View Full Version : Favorite part of a backpacking trip
hammer89
03-12-2008, 18:47
What is your favorite part of a backpacking trip?:-?
Eating anything and everything! (and then some)
My favorite well-balanced meal: Little Debbie, fruit snacks, almonds, Little Debbie, protein bar, cereal, Little Debbie, chocolate bar, Little Debbie. Yup.
Hey, we can only talk about one favorite thing at a time, and right now it's hostels. Just kidding. In answer to your question, I'll tell you in a few months.
that "thing", or connection, that occurs around day 3, when your body's back in tune with nature, you hear, see, and smell things like you were intended to, you've got a good trail patina, aren't worried by bug bites anymore, and can sleep like a baby again.
wilconow
03-12-2008, 18:58
that "thing", or connection, that occurs around day 3, when your body's back in tune with nature, you hear, see, and smell things like you were intended to, you've got a good trail patina, aren't worried by bug bites anymore, and can sleep like a baby again.
my sentiments exactly
wrongway_08
03-12-2008, 20:12
Yea x3 :sun
that "thing", or connection, that occurs around day 3, when your body's back in tune with nature, you hear, see, and smell things like you were intended to, you've got a good trail patina, aren't worried by bug bites anymore, and can sleep like a baby again.
Lone Wolf
03-12-2008, 20:17
that "thing", or connection, that occurs around day 3, when your body's back in tune with nature, you hear, see, and smell things like you were intended to, you've got a good trail patina, aren't worried by bug bites anymore, and can sleep like a baby again.
start on the canada border in a drought, high temps on the long trail. you'll get that feeling in about 4 hours or so
Almost There
03-12-2008, 20:22
that "thing", or connection, that occurs around day 3, when your body's back in tune with nature, you hear, see, and smell things like you were intended to, you've got a good trail patina, aren't worried by bug bites anymore, and can sleep like a baby again.
Perfect sentiment, but for me if were talking a certain moment....great campsite, with a great view, cool weather, zero bugs, and a campfire with good people. Overmountain shelter last summer comes to mind.
fiddlehead
03-12-2008, 20:24
Taking that first step! (life just doesn't get any better than THAT!)
Lone Wolf
03-12-2008, 20:27
Sleeping out.
that and having a fire in a ring i made where there's no trash in it. and i won't allow anybody to throw cig butts or any other crap in it if they're invited to enjoy said fire. also fiddlehead playing old floyd around that fire :)
Almost There
03-12-2008, 20:37
that and having a fire in a ring i made where there's no trash in it. and i won't allow anybody to throw cig butts or any other crap in it if they're invited to enjoy said fire. also fiddlehead playing old floyd around that fire :)
You let me know, and I'm there...as long as there's booze.:D
Lone Wolf
03-12-2008, 20:42
You let me know, and I'm there...as long as there's booze.:D
it's all welcome but nothing goes in the fire but wood and no discussing ****ing gear or left wing **** :)
Almost There
03-12-2008, 21:33
it's all welcome but nothing goes in the fire but wood and no discussing ****ing gear or left wing **** :)
When we get together, do we ever discuss gear or politics?:rolleyes: C'mon there's better things to be talkin' about when booze is open!:D
Lone Wolf
03-12-2008, 21:35
When we get together, do we ever discuss gear or politics?:rolleyes: C'mon there's better things to be talkin' about when booze is open!:D
poontang and sports
Almost There
03-12-2008, 21:40
poontang and sports
Depending on how long we've been on the trail, screw the sports, it's all about the tail!:banana
....talking about that is.;)
fiddlehead
03-12-2008, 21:57
that and having a fire in a ring i made where there's no trash in it. and i won't allow anybody to throw cig butts or any other crap in it if they're invited to enjoy said fire. also fiddlehead playing old floyd around that fire :)
I hear ya Lone Wolf. Sounds great but it may have to wait a while. The boy's only 2 1/2! Hang in there, i'm still learning more Floyd.
What is your favorite part of a backpacking trip?:-?
Hanging 'round a campfire, shooting the breeze with total strangers, knowing that they're good people. Being in a different place every day, marking off the miles. Not being in a damned cubicle or in front of a computer. Simple thoughts, simple life. Less abstract, more existential.
hammer89
03-12-2008, 22:42
i think id have to the 1st step. as soon as i stepped on the trail, i felt like i was in my own. it was an amazing feeling
dessertrat
03-12-2008, 22:49
it's all welcome but nothing goes in the fire but wood and no discussing ****ing gear or left wing **** :)
Sounds great to me.
My favorite time is when I've got the tent set up for the evening, the sun is starting to go down, and the campfire's going.
All of the above, including taking all unburnables out of the fire ring. (I lied. I really don't like that part).
Lone Wolf
03-12-2008, 22:54
All of the above, including taking all unburnables out of the fire ring. (I lied. I really don't like that part).
that's why i start a fresh fire ring. i no longer clean out fire pits
vonfrick
03-12-2008, 22:57
having lunch at the top of whatever i just climbed, and simply enjoying the view
My favorite thing is all of it. It’s not about any one thing; it’s the total environment and experience that makes it worth the effort.
DuctTape
03-12-2008, 23:14
that "thing", or connection, that occurs around day 3, when your body's back in tune with nature, you hear, see, and smell things like you were intended to, you've got a good trail patina, aren't worried by bug bites anymore, and can sleep like a baby again.
Agreed. For me it's more like after the first week or so, when I get into a rythm and the outside world feels farther and further and further and farther away.
Also the last night in the woods before a resupply, eating your extra food and knowing that you have a downhill hike with a super light pack ahead of you tomorrow. The anticipation.
DuctTape
03-12-2008, 23:15
start on the canada border in a drought, high temps on the long trail. you'll get that feeling in about 4 hours or so
quit cryin' sonny boy
Lone Wolf
03-12-2008, 23:17
quit cryin' sonny boy
i got your sonny boy hangin'! :) meghan's in town at dennet's
For me it's not about fires or booze or conversations with strangers or companions. It's more about being out where I am a bit beyond my comfort zone, a bit hanging out over the edge. I don't mean big risks, clinging to precipices, none of that stuff. It's just being down to basics, as much as possible these days, working hard all day just living, and coming in for a crash landing at the end of the day, all tired out, and that velvet cloth hung up across the sky. None of it is really all that comfortable, but I feel alive for everything, including the mud, the bugs, the animals that crash about, the privations that I planned and the ones I didn't, the injuries that I don't really notice until I stop. I mean a day or two off the trail when the toe nail comes off, or the joints stiffen up, or the bruises mature. I remember who or what is in charge, and that it isn't me, and it's all good, as the saying goes.
All the beauty and the sweet, soft days and the times when it just flows are just the icing. They are real, but without the butt kicking, it wouldn't mean anything, would it? If I could spend all my time out there, I might get a whole lot better at it, and it wouldn't be as much trouble, but I'd never be able to just go on autopilot, like happens so much in the city. The trail don't take no guff from nobody.
DuctTape
03-12-2008, 23:33
i got your sonny boy hangin'! :) meghan's in town at dennet's
who? what? i don't get it. just quit yer cryin, ya hear?
Lone Wolf
03-12-2008, 23:40
For me it's not about fires or booze or conversations with strangers or companions. It's more about being out where I am a bit beyond my comfort zone, a bit hanging out over the edge. I don't mean big risks, clinging to precipices, none of that stuff. It's just being down to basics, as much as possible these days, working hard all day just living, and coming in for a crash landing at the end of the day, all tired out, and that velvet cloth hung up across the sky. None of it is really all that comfortable, but I feel alive for everything, including the mud, the bugs, the animals that crash about, the privations that I planned and the ones I didn't, the injuries that I don't really notice until I stop. I mean a day or two off the trail when the toe nail comes off, or the joints stiffen up, or the bruises mature. I remember who or what is in charge, and that it isn't me, and it's all good, as the saying goes.
All the beauty and the sweet, soft days and the times when it just flows are just the icing. They are real, but without the butt kicking, it wouldn't mean anything, would it? If I could spend all my time out there, I might get a whole lot better at it, and it wouldn't be as much trouble, but I'd never be able to just go on autopilot, like happens so much in the city. The trail don't take no guff from nobody.
bless your heart :)
bless your heart :)
Well, at least you know I won't be yogiing your booze. :D
Lone Wolf
03-12-2008, 23:47
i don't drink booze
Good thing I didn't try to yogi any then.
Good thing I didn't try to yogi any then.
Remeber you are talking to someone who is...ah, particular about wording.
Sounds great to me.
My favorite time is when I've got the tent set up for the evening, the sun is starting to go down, and the campfire's going.
Amen. Pass the scotch.
Lone Wolf
03-13-2008, 00:03
who? what? i don't get it. just quit yer cryin, ya hear?
different duct tape obviously. you don't know jack about the LT
Feral Bill
03-13-2008, 00:05
Taking a nap between making camp and making dinner.
Remeber you are talking to someone who is...ah, particular about wording.
Yeah, I used to be particular about my stuff, too. I liked fine cognac, single malt real peaty, and red wine with a rich nose. I drank beer from Belgium and microbrew from wherever I was. But its all pretty much booze to me now. I don't need a buzz, and I've had all the great tastes I need. Now I'm just trying to stick to basics for the rest of my time. LW still has a few more years to play around with stuff. That's ok. I'm not the bull of the walk anymore. Can't even walk, to be truthful. Looking back, it's all pretty much bull***t. I see the whole deal going down the tubes, and if I had my way, I'd just shuffle off to the country like Tipi and go survival. But that's not how it's working out for me. It's all ok. I'm not fighting anymore, but I can growl pretty good. Bless your heart, too.
envirodiver
03-13-2008, 00:15
that "thing", or connection, that occurs around day 3, when your body's back in tune with nature, you hear, see, and smell things like you were intended to, you've got a good trail patina, aren't worried by bug bites anymore, and can sleep like a baby again.
Well said. I always feel like I belong in the woods and I'm not such a visitor anymore.
Matteroo
03-13-2008, 00:19
having my body's rhythm being 100% in tune with the environment around me. Especially a few days out of town and if there aren't lots of people. The effort required all day and the sleep shortly after sundown and waking around sun rise - it is a very whole feeling. The self-sufficiency too, or at least the grand illusion of it. :) Though, the miles aren't hiked by anyone else, the views aren't appreciated through another's eyes, the smells, the emotions--that is all purely one's own.
The desire.
The planning.
The build-up of anticipation.
The first steps.
The workout.
The consummation of Nature.
The repose of fulfillment.
The great nights sleep.
The hot shower afterwards.
:D
Hiking, camp, tea/coffee & pipe, views, full moon nights, hot food, meeting nice hikers.
i think id have to the 1st step. as soon as i stepped on the trail, i felt like i was in my own. it was an amazing feeling
Ya, it's like that for me too. Every summer, when I first get on the trail, it almost feels surreal. I'm home.
Tipi Walter
03-13-2008, 10:54
My favorite part of a long backpacking trip is the first day, when my pack is loaded down with 15 days worth of food and my feet hit the wilderness trail for the first time. I know I've all the gear I'll need for up to three weeks and there's a blank journal with a couple spare pens and enough white gas for many, many meals.
My next favorite time comes around day 10 or 12, the onion has been peeled and my headgear's screwed on tight. At this point I don't know if I've been out for one day or a year, it all feels the same. And then I'm praying for a good snowstorm to shut down the syphilized world around me, and I wanna get snowbound in the tent for a while. There's nothing better than a high mountain blizzard. I keep thinking if I look hard enough I'll see a woolly mammoth walk by the tent.
Lion King
03-13-2008, 10:56
Many parts.
On the AT its when I finally get on the top, or at least 10 feet from the top, of anything that has made me sweat and feel some real exertion.
True, I hate the rocks anywhere, so once I am past them I rejoice, but then I see more, so sometimes it is a day of much rejoicing with the cracks filled with loads of dread.
I love the wind on my face and the silence of a nice bald when no one else is around.
I love the part of the day right before the sun comes up when I am already moving (It does happen I swear :D ) and the forest is dripping with dew and the animals are all on the move.
I love the deep of night, say 3 am, when I am in the middle of a night hike and I am past being tired and that 5th wind kicks in and then all of a sudden some big gigantic fanged thing runs right by you in the dark shrubbery and your heart explodes with an adreniline burst that gets you through the next hour or till the sky turns purple with early morning coming at you.
I loved the taste of a mountain stream, best damn water in the world is out there.
I love watching animals and having them watch me.
I love the people and the hope I see in the eyes of most people you meet when you travel any trail.
Its refreshing.
Being as close to being an animal as I have been for too long.
skinny minnie
03-13-2008, 13:45
Naps on top of sun warmed rocks. Peanut butter always tastes that much more amazing. Pushing yourself to your limit and then reaching a summit. And all the little details along the trail - the way branches look silhouetted against the sky, moss, fungus and lichen, intricate paths through steep rocks and roots, wild blueberries, the sounds water makes, the way water, wet rock, roots, dirt and moss smells... everything!
AlwaysHiking
03-13-2008, 13:52
My favorite thing is always the next step. It's either taking me further away from society or it's taking me closer to something worth seeing. Sometimes both, but just taking the next step is always what I look forward to.
climberdave
03-13-2008, 14:43
The spontaneous moments when someone has a harmonica, someone else a mouth harp, someone drums a table, someone else sings and some blessed soul brings in extra whisky. All around a bon fire under the Milky Way.
I wanna be outside :(
Mrs Baggins
03-13-2008, 15:06
Not cleaning bathrooms, not doing other people's laundry, not trying to decide what to cook for dinner when I haven't even had breakfast yet, not having to grocery shop for 3 people, did I say not cleaning bathrooms?, not cleaning the kitchen, not seeing last night's dinner dishes still sitting in the sink at 5 am, not vacuuming 3000 sq feet of house, not cleaning cat litter box, not cleaning bathrooms (don't know if I mentioned that yet).
Just taking care of me and only me - glorious! :D
Of all the wonderful things, one of my favorite things is climbing into my hammock and sensing the light dim as sunset fades into dusk and listening to the sounds that often go unnoticed: birds chirping, wind in leaves, and so forth.
enjoying the evening meal
earlyriser26
03-13-2008, 15:43
The planning, the hike, and getting back to the world of flush toilets.
Sissygirl
03-13-2008, 15:54
A singular thing?? So not fair. Topping a mountain you have looked for all day. I remember the top of Blood. I was dehydrated and stretched to the limit, but it was the most beautiful site. I would have cried had I had any moisture to spare. I am scared of heights, but Doughnut got me out on the ledge and I was spellbound.
Hanging 'round a campfire, shooting the breeze with total strangers, knowing that they're good people. Being in a different place every day, marking off the miles. Not being in a damned cubicle or in front of a computer. Simple thoughts, simple life. Less abstract, more existential.
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_11_60.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxmk762MNUS)
Day 3 exactly. When it all comes together and the kinks work out.
hammock engineer
03-14-2008, 00:59
To me it is being somethere, usually alone or with one or two others, that there is no possible way to get there and see what I am seeing without earning it. Somewhere you can't get to without a long walk.
What is your favorite part of a backpacking trip?:-?Statistically, talking about it hypothetically on WB apparently. :o