First Backpacking Stories

[deb]

1st backpack

My first backpack was in 1973, with my uncle and cousin. We went up to Lonesome Lake over the Kinsmans (which were my 1st 4000fters. I didn't find out about the list for quite a few years later) and ended up on Rte 112. We were supposed to go over Mt. Moosilauke the next day, but expected a shelter to be at the bottom of the mt which was not there. Back then, we did not carry a tent, and it was raining out. We ended up cutting the trip short. I also remember that we didn't carry much water, if any at all, and drank right from the streams without a purifier. I don't remember much else, except that we stayed at the Eliza Brook shelter, and that it rained most of the time.

 

[Deematic]

It hooked Me!

My first b-pack was apr. 22-24 04 to Crag Camp via lowes. I had all my brand new gear. i was probablly carrying 15 lbs more than i should have been. It was a tough trip, i thought it would be hard and it was. When we got there and i had a chance to collect myself a little, I walked over to the edge of kings ravine and my mother inlaws hubby looked me in the face and said" was it worth it " Hell yeah i said!!! I'm hooked on hiking

My pic is of the crag snowman. It snowed 8" overnite it was the best!!!

 

[Woody]

My first backpacking trip was a one night trip with my brother, my 12 y/o son and my 12 y/o nephew about 5 years ago. My son and I had done a couple of day hikes, including the Falling Waters/OBP loop on Franconia Ridge and he wanted to try camping. We were already hooked on the day hikes. My brother had just quit smoking after a 20 some year, pack a day habit and he wanted to do something to get back into shape. My brother had done some backpacking as a teenager years ago, but I had no experience at all. I went out and bought the "Backpacker's Handbook" and a few other books and did a fair amount of research to get ready.
With our new gear and the reading I had done, we tried to stay relatively light, but I'll bet my backpack still weighed 50 lbs. My son's was probably about 20 lbs. I had the tent and all the food for the two of us. My brother had pulled out his old gear which was still in pretty good shape, but his pack was also about 50 lbs.
We figured (correctly) that we weren't ready to tackle the Whites with heavy packs so we hiked a 12 mile portion of the Mid-State Trail in Massachusetts from Asburnham to Westminster camping for the night at Muddy pond. Our first obstacle on the trail was a 300 foot elevation gain over a bump called Mount Hunger. This was probably the toughest 300 feet of elevation we have ever done! It about KILLED us and we knew it was only a bump! Once past that bump the rest of the day was fairly easy and we reached Muddy Pond without incident and set up camp. We hiked the six miles out the next day to where my wife was to pick us up.

Needless to say, we have refined our technique a bit since then. We are also in much better shape. I have also taken to putting a lot more weight in my son's pack now so that I have a fighting chance of keeping up with him. I can't say that we've made any major blunders (yet) while backpacking. The only really cold night we spend out was when I used my zero rated sleeping bag on a night on Mount Carrigan in January a couple of years ago. I think the temps dropped to less than -20 F on the two nights we spent out. My son had a -20 rated bag and my brother's bag was rated for -30. I was being cheap and didn't get a warmer bag for myself after just dropping the cash for my son's bag. I've since smartened up and got a good winter bag for myself.

Now I can't get enough nights out! I've been hooked ever since!

 

[sardog1]

I honestly don't remember my first backpacking trip, so I'm going to presume to relate my wife's first time out:

I had never been tent camping, let alone backpacking. He suggested a trip into the Cloud Peak Wilderness in Wyoming's Big Horn Mountain National Forest, and I agreed. Since the trip would start in early September, he was a little worried about cold weather at elevation, so we packed extra clothing.

It was 90 degrees Fahrenheit at the trail head. The first couple of miles we had to step around cow pies from the free-ranging livestock. We didn't carry enough water and we ran out, well short of our planned first campsite. He kept telling me it was another ten minutes or so to the campsite. Finally, we bivouacked on a slope that was so steep we had to brace our feet against a tree to keep from sliding downhill. There were cougar tracks on the trail nearby. As I recall, we ate no dinner, since we were out of water.

In the morning he went ahead to get water and brought some back. We made it to the first campsite about thirty minutes later. It was on the shore of a beautiful mountain lake; we stayed there until we came out several days later.

Did I mention it was my honeymoon? And yes, I am still married to the fool.