Often times when I meet new people, my friends will introduce me as their "outdoorsy" friend, or as a rock climber, a backpacker, or some combination of those things. I usually get the most questions about climbing because it's so steeped in mystery and danger. It's that fatal combination that people, including me, find sexy. But, when I am introduced as "outdoorsy", a climber, etc. I always try to emphasize the backpacker part above all else. After all, it's what I enjoy most of all of my outdoor activities (much like a fairy dies every time someone declares "I don't believe in fairies", there is a climber somewhere who died because I admitted publicly that climbing isn't my favorite activity ever). Backpacking doesn't get nearly the sexy wrap that it should. The dangers of it aren't as readily obvious as they are in climbing and people rarely see glamour in strapping all of your stuff to your back and walking into the wilderness. Most people think that activity is only appropriate for homeless people, vagabonds, or gypsies, all of whom are frowned upon. But backpacking IS sexy. It's wild and dangerous, yet beautiful and demanding; all of the things you envision your perfect lover to be.
First off, what exactly qualifies as backpacking? For the purposes of this post, I'm not referring to the method of international travel, which I also do, but rather I'm referring to the hiking-into-the-wilderness kind of backpacking. Strap all of your food, sleeping gear, and general survival equipment to your back and off you go! Backpacking is also very different from day hiking. One of the most common conversations I have is with people who have gone day hiking and then begin talking to me about how strenuous hiking is. Now, I am not here to demean day hiking. Some of the most brutal hikes I've done were day hikes. But, that being said, backpacking is a whole different beast. Day hiking involves carrying a pack with a sandwich, water bottle, and camera (for most people). Backpacking involves carrying the weight of all of your food, camping equipment (e.g., tent, sleeping bag, clothes, cookware), and possibly water for any number of days. So, imagine doing a day hike with a pack that weighs anywhere between 25-60 lbs or even possibly more. Also, backpacking days are usually longer than day hikes. They're designed to be so, which is why you have a tent and a sleeping bag.
Aside from the literal heavy lifting, backpacking is focused on hiking. It's a walk in the woods, literally. Or a walk in the mountains, on the coast, or wherever your wilderness of choice happens to be. The views of the world are just about unbeatable. Being without cell reception and not seeing people for long stretches hold a lot of appeal to a city slicker like me. I'm a gym rat so what I like about backpacking is that while it is incredibly physically demanding, it forces you to slow down. When you're living in the middle of the woods, you can't help but to stop to look around. It really forces you to be in the moment with where you are. There are no cell phones, computers, or gadgets to distract you. Just you and nature, and whoever you might have along with you. It's amazing how much better food tastes when you've earned it. It's amazing how much better you sleep, even though you're sleeping on the ground. It's quiet. It's serene. Yet, it's dangerous and wild. There are no barriers between you and the world. It's dangerous because you're alone, in the middle of nowhere, there are animals, and any number of opportunities for injury. And yet...it's so worth it. Waking up with the sun and not the sound of an alarm clock. Going to sleep when you feel like it. Making your home wherever looks good. It's a great time to get some reading done (paperbacks, of course). It's an amazing way to bond with friends, family, and lovers. When there is no TV to watch, no email to check, no phone calls to return, you get to know people really well. That goes double for when you are on a backpacking trip with them because you get to see them at their most primal.
An example of the primal side of people: I was once on a backpacking trip in Olympic National Park in Washington. We got to our first camp site and pitched our tent, made dinner, and then stored all of our food and scented items in our bear canister. At this particular site, there was another party camping roughly 100 yards away from us. After swearing off water past 8 PM, I attempted to pee one last time (I hate having to get up in the middle of the night, especially while camping on snow pack), and turned in around 10. Around midnight I was startled awake by the sounds of the other party's cookware hitting the ground. There could only be two reasons why that would've happened: someone got up to pee and smashed into it because they forgot their headlamp or a bear. It turned out to be the latter. I could hear it's footsteps crunching in the snow. I'd been in bear country before and even seen them while on the trail, but this was the first time I'd encountered one in my camp. I momentarily panicked. I tried to wake my partner, but after a few grumbled words he rolled over and went back to sleep. I decided that I would try to calm my adrenaline rush and do the same. But then the bear got closer. It sounded like it was going through our cooking stuff. OFFICIAL FLIP OUT TIME. I whacked my partner good and then semi-calmly whispered "There is a bear in our camp" into his ear. He was instantly awake. We strategized about our plan of action. We had no weapons in the tent and not much to make noise with. We were terror stricken for a good 45 minutes before he decided to leave the tent. When he left the tent, he grabbed one of our nearby hiking poles for use as a weapon. Thankfully, the bear had gone. But, we did set up our first line of defense in case it came back: metal water bottles strategically placed on rocks. I know, I know; alert security companies everywhere that we are about to revolutionize the field. Happily, the rest of the night proceeded bear-free, though I was also sleep-free due to my adrenal gland working possibly a little too well.
What I hope you take away from this story is not that backpacking is terrifying and only for the fool hardy. While that may be true, what was amazing about that particular experience is that is brought my partner and I closer together. We had faced a truly frightening and possibly deadly situation together. We both reacted calmly and coolly, he especially, and learned to trust each other in such a stressful situation. We laugh about the story now and joke that I was ready to burrow my way through the floor of the tent and not stop until I hit Alberqurque. We joke that my fight or flight response is so powerful that I might die of a heart attack the next time I see a bug in the shower. We joke about using hiking poles as lances and swords and have been known to dual on trails with each other. But it's also the story of how we faced down the big bad bear. While this bear happened to be physical, it's not a long shot to understand how we also learned to trust each other when facing the big bad metaphorical bear.
Backpacking teaches you a lot about yourself and those around you. I honestly don't know if it's backpacking specifically that is responsible for this, or just living in nature away from modern life that can claim credit. Either way, it's a good way to get to know yourself and what you're capable of. It pushes in ways you could never anticipate, though you certainly try, which is why you bring survival gear. It surprises you in ways you'd never think possible. And, it gives you a hell of a plethora of stories to tell the next time someone introduces you as "outdoorsy."
Many of you are still thinking that this sounds like a terrible idea but here's the real kicker. If you have the equipment, backpacking is a cheap vacation. It's cheap and what better way to experience a place than to be sleeping on the ground in the middle of it? All you need is the cost of actually getting to and from the trail head and the food that you'll need for your trip. That's it! I might recommend springing for a hotel before you get back in the car, plane, or train cabin though. That first shower is pretty goddamn priceless in my mind and people who are trapped in the car, plane, or train will thank you for not smelling like a backpacker while they're forcible enclosed in a small space with you. All in all, if I haven't sold you on why backpacking is amazing, trust me when I say that it's what my writing is lacking and not what the activity is.
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