Tag: Backpacking

Choosing Your Backpack

On January 12, 2022

Have you decided you want to try backpacking but don’t know where to start? I can’t help you…….. Well okay…… maybe I can…

If you’ve never backpacked before or if you’ve done a little, hiking gear is a huge and confusing topic. Information overload can make you dizzy and feel like you are on a Tilt-A-Whirl! How’s that for encouraging?

Researching backpacks alone can be worse than trying to find the best wine for that special occasion. Since I began in 2019, I’ve owned three backpacks and just got another for Christmas!

So what is a beginner supposed to do? Well…Just start! There are always gear lists available like my Free 2022 Gear List. (Link at top of my website.) You can watch YouTube reviews, read blogs, and go to your favorite outfitter to actually try some on. There are major brands and cottage industries all vying for your favor and their websites are usually most helpful with videos and salespeople who are happy to answer any of your questions!

What I’ve found as the most important considerations for me: Comfort, capacity, weight, cost – in that order. Here’s my experience.

Before I knew what I was doing, I went to a major outfitter’s garage sale and found two brand new packs for a fraction of the retail price. I bought one for me and one for my granddaughter who I was hoping would share my enthusiasm. That one, alas, is still in new condition.

But the one for me, a Gregory Jade 50 was a perfect fit and still had the original tags! (This one is no longer available on-line but it may still be found at a retail outfitter.) A 50-liter bag (refers to the capacity) It was like a Cadillac for comfort and I used it for several hundred miles before I started to calculate my base weight: the weight of everything except food, water, and other consumables such as fuel and batteries.

However, the Gregory was 4 pounds! In order to lighten my load I’ve since then, tried a Granite Gear, a two-pounder that wasn’t comfortable for me so it was returned. (Many hikers love the Granite Gear.)

Next was a Gossamer Gear Mariposa, at two pounds – I used it for 1000 miles. The Mariposa is very comfortable and I do love that pack with a 55-liter capacity. The biggest drawback is that it rests flat on my back, making it always wet with sweat. And after 1000 miles it’s showing a bit of wear & tear.

For 2022, I’ll be using a zPack Arc Air, with a 50-liter capacity and an arched back allowing for better circulation, and best of all it is only 24 ounces. Comfort rating is yet to be determined.

Gear can be cheap or very expensive. And there is no shame in trying what’s within your budget. But sometimes economizing can cost you if there is a breakdown while in the wilderness or it wears hotspots on your body. Much depends on your aspirations. For me, I LOVE backpacking long-distance, and buying the lightest gear is in my best interest (dare I say “At my age?’)

Other gear will be discussed in subsequent blogs, but for now, as a beginner, you should be focusing on research and getting in shape!

Many of these are items I use personally and others are recommendations if you are starting out building your 10 Essentials. You should also know that “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”

What Happens When You…

By Late Bloom

On January 5, 2022

In Carol's Blog

Make Up Your Mind!

What happens when you make up your mind to do something you thought you’d never do?

Well – It happens! Maybe not the way you thought, or according to the timeline you set.

Here’s what happened when I said, “IT’S NOW OR NEVER!”

In 2018 I said, “This is it – now or never.” And I took measures to find a hiking partner for the BIG ONE – the PCT!. I’d been collecting gear over the years with this long-term goal in mind. (You can read about how that came about in a previous blog:. “Twenty-Year Journey to the PCT” to learn how I met my hiking partner, Debbie.)

2019 – Debbie and I obtained the required permit for a through hike. (Mexico to Canada 2650 miles) We began by hiking different sections in Southern California, avoiding snow, preferring to go where the weather was favorable. Debbie said, “We’re going all the way to Canada!” I had my doubts, but Debbie was adamant! After a few small section hikes to see if we were compatible hikers, and if I could actually do this at age 65. After a few hikes I did some math and informed Debbie that if we hiked every day with no breaks we’d be hiking until February 2020! She conceded to a two-year plan and gradually came to accept a three-year plan. (eye roll) That year we completed about 900 miles that included 300 miles of Oregon!

2020- With over 900 miles behind us we got new permits and planned a minimum of 1000 miles for 2020. But while we were getting prepared, the news of a pandemic hit, and the PCT was basically CLOSED. Ugh! What a kick in the pants, not only for us but hikers from all over the world who had quit jobs, saved for years, quit their leases, and had tickets for international travel. To close out 2020, we decided to fill in some of the local PCT gaps for a grand total of 86 miles.

2021 – Feeling more relaxed about Covid -19 fears (including our Governor declaring Covid was no longer a problem EYE ROLL!) we obtained new permits to begin a quest for another 1000 miles. The plan was to go South Bound (SOBO) from northern CA and go to Walker Pass. If successful we would have completed contiguous miles from Mexico to Washington – Oregon border. As typical of our track record, we didn’t quite get all those miles in but did hike through the Sierra including all the major passes for a total of 800 miles. Isn’t that a lucky number?

Moral of the story…Make up your mind! And stop putting off what you want to do!

20 Year Journey To The PCT

By Late Bloom

On May 11, 2020

In Carol's Blog

20 years ago a seed was planted – the idea of a long distance hike, with nothing more than what I could carry on my back.

The seed was planted in 1999 when I became aware of a man who planned a 2000 Camino (walk) to the Cathedral of Saint James in Spain known as Santiago De Compostela, beginning here in Lake Forest, CA at its sister parish, Santiago De Compostela. His name is Patrick Dazelle. He walked 1200 miles across southern US and 800 miles from his home in France to Santiago De Compostela in Spain.

My loyal followers, I’m going to share with you my journey to the Pacific Crest Trail or PCT.

The seed lay dormant and life carried me along it’s day-to-day journey, but like the Princess & the Pea, I knew it was there. And I began to hike with whomever would go with me.

As my 50th birthday approached, I thought it would be an epic way to celebrate by walking a 400 mile Camino in Spain. (Certainly not 2000 miles!) When I mentioned this to my husband, he did not share my enthusiasm. He didn’t know about the seed that I felt deep within. His reply was a simple flat “No you’re not doing that.”

I was crushed inside, but out of respect for him, our marriage, and family situation at the time, I didn’t press it. I don’t think he even knew how terrible those few words felt and how they still burn in my heart. The seed remained – dormant – for a time….

Hike to Santiago Peak in Orange County
With Toastmaster friends

It never killed the seed. I hiked and trained on local trails with a group of friends I know I could count on to hike with me. I was always planning and conditioning for when the day would come, I carried a day pack that was far heavier than day hikes required – sometimes to the mild ridicule from my hiker babe companions. They probably didn’t know or understand about the seed.

However, the day-to-day life journey carried on. And another milestone birthday came and went without even mentioning the Camino de Santiago. I just couldn’t face another crushing “NO.” Why bring it up?

By 2015 I retired and closed down my business. The kids were grown and pretty much on their own. My husband had been retired for 5 years and it became crystal clear to me that his idea of retirement was to stay home. BUT THAT WAS NOT MY CHOICE. I continued to hike around local trails and would seek out popular trails to explore. Always carrying an oversized pack to keep my back in shape.

Since the Camino in Spain seemed out of reach, I became aware of another long trail, one practically in our ‘back yard’…. PCT – The Pacific Crest Trail! And the first 500 miles were all within a two-hour drive from home! This might be doable!

YouTube Phenom’s captured my attention while I researched more and more about the PCT. I followed weekly episodes of those actually on the PCT. HomeMade Wanderlust, Darwin on The Trail, BigFoot and others. Homemade Wanderlust was my favorite following Dixie on her weekly YouTube episodes as she traversed the trail in 2017.

When 2018 rolled around – this was going to be it! I was going to make it happen this year! However, this time it was my body that crushed me with a resounding “No.”

After a relatively easy local hike, my knee felt weird after I got home and then it swelled up. While at the doctor, I explained I HAD to get it better fast because I was going to hike the PCT, and that I’d been hiking and conditioning to carry up to 30 pounds! Her words still ring in my ears: ”You’ve exceeded the capacity of your knee. If you lose 20 pounds you can carry 30. …..RUDE! Have you ever wanted to slap someone? I did a bit of PT but continued to hike with a brace, using hiking poles for stability, and lots of Vitamin I (that’s trail lingo for Ibuprofen.) It wasn’t until 4 months later that I finally got an MRI to confirm a meniscus tear. Oh – and I dropped the 20 pounds…so much for PCT 2018.

Towards the end of 2018 the stars began to align. I began to discuss the idea of me hiking the PCT with my husband. I was secretly gathering the gear and food I’d need, and Dixie was getting close to completing her PCT journey and through her videos I had a pretty good idea what the trail was like.

Funny story – at an open house for a friend’s Yoga Studio, My husband won a month of training at a place called Fitness on Fire….he didn’t know what that meant, but everyone else who knew him knew this was pretty funny. FOF is a training facility for those who participate in Spartan Competitions….look it up! He was just fine allowing me to use the prize! Talk about being in over my head…But the staff and participants were very accommodating and understanding of this 60-something woman with a goal to hike the PCT. And they whipped me into shape! Also, Dixie was nearing completion of her thru-hike of the PCT. So I could visualize the trail and I felt I was ready.

My husband was beginning to see that I was not taking no for an answer. (Although at this point I don’t think he still didn’t really grasped the whole concept.) But for Christmas, he gave me a Garmin inReach Mini not only for my safety (SOS enabled) but for his peace of mind (ability to track my position).

As it turned out, none of my hiker babe friends could join me for one reason or another. So what was I going to do? Since I’d never backpacked before, the thought of going solo was too intimidating, and I’m pretty sure my husband would have come back with that awful, “No, you’re not doing that.”

In early December 2018, I did what any normal person would do in this instance. I made an appeal in one of my local FaceBook Women’s hiking groups I was seeking a PCT hiking partner; that I was old, slow, and had NEVER backpacked. Only a few responded, but one stepped up rather enthusiastically: Debbie. We agreed to meet for coffee. (You have to be careful – who knows what kind of crazy is out there, and this was a pretty crazy request!) We talked for hours, sharing our hiking experiences and dreams for future hikes. We tried each other out on a few local hikes and by January Debbie was still game. We set a date…January 25, 2019.

The seed had come out of dormancy – and was ready to sprout.

The rest of the story is….

……To Be Continued.