24 Hours with Beginner Backpacking

Over the last year I have thrown myself into going ultralight. It is part of my personality, that when I become interested in something, I am all in. So I went from a baseweight of 20lbs down to 7.5lbs in a matter of weeks and continued to a SUL weight of 4.5 pounds that I used throughout the summer in the southern Appalachians. This semester, I have taken a beginner backpacking course for a PE credit. My goal was to not end up being that know-it-all in the course, pick up some tidbits from people looking at backpacking with a fresh mind and maybe help teach some.

This weekend was the class's trip to Panther Creek for an early fall trip. The trees were finally starting to show their colors and the temperature was hinting that cooler months may eventually arrive. The focus of the trip for the class was learning new techniques, seeing the falls and enjoying the company of others. For me, with so much solo hiking lately and pushing long miles, it seemed that I had forgotten to enjoy group camping. Having company to strike up conversations with and take in the great outdoors creates a new purpose to trek in the woods.

Geneva at the falls

On the trip, I decided to take gear that emphasized simple, reliable and comfortable practices. So I put some finishing touches on my new pyramid tarp and patched up my Thermarest Prolite. I increased my weight up to 8lbs, but the feeling of comfort the weight added was great for the type of trip and will probably make it into my pack much more often in the future.

In all, the great company of a group of people interested in learning about backpacking, a bug free fall and the great sound of the falls in the background made the 24 hour trip a great experience that I haven't had in a while. I'm hoping that more of the trips in the future will be able to include larger groups of people with such great energy and great stories.