Backpacking Trip

Soon I will be on a two day backpacking trip. Going to about 10500 feet, any higher and it’s probably deep snow still.

I’m taking a lot of guys with no prior packaging experience. It’s a men’s group trip, and teenagers big enough to carry their weight. Lots of people putting new gear together, so there should be a lot of lessons to learn.

I’m shedding a little bit of my bushcraft gear for more modern equipment. Looking forward introducing a group to new experiences. Definitely a good prep.

 

Sounds like fun. Please share the results. What worked? What didn't work? What did people carry that was really useful? What did people carry that was completely useless? How did the group interact? Any issues (or drama)?

This would be an almost ideal way to test what would happen with a Bug Out Group. Unfamiliar setting. Gear you have never used. New people you don't know very well.

Good Luck!! I hope it's not the perfect storm.

 

What Morgan said.

Looking forward to hearing how the trip went!


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We already have been forced to scout and change locations, because our original location is still covered in snow. So a lot of last minute planning.

 

Definitely going to watch this one to see how it worked out could have good tips and insights.

 

Good morning Pacmantacman,

Don't forget to brief your "base camp" crew on your last minute planning. Whoever you tell of plans, your trek members, with some info eg names,age,..and your arriving vehicle(s)' identification, must be always updated with them at base.

The last minute changes, sometimes known as the "blue sock or pink" sock matter,...the SAR team received the missing child was wearing socks colored....the discrepancies in the reports were because of conflicting info.

My initial gut reaction for a steep incline excursion near snow focuses me to the teens being less of a danger to the event than the older guys subject to the unexpected ailments of life.

I miss being able to go out on the expeditions.

Have a good and rewarding time - and make sure the teen members are observers on the planning, adjusting and debriefing.

 

One thing I have gotten out of this trip is a solid system of obtaining water, that I’m happy with.

I use a dry bag to haul and store water, but typically empty it when hiking or leave it at base camp. Then I use a swayer filter with a large bag attached to make it gravity fed filtering.

I also have metal water bottles and a Stanley cuff for boiling. This is proving to be a good system for having a lot of water handy.

 

You mentioned you had some modern equipment you were trying what were they? And how has it stacked up?

 

Primarily a BRS backpacking stove. And a movement away from all things surplus for this trip. Modern packs with internal frames, clothing and stuff like that.

 

The >20,000 ft. thingy is a bear.





The flowers were just out of his reach. His girlfriend was beset with grief.

To possess the rapturous blue flowers that only grow atop the Himalayas had always been her dream. Now she would have to find yet another young man to fulfill her life's purpose.

So it goes.

 

I’ve been within 100 miles of the Himalayan’s, and have flown over parts of them, but haven’t been there yet. Some day!

 

If I ever pass anywhere near the Himalayan Mountains, it is a certainty that the Fates will have gone mad.

 

Himalayan Mountain stew is pretty good. Don't pass up a chance to try it!

 

Good morning Old Geezer,

Just reading through all the new posts at MSF.com this morning and routinely just read "that the Fates will have gone mad".

There is much advanced-level material posted here on this forum.

Yes, the Fates - plural - I knew the added "s" above wasn't a typo - ....... No assigned location like the Sirens living on an island in the sea, the Fates, Clotho, Spinner and Lachesis, gave to humans at birth evil and good at birth.

The Fates assigned to each newborn their destiny.

Remember that 1960s era song "You are my Destiny, I love him, I love him and..." ?!

"Luck" was also a deity.

I learned about these deities when I studied perhaps the first great and largest evacuation in recorded history. Later, the literature call it "Exodus".

MSF.com has much importance.

 

I'm sure the Himalayas are breathtakingly beautiful, and would be a once in a lifetime experience, but they are not on my bucket list. Lots of things I would like to see without traveling that far.

 

I would say from a preparedness standpoint backpacking is a very good activity. What these guys are discovering is extensive for a simple weekend trip. Including but not limited to:

1. Critical thinking, planning, details
2. Actions have consequences good and bad, prepared vs unprepared, cold vs warm, extra
3. The reality of carrying everything you need on your back, it’s very instructive, and eye opening
4. How to stay dry and warm
5. Consider how to care for yourself if you can’t call 911
6. Navigation and map reading
7. The value of testing gear before you use it.
8. Group dynamics
9. Using the bathroom outdoors.

The list goes on and on.

 

Hopefully, they are looking forward to more camping trips and expanding their knowledge base! Will you be doing this with them again?



.

 

It’s going to be an annual activity for the group. It was my idea but other guys have stepped up and done a lot to make it happen. I’m not sure where I will be next year.

 

Day One morning two. It’s great to be underway. I’m traveling with a group of pretty amazing people, so that’s a bonus. But still it’s easy to see from a group dynamic how important it is to know when to sell you ideas, when to flatly tell people what everyone is going to do next, when to hand over a decision to someone else, and when to just let the group figure it out.

This was officially my first night in a hammock and I’m pretty happy with it. Learning to sleep in it at an angle is the key. Way more comfortable than the ground. Higher profile to, which is good and bad for tactical reasons. But right now nobody is trying to hurt me, I’m just enjoying the stars through a canopy of pines, waiting for the sun.

 

I’m back. Amazing trip! We hiked over thirty miles in one day. We had sunshine, rain, and snow. Saw a bull moose in a high meadow at about 10650 feet or so.

I think one of the tricks to being in the wilderness is to always be thinking about what’s next to stay on top of tasks that need to be completed.

 

It seems one key takeaway is that people are more capable and less capable than they think they are.

In other words in some areas, such as physical suffering and working through pain and discomfort, they can do more than they anticipate.

But might overestimate their skills at say stay dry in the wilderness, or navigating at night.

 

All are excellent and very important things to learn. Many of us probably over estimate our skills, especially when performing out of our comfort zone. Knowing what you need to improve is just as important as the things where you are proficient. Thanks for sharing.

 

One takeaway from this trip is that I’m totally sold on using a “buff.” It’s a wonderfully useful item. This is the type of thing you will not spend money on if all of your prepping is done from a computer screen. But spend some time outdoors and it can quickly be a must pack item. Cheap and extremely light weight.

 

I think one thing I learned about backpacking is that it doesn’t totally teach survival, but it does teach efficiency, self-reliance and minimalism.

Another clothing takeaway is that when I travel I’m going to take two lightweight running shorts with built in underwear. This gives me two sets or shorts and two sets of underwear, all super quick to dry.