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.
