I started hiking/backpacking in 2004. My only regret is that I didn't start sooner. The feeling of being in the middle of the wilderness, miles and miles from anyone, relying on yourself and what you can carry on your back, is an exhilarating experience. A few years ago we took our most difficult hike. The Seven Devils Loop Trail in the Hells Canyon Wilderness of Idaho. It's listed as a 26.7 mile trail; however, with some trail additions and a 9 mile day hike we added near the end of the trip, it ended up being approximately 42 miles over 7 days.
It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. We had enough food and equipment, but I was not mentally prepared, at least for parts of it. The previous hikes we had done were at a moderate difficulty level, at best, and this hike was classed as strenuous.
We survived it, learned from it and are looking forward to our next hiking season.
The Boulder Chain Lakes was my first backpacking trip and it changed how I look at life.
I'm one of those people that moves from hobby to hobby, getting bored and moving on again. The only interests that have stayed with me are my love of reading and passion for music. I've thought about hiking almost everyday since that trip.
I was a little nervous when we started the hike. We'd been preparing for it since January, but the uncertainty of doing something new and possibly failing at it had me stressed. I wasn't worried about embarrasing myself. I just didn't want my friend to have to carry me out.
It was a long, painful hike in for me. It was ten miles from the trailhead to where we were going to camp for the week, Hatchet Lake. About a half mile from the trailhead we started to climb and my legs started to burn. It was a hellish day. I must have drunk five or six 32 oz Nalgene bottles dry. My pack didn't fit right and it was really straining muscles in my shoulders and back. Surprisingly, my feet did great. No blisters.
Even with the pain and exhaustion I was able to stop occasionally and appreciate the beautiful scenery. I took a lot of pictures that trip and even more a year later when we did the hike again.
The second hike, in 2005, was a lot easier then the first year. I think the difference was knowing what to expect and knowing I could survive it. Sounds a little dramatic considering the hike is only a moderate difficulty level, but trying anything new can be scary. My best advice is to learn everything you can about a trail and what you'll need before taking the trip. Get in shape and condition yourself for the long hours hiking. Be prepared for the worst and take every opportunity to enjoy the best.
Please check out some pictures from this trail by clicking on the photo in this post or by following the hiking links at the top of the page. You can also find GPS and Google Earth files as well as maps and more detailed trail descriptions by following the same link.
I started hiking/backpacking in 2004. My only regret is that I didn't start sooner. The feeling of being in the middle of the wilderness, miles and miles from anyone, relying on yourself and what you can carry on your back, is an exhilarating experience.
