Backpacking 101

If you've been thinking about jumping into the sport of backpacking chances are you've done quite a bit of research on gear to buy or rent; however, this isn't always the case.  As someone who works as a guide and has done a number of distance hikes I can tell you while many people are doing the research there are still huge numbers of people who do absolutely no research at all.  Don't let your first trip take you by surprise!  Here are some common beginner mistakes a lot of people make on their first few backpacking trips and some tips for how to avoid making them. 

Carrying the Wrong Gear

We have all seen people out on the trail for the weekend carrying that backpack their dad bought back in 1979.  While the gear manufactured back then was truly built to last, sitting in the basement unused since the 80's means that your gear has a tendency to fall apart the minute you try to put it through the rigors of a backpacking trip.  As a guide, I've repaired numerous pieces of "durable and built to last" backpacking gear out on a trip.  Avoid this happening to you by heading to an outfitter and buying a new pack, getting fitted properly and learning how to use it.  Can't afford a new pack for the once-a-year trip you're about to take? There are plenty of gear rental companies out there to help you out!  Try looking online for a local place where you're headed into the woods, or check out a website like Get Out Backpacking for ultralight gear rental you can do online.  

Carrying Too Much Gear

Just because you bought it doesn't mean it needs to come out on the trip with you!  While many outdoors aisles have lots of fun and cool-looking outdoor tools you don't necessarily need to bring them on a trip!  Carry a small Swiss Army knife instead of that Leatherman multitool.  Leave the hatchet and saw at home.  A solar charger is useless under most tree canopies.  Cosmetics and deodorants will melt.  A full camp kitchen isn't necessary.  And last, but not least, you aren't going to need a different set of hiking clothes every single day.  By going through your pack and eliminating extra items you'll be able to shave a few pounds off your pack's overall weight.  By carrying less weight you'll decrease your chance for injury and have a more enjoyable trip.  Remember - a pack should never be more than 20% of your total body weight!

Carrying Outdated Gear

Now, I'm not saying that the gear you bought in the late 90's isn't any good any more.  I'm sure it's great!  But, what I am saying is that it might be time to retire that heavy gear to your front country camping stash instead.  Over the last several years backpacking gear has become significantly lighter and more advanced.  While it was common for thru hikers to carry 30-40 pound packs back in the 90's it is no longer necessary for hikers to carry that kind of weight.  By updating your gear piece by piece you'll save yourself quite a few pounds.  One of my favorite switches is a water filtration system.  Commonly weighing a pound or more, the old-fashioned water pumps are no longer necessary with options out on the market today.  Consider switching to a Sawyer Mini or Squeeze system and ditch that Nalgene bottle for a Smartwater bottle and you've saved yourself nearly two pounds and only spent about $20.  

Take More Breaks

As a guide, I teach people not only how to update, replace, or even buy gear properly, I also teach people how to hike properly.  Just because you did a 15-mile hike the last time you went into the woods doesn't necessarily mean you can still do 15 miles without any training time again!  By taking a slower pace and taking a few snack and stretch breaks along the way you'll not only get to camp in one piece, you'll also wake up the next morning with fewer aches and pains.  I recommend taking a 5-minute break every hour to take off your pack and roll out your neck (because looking down at the ground for an hour can really do a number on you) and stretch out your legs.  Snack breaks, even if you're not hungry, can help your body recover before you can even tell that you need to.  Taking small sips of water throughout the day will also go a long way against preventing dehydration.  

These are just a few of many tips I could offer to help make your first (or first in a while) backpacking trip go successfully.  What are some mistakes you made when you first became a backpacker?  What advice would you give someone who wants to try to go out on their own for the first time? 

My Favorite Gear for Newbies

Backpacking gear can be daunting, especially for newbies!  When I first started backpacking several years ago it seemed like it was really difficult to discern what gear I wanted to buy and what could wait.  While I had many friends who were backpackers, not all of them were looking to get the same experiences out of a trip that I was.  While some backpackers are able to carry bigger packs and heavier weights, this was definitely not something I could do!  After a few years of trial and error with gear I've narrowed down what works best for me.  As a person who now leads guided backpacking trips for a living, helping people pick out some great essential pieces of gear is something I do on a constant basis.  Here are the five things I've picked as my favorite gear for new backpackers.  

1) Sawyer Mini Water Filter  This water filter is light, small, fast, and easy to use.  You can even use it inline on your Camelbak/Platypus/Osprey hydration pack to make water filtration fail proof!  I love using this filter inline while I'm hiking and I'll set it us as a gravity system for filtration in camp at night.  With filtration being this easy, you have no excuses to not filter water. 

2) JetBoil Flash Stove  While there are lighter stoves on the market, stoves don't get much easier to use than the JetBoil Flash.  This stove has a built in ignitor to make lighting the stove with a lighter/match/flint completely unnecessary.  Add to the fact that the pot has an integrated cosy, tight fighting lid, and a built on cup and you've got a pretty simple system that any newbie will appreciate!  I use this stove when I'm guiding trips due to the speed of the boiling and it's great when you've got hungry hikers to feed. 

3) Black Diamond Storm Headlamp  This headlamp has lots of neat features in a tiny package.  While you can definitely find lighter and cheaper ones out on the market, this one has all the features you've ever needed in a light.  The brightest setting is up to 250 lumens which makes it great for an impromptu night hike.  It also has the all important red light setting on it, which not only helps you keep your night vision but also keeps from waking up the entire shelter when you need to get up in the middle of the night.  My favorite feature of  all is the lock feature - you turn this feature on and your light won't turn on in your pack.  Stopping for lunch and discovering your headlamp has been on all morning is a real bummer - and battery killer!

4) Z Packs Cuben Fiber Stuff Sacks   Cuben fiber is expensive stuff, but great backpacking gear is an investment and take it from me, I wish I would have bought these a LONG time ago.  Cuben fiber is strong and light and practically indestructible stuff.  I currently have their food bag and a medium sized sack for my clothes.  They're great for keeping my stuff waterproofed, especially for those long rainy nights my food is hanging off my bear line.   

5) Thermarest Inflatable Sleeping Pad  I truly believe you'll get a better night's sleep on an inflatable mattress over one of the roll-up or accordion style foam pads.  After a while foam pads will start to break down whereas I've actually given away my old inflatables as hand-me-downs to other backpackers and they're still going strong.  In fact, the company I work for still has old Thermarest pads from the 1990s that we send out with clients today!  While there are many other brands on the market to chose from, I personally use a Thermarest and it's a brand I'd highly recommend to anyone.  

These are just a few of my favorite pieces of gear to recommend to newbie backpackers.  What is something you would add to this list?  What piece of gear was most beneficial to you when you were learning to backpack?

I'm linking up with Courtney, Cynthia and Mar and some of the other folks who link up with us – and please don’t forget to link to your hosts if you are participating!

Indian Flats Falls - A Tuesday Adventure

My recent trek on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia may have been cut short, but I still had an opportunity to go hiking over the weekend.  My friend Shannon and I headed up the Middle Prong Trail to see Indian Flats Falls on a chilly, overcast Sunday morning.  Since Spring Break season is finally over, we are in that beautiful lull period between vacations and summertime making for an easier commute to the park, as well as for emptier trails.  This peaceful and relatively easy hike began in a nearly empty parking area and really gave us the solitude we were looking for. 

Middle Prong Trail begins at the very end of the gravel road in the Tremont section of the Smokies.  After crossing a large steel bridge, you begin following an old railroad bed up the trail at a gentle grade.  The first 3/4 of a mile on this trail follow alongside the Middle Prong of the Little River - the water on one side and rocks and downed trees on the other.  This scenic first portion of our hike had us seeing blooming doghobble, several varieties of wildflowers, and mosses growing on the rocks and decaying logs.  It was incredible peaceful walking next to the water as well.  When you hit the 0.7 mile mark on this trail there was a bench off to the left overlooking a waterfall.  The waterfall here is actually the remains of a splash dam used by the logging companies.  The trail from here turned a little bit rockier and muddier due to horse use, but still followed the same gentle grade.  Approximately 2 miles in there is a well-defined side trail off to the right where you can find an old skeleton of a Cadillac from the 1930s off in the woods.  According to local lore, the car belonged to a foreman of the logging camp.  The car quit running one day and the men of the work crew got it off the road, and pushed it to where it still remains today. 

The skeleton of a Cadillac. 

After hopping back on trail from our snack break at the Cadillac, we continued up the hill through an area of old fields, once farmed by the Walker family.  A little further up we came to the site of the former CCC camp where at one time a crew of 172 men lived in the area.  These men created trails, bridges, and roads in the park during the late 1930s.  All that remains of the camp today is a brick chimney.  Now that we walked through the camp the trail begins to switchback up the hill and across a wide bridge.  At the bridge you've gone 3.5 miles from the parking area.  The trail switches back a few more times before coming to an unmarked side trail off to the right.  This is the site of Indian Flats Falls.  We took the side trail down about 0.25 miles and were treated to a serene sight - not one other person at the waterfall!  We got a few photos and took a lunch break before heading back down to our car.  After leaving the waterfall, we passed many other hikers headed up to the waterfall for the day.  We were very glad to have gotten an earlier start!

The fallen chimney of the CCC camp. 

Indian Flats Falls. 

Indian Flats Falls is a great beginner hike here in the Smokies!  The old railroad grade makes for easy walking and everyone loves a waterfall!  Since this trail is an out-and-back hike, you'll get approximately 8 miles of hiking in.  Over the course of nearly 4 miles you gain approximately 1000 feet of elevation, so you'll barely gain 250 feet of elevation per mile.  If you want to try this hike, drive to the Tremont section of the Smokies.  Instead of turning left into the Tremont institute, go straight onto the gravel road instead.  Driving approximately 2.5 miles on this road you'll dead end into the parking area.  From here, cross the steel bridge and bear left at the fork in the trail (the right side of the fork is a nature trail).  Elevation and map for this hike are below.  

Map and elevation profile for Indian Flats Falls. 

Have you ever hiked Indian Flats Falls?  What do you think of this area of the park? I'd love to talk with you about your favorite hikes.  Leave me a comment below or find me on Facebook or Twitter to get the conversation started!