What is the toughest part for you about planning a backpacking trip?

[DuneElliot]

Saw this on another forum and I thought it would be interesting to ask here. I'm sure it's been asked before but things and people change:

[COLOR=#000000 !important]From the time you decide you want to plan a backpacking trip, to the time you actually make it to the trail head, what is the hardest part for you?

For me it is the waiting. I am 9 days out from my first trip of the season. Food is ready, clothing is ready, gear is organized and tested. I just need to pack my pack. But I am seriously impatient because I'm really looking forward to finally getting out there this year, and I already know that patience is not one of my better qualities.

So what is it for you?[/COLOR]

[gracebowen]

Worrying about my family and if the bills will get paid while I am gone.

[saltysack]

Getting permission from the wife......


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[Gambit McCrae]

I tend to plan my mileage so tight that I worry about getting it completed. I am a worry wart, so anything and everything. But then I arrive, and its just walking. and I either walk the distance I challenged myself to, or I don't.

Pet Sitting

How much Whiskey to take

Travel Logistics - plane, sitting in traffic, missing connecting flights

Health - Not getting sick while on the trip or the days before the trip

Trail Social time - Will I get bored

[Slo-go'en]

Planning isn't tough. Unless maybe it's your first trip. Deciding on what clothing to bring is probably the toughest part.

For me the toughest part of a hiking trip is getting there. I refuse to fly the unfriendly skies, so getting to a trail head usually involves one or two overnights on a train or bus or both, resulting in being sleep deprived and starting the hike as a zombie. As I get older, this is really starting to become a problem.

[1azarus]

figuring out how to get back to my car at the end of a hike.

[Dogwood]

What is the toughest part for you about planning a backpacking trip?

Color coordinating trail runners, DG gaiters, and tights.

[nascarmikeb]

I tend to plan my mileage so tight that I worry about getting it completed.

I agree, worrying about my mileage/day and figuring out the clothes to bring. I don't want to be underprepared, but I don't want to bring the entire wardrobe.

[saltysack]

I tend to plan my mileage so tight that I worry about getting it completed. I am a worry wart, so anything and everything. But then I arrive, and its just walking. and I either walk the distance I challenged myself to, or I don't.

Exactly......


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[Dogwood]

It depends on the hike. For a CDT SOBO with a seeming endless number of alternate routes getting the route down and the logistics(food days, supplements, maps). It really was not the length. It also depends on where you're at in your planning experience.

You're in a good place to develop patience...hiking in Nature. Enjoy the journey without obsessing on ultimate destination. Slow down. Think before speaking. Abstain from social media as it promotes impatience. Chunk things down and not just the hike but all goals and processes even the lead up time before heading out to hike. Don't act in ignorance taking things for granted. Go through a day writing in a journal something different to appreciate each hr.

[PatmanTN]

Deciding where to go is my main challenge. I do a short trip (usually two day two night) almost every weekend and if it's within a reasonable drive from my house and hike-able, I've done it and likely much more than once. I live about an hour to 1.5 hours from the primary GSMNP entrances and so I go there a lot. A lot. And because it's so fun and accessible I've done the AT across the Smokies at least 17 times now as a section and pieces of it many more times than that while on other routes.

3.5 hours is my maximum drive time for a weekend hike. I guess I need to change strategies or move if I want to keep seeing new places.

[PatmanTN]

I would go nuts waiting till May to hit the first trip! Kudos to you for being so patient.

[Alligator]

Getting that magic hiking window to line up with family, work, and household responsibilities.

[JC13]

Calling/emailing for shuttle rates is the toughest part for me. Lots of options and it seems no one lists a general price per mile.

[Puddlefish]

Arranging pet care.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Getting that magic hiking window to line up with family, work, and household responsibilities.

Ditto. Even though the kids are grown and on their own, there's still work, property, and dogs (like kids - that like to lick your face). Then it's a 4 hour drive to the nearest good hiking from DFW.

[DownEaster]

Getting my phone set up with everything for 5-6 months. There's entertainment (e-books, music, audio books) to load on there. There are all the links to things I'll need to keep on top of (e-mail, electronic banking, recurring bills, vendor contact info for sudden gear needs, & c.). I'll need to download maps all along the AT and store them on the phone for GPS use without local data service. It seems I'll need a couple dozen apps to do all the things on my phone that I can normally do in a browser on my desktop. Managing all the photos and videos I'll take along the trek will involve some planning. (How many memory cards will I need? Where's the best place to upload them to? What photo and video editing apps will I need?)

[evyck da fleet]

Booking the flights, hotels/hostels and transportation at the beginning and end. Once I've locked in the dates and allowed room for the unexpected, the rest becomes easy.

[Ashepabst]

Deciding where to go is my main challenge. I do a short trip (usually two day two night) almost every weekend and if it's within a reasonable drive from my house and hike-able, I've done it and likely much more than once. I live about an hour to 1.5 hours from the primary GSMNP entrances and so I go there a lot. A lot. And because it's so fun and accessible I've done the AT across the Smokies at least 17 times now as a section and pieces of it many more times than that while on other routes.

3.5 hours is my maximum drive time for a weekend hike. I guess I need to change strategies or move if I want to keep seeing new places.

I'll second that notion. 99% of my trips are one or two nighters, so I don't get a lot of wiggle room and drivetime is key. i'll often perseverate on the destination up until the day of, especially if the weather is iffy.

[TX Aggie]

What's the hardest part?

Easy: trying to schedule time for the hike in the first place while still juggling work, yard work, general house work, kids' activities (dance, field hockey, horses, etc) and, most importantly, the Honey-Do List.