 East Coast: 7/27/19 – 8/10/19 |  Great Smoky Mountains: 7/24/19 – 7/27/19 |  Yosemite: 7/2/19 – 7/5/19 |
I will not lie, I understand the counterarguments against the perks of backpacking. No one really wants to hear about how someone “found themselves on a 6 month trip after forsaking all their previous life commitments” because let’s be honest here, those are incredibly rare exceptions. You lose showers, fancy food and have to carry everything everywhere none of which seem particularly appealing. So instead of discussing how it improves my soul I’ll try and justify these trips.
In 5th grade, my parents made me join a sport or join scouts and I ended up joining scouts. I’ll discuss that 7 year adventure in more detail later but it taught me how to camp and deal in the wilderness. Mostly just how to swear. In addition my parents throwing me into the Grand Canyon when I was in the 6th grade gave me an intense love of national parks. Finally, alongside everything else in my life the more stupid the decision the more tempting the offer.
I hope someone noticed that I didn’t mention in the list of lost luxuries earlier any sort of electronic device. For while I’m a genuine tech junkie, telling your gmail, commitments and school to commit anatomically actions with a toaster and lose service for a few days will always be straight up cathartic. No I do not forget my issues, I plan ahead and tell important folks when I’ll be out of town and put up a vacation bounceback on my email.
Backpacking remains hella cheap. The vast majority of the cost of backpacking remains in reusable gear. Sleeping bags, water bottles, jackets and the backpack are most of the expense. You have gear reasonably close to your height and you’re good to go. I hiked for 4 days and 3 nights in Yosemite by using a mix of friend’s and I’s gear and I paid $98 in total. Another trip I did in Point Reyes for three days and two nights cost me $48.
Even more than travel backpacking breeds hilarious and insane circumstances. Mostly because only on rare occasions will there be an easy escape route from a sticky situation. I’ve had someone fight a racoon on top of me while I was fast asleep. Didn’t even get up. I’ve backpacked between two simultaneously forest fires. I’ve broken into abandoned WW1 coastal artillery bunkers, played capture the flag with friends and promptly fell off the entirely concrete structure since we were playing in the pitch dark, whoops. Needless to say, there will always be good stories.
But overall I would say the best experience of backpacking will always be the people who you travel with. What else are you supposed to do while hiking all day but talk? Cooking meals together? At night when the sun sets at 6 pm and you lack electronic devices. Connecting with people while backpacking at least for me will always be easier than in modern life
Also I don’t get blisters on my feet. Really improves the experience.
Yes of course there are terrible moments while backpacking. No one likes taking a dump in the woods (you don’t think you’ll do it till you have to do it), early mornings or carrying your trash around with you which will undoubtedly leak a little. But there are terrible moments in real life, we don’t live in a utopia. Plus the terrible moments make the best stories and taught me how much flat out crap I can deal with. Calvin’s dad put it best when he told him and Calvin “It builds character.”
Due to backpacking trips being significantly different than most of my international travel I’m going to use a different set of completely subjective rankings. Wooh.
Screensaver worthy? – How pretty the nature was
Welcome to the Jungle? – Did the conditions make Vietnam seem appealing?
“Hey boss, can I work more hours?” – How expensive the trip was overall
Thanks Oakland Strokes – Did I need my attitude of complete disregard for physical pain from Strokes to complete this trip.
Cooler than Middle Earth? – Novelty of the trip compared to middle-earth
Hopefully this made backpacking seem a little more appealing and my motives a little more sensical. I also need more friends who are willing to go into the woods with me. But that will be for another time. Sit back and enjoy.
Best,
Sam
Dead Man Travelling 