack and sleeping bag. While it seemed quite impressive at the time, I have a feeling all I was carrying was my clothes and sleeping bag while my dad carried the tent, food and anything else we would need. Then a couple years ago I backpacked into a cabin in Juneau with some friends. Although it was only about two miles and since the kids were 4 and 3 at the time, it’s not like we were moving very fast. And once again, the guy carried all the really heavy stuff (often in addition to a kid).
But I love to camp, love the outdoors, love to walk and am an excellent packer and organizer. It seemed like this was an adventure made for me. I’ve been slowly stockpiling supplies over the years. I no longer have to borrow my brothers JetBoil, SteriPen. And he even bought me a ¾ size sleeping pad for backpacking. Okay, I thought it as for backpacking, he said it was because I was ¾ the size of a normal person.
I recently attended a “Backpacking 101” class at REI. Whereupon I realized for the first time that I have to carry everything. EVERYTHING. Not just clothes and water, but gear and food and anything else I might need. The idea of a multi-day backpacking trip is much more daunting than it was previously. I knew I would have to pack all my own stuff, but suddenly seeing all the gear laid out, and thinking about organizing food and water and all the other logistics made this venture a bit more daunting than it had been in my mind.
I still need to major items – a backpack and hiking boots. Once I have those things I am ready to go. I think I’ll start with an overnighter and see how that goes first, and then work my way up to a multi-day trip. And then maybe next year I’ll be ready for the West Coast Trail. Once I learn how to pack and am sure I can survive carrying a 50 lb. pack. This should be an interesting adventure.
To be completely honest, I’ve never really been backpacking. I went once with my dad and another father/son pair when I was barely old enough to carry my own pack and sleeping bag. While it seemed quite impressive at the time, I have a feeling all I was carrying was my clothes and sleeping bag while my dad carried the tent, food and anything else we would need. Then a couple years ago I backpacked into a cabin in Juneau with some friends. Although it was only about two miles and since the kids were 4 and 3 at the time, it’s not like we were moving very fast. And once again, the guy carried all the really heavy stuff (often in addition to a kid).
But I love to camp, love the outdoors, love to walk and am an excellent packer and organizer. It seemed like this was an adventure made for me. I’ve been slowly stockpiling supplies over the years. I no longer have to borrow my brothers JetBoil, SteriPen. And he even bought me a ¾ size sleeping pad for backpacking. Okay, I thought it as for backpacking, he said it was because I was ¾ the size of a normal person.
I recently attended a “Backpacking 101” class at REI. Whereupon I realized for the first time that I have to carry everything. EVERYTHING. Not just clothes and water, but gear and food and anything else I might need. The idea of a multi-day backpacking trip is much more daunting than it was previously. I knew I would have to pack all my own stuff, but suddenly seeing all the gear laid out, and thinking about organizing food and water and all the other logistics made this venture a bit more daunting than it had been in my mind.
I still need to major items – a backpack and hiking boots. Once I have those things I am ready to go. I think I’ll start with an overnighter and see how that goes first, and then work my way up to a multi-day trip. And then maybe next year I’ll be ready for the West Coast Trail. Once I learn how to pack and am sure I can survive carrying a 50 lb. pack. This should be an interesting adventure.
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