When it ends and it’s time to head home.

But what if the hike didn’t end and you didn’t have to go home?

That would be backpacking. 

Imagine, for instance, that instead of sadly piling into the car and heading home after 5 or 8 or 10 miles on the trail, you pitch camp, make dinner, then enjoy the quiet of the backcountry and the transition from day to dusk to dark. Then, awake the next morning and repeat.

Backpacking has a reputation of being for the hardcore, for those up for totting 60-pound packs for 20 miles, of eating beans ’n’ weenies from a can, of sleeping (or trying to) in a damp tent. 

‘Roughing it’ the modern way

In fact, modern backpacking is about carrying as little weight as you like (for a price, of course); of dining on dehydrated gourmet meals; of sleeping in a cozy, dry nylon shelter; of hiking in less than a mile, if you like, to camp.

It’s that latter fact that we emphasize with our 10-year-old GetBackpacking! program. Though we try to keep it light, we also have a thing for comfort. That means eating well, having hot coffee first thing in the morning, having a comfy chair to sit in and enjoy a cup of tea at day’s end. That means having a pack that might way 30 pounds (as opposed to an ultralight pack weighing in at less than 10 pounds), but a pack you may carry only a mile or two, which we can do because we’re big fans of basecamp backpacking: Hike in a short distance to a primitive site, establish basecamp, do day hikes with a 5-pound daypack from there. The advantages of a primitive camp without the pain of getting there, plus getting to hike twice as far — and see twice as much — in a featherweight daypack. 

2023 is Year of the Trail in North Carolina and one of our goals is get you on the trail — and keep you there. There’s no better way to do that than backpacking.

5 of Our Favorite Trips

In one last push to get your attention, we’ll share video from five of our favorite backpack trips. And if you’re not a backpacker, stick around until the end. We’ll tell you how you can become one.

Virginia Triple Crown 

Appalachian Trail: Carvers Gap to US 19E

Shining Rock via Big East Fork

Wilson Creek area of the Pisgah National Forest 

Neusiok Trail, Croatan National Forest

* * *

GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking

We launched our GetBackpacking! program in 2014; since then, we’ve graduated more than 250 new backpackers. Here’s the plan for our Spring 2023 session:
* Getting to know you, getting to know your gear. In this Zoom session we’ll spend a little time getting to know one another and learning why you’re interested in backpacking. Then, we’ll go over the different types of gear, focusing on good options for beginners. 1.5 hours.
* Training Day. In full gear, we will meet at Morrow Mountain State Park for a 5-hour training session that will go over: Evaluating a campsite, setting up camp, breaking camp, meal preparation (including the various food and cooking options on the trail), and more. Expect to hike about 4 miles in full pack, during which we will work on hiking technique (including the use of trekking poles); ensuring a good pack fit by adjusting your pack during the hike to make sure it continues to fit; and more.
* Graduation hike. Three-day, two-night trip to South Mountains State Park, a great place for your first trip.
Cost of the program is $325 — $295 if you sign up by Jan. 15! The class includes:

• Instruction, including:
  • Zoom gear session
  • 5-hour in-field training session
  • Graduation weekend
• Info packet, including:
  • Gear lists
  • Tips sheets for:
    • Packing
    • Water crossings
    • Winter camping
    • GetBackpacking! Guide to 10 Great Places to Backpack in North Carolina once you’ve graduated
• eguide outlining the program and covering what you’ll learn
• 20 percent off coupon to Great Outdoor Provision Co.

Loaner gear. We have a limited number of backpacks and tents available on a first-requested, first-awarded basis, at no extra charge.’

Important Dates:
• Getting to know you, getting to know your gear, Zoom meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15, 6 – 7 p.m.
• Training Day: Saturday, March 18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Morrow Mountain State Park, Albemarle
• Graduation trip: Friday afternoon thru Sunday, April 14-16, South Mountains State Park, Morganton.

For more information and to sign up to join us, go here.

Basecamp backpacking

Curious about basecamp backpacking, where you hike in a short distance, establish basecamp, then day-hike from there? Learn more about it — and our 5 favorite basecamp destinations —at this post from 2021, “5 of Our Favorite Basecamp Backpack Trips.”

The post Backpacking: A Hike that Doesn’t End appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

You learn a lot while backpacking, especially about yourself. I’m pretty sure the nine backpackers I spent this past weekend with in Linville Gorge know a lot more about themselves today than they did before our trip.

The weekend trip was an Intermediate Skills trip, meaning participants needed some backcountry experience, though not necessarily in a wilderness. It was targeted to people eager to expand their skills and push their comfort level. And that they did.

Late Friday afternoon, within 20 minutes of heading south on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail from Table Rock, the rain started. By the time we neared Chimney Gap, an electrical storm passed overhead. We hunkered down in this low spot for 15 minutes before the electrical portion of the storm moved on. We continued in a pretty good rain out of the gap. The rain had us focused on the fluid trail in front of us, as we picked our way around puddles and mini-torrents. While we were looking down, and not around, we missed a crucial turn and started heading downhill. It didn’t feel entirely wrong, based on previous trips, but it didn’t feel right, either. After 20 minutes of descending, the low clouds lifted just enough to reveal, to the south, the ridge we should have been on.

Forty minutes later we regained the MST and continued south. The rain was steady, and waves of unsteady air sparked and rumbled around us. It was 8:30 and almost dark.

We reached an area called Rock Peak, where the trail is especially hard to keep. We lost it, found it, lost it. When we found it again, we headed in the direction from which we had come, which was the wrong direction. The first campsites we came to, at about 10:45 p.m., were where we had taken the wrong turn more than 3 hours earlier (though we didn’t realize that until morning). The rain lightened, the backpackers quickly pitched camp, ate, crawled into their tents.

The next morning: unfazed

When morning come and I explained what had happened, that we’d basically done three hours of extra credit hiking in full pack in a storm, it was more of a “Huh!” moment, rather than a “Let’s-get-the-hike-leader!” pitchforks-and-torches moment.

“The gorge is the gorge,” Bruce said with a smile and a shrug.

There was more news to be delivered. Our plan going in was a 20-mile loop of the gorge that included two crossings of the Linville River. In backpacking circles, it’s a pretty big deal to loop Linville Gorge: most folks usually stick to either the east or west sides, avoiding a challenging river crossing. The crossings — the chance to pick up a new backcountry skill — was a big draw of the trip.

Before the group arrived, I’d hiked in and checked one of the crossings, at Spence Ridge Trail: the river was about six inches above where it needed to be for a safe crossing, and the six hours of rain overnight had added to that. It also ruled out the less-challenging crossing at the end of the gorge, where the river fans to 60 yards and is typically shin deep with a mellow current. Today, it would not be mellow.

“New plan,” I announced. “We’ll hike to Shortoff Mountain, set up camp, dry out, catch some sun, enjoy the view.” Our trip had gone from rollicking wilderness adventure to an afternoon of catching rays.

The group wasn’t fazed.

“Sounds good,” said Joe, who was backpacking with his two college-age sons.

“That’s backpacking,” Brandon added.

Lessons learned

At dinner that evening, Alison noted what a learning experience the hike had been.

“Maybe we didn’t do the river crossings,” said Alison, “but we got to hike at night, we got to hike in the rain, we got to navigate a wilderness area in the dark. That’s pretty good.”

“Maybe this should be an advanced skills trip,” suggested Sue.

Jason captured the essential lesson of the trip: “I learned not to panic.”

It would have been easy to lose it when we discovered we had descended nearly a mile on the wrong trail. It would have been easy to throw up our hands when the third electrical storm rolled overhead. And it would have been easy to yell “Why? Why!?” when, exhausted, we were three hours overdue at camp.

The most telling moment of the trip came at Rock Peak, at the peak of the storm, where the trail simply disappeared. Without needing a prompt, everyone began their own trail search. Everyone remained focused and calmly committed to finding a place to pitch camp for the night. No one panicked. No one came close. We had a problem to solve, and we were going to solve it.

Daily, we deal with situations that try our nerves and test our patience, from getting cut off in traffic to having technology fail us. We seem to spend some days doing nothing but solving one problem after another.

For the nine backpackers I took into the gorge this past weekend, those daily problems won’t seem quite as daunting.

* * *

GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking

Backpacking won’t solve all your problems, but it can help you become a better problem solver! If you’re interested in backpacking,  our next GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking class begins the end of August.  This three-part program includes a gear session (get to know the basic backpacking gear and how to pack a pack, via Zoom on Aug. 24); a six-hour training session at Morrow Mountain State Park that goes over setting up camp, tearing down camp, cooking and nutrition (Saturday, Aug. 27); and culminates with a weekend graduation backpack trip to South Mountains State Park (Sept. 23-25). Some loaner gear is available, on a first-come basis. Learn more and sign up here.

The post Lessons learned navigating Linville Gorge appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Most of us hike in the protective bubble of a group, and that’s a good thing. You have people around should anything happen: a twisted ankle, overheating, you emerge from deep conversation to discover you have no idea where you are. Critters, including the few potentially harmful ones, are more likely to scatter when they hear a group approach. Strangers present less of a danger when you’re in a group. And there’s the social element.

All good things. Usually.

But consider: Those critters that scatter when they hear a mob approach? That’s one less coveted experience you’ll have in nature. Strangers present far less of a danger on the trail; in fact, they’re likely to advise you about something up ahead that you shouldn’t miss; at the very least, you’ll probably get a smile and a hello. And frankly, sometimes, you don’t want the constant squawk of conversation: You want that disconnected solitude that is such plus when you’re in the woods.

And yet, there’s that nagging fear factor. A factor likely born of the unknown, since you likely haven’t tried it yet. As Irish author James Stephens once noted, “Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will.”
So, aren’t you the least bit curious about what hiking alone is like? You must be if you’ve read this far.

Today, we offer some quick tips about hiking alone, then an opportunity to explore solo hiking further.

When to hike

At least at first, hike when you know there will be other people on the trail. Yes, a goal of hiking alone is to be alone But initially, you’ll want the assurance of others nearby. Here’s when hikers are more likely to be on the trail:

• Winter: Saturday 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.; Sunday afternoon.
• Spring: All day Saturday and Sunday; early evenings weekdays one Daylight Saving Time kicks in.
• Fall: All day Saturday and Sunday
• Summer: mornings between 7 and 9 a.m.; evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday morning, Sunday morning.

Where to hike

Where’s  a good place to hike solo? Start with:

• Trails you know. You’re familiar with these trails; even if you’ve only hiked them with a group and you’ve followed the leader, you still have a better chance of recognizing and following the trail, even a trail that’s crossed multiple times, or a route consisting of multiple trails. 
• Trails with a cell signal. Even in an urban area, not all trails have cell service — and thus, a way to summon help if the need arises. Eventually, you may feel comfortable enough to hike remote locations without service. When that happens, you’ll want to invest in a GPS tracking system, such as Spot, In-Reach or Zoleo.

Always take the 10 Essentials

Hiking with a group, if you scrape a knee or run out of sunlight, someone on the hike likely has  a bandage or an extra headlamp. When you’re on your own, you need to be prepared. In your pack — you should always hike with a pack, no matter how short a hike — you should have these 10 essentials:

1. Water
2. Snacks
3. Map
4. Compass
5. First-aid kit
6. Headlamp/flashlight
7. Rain gear/extra clothes
8. Matches, fire starter
9. Duct tape
10. Knife/multi-tool

Safety

• Listen and be aware. If you must wear headphones, wear cheap ones that don’t cancel the noise around you. Rattlesnakes make noise for a reason: to advise you to back off.
• Let someone know where you’re hiking and when you plan to be back. And when you do get back, let them know you’ve returned safely.
• Take medications. Both yours (you might end up in the woods past your scheduled administering time) and Zyrtec or a comparable non-drowsy antihistamine in the event you have an allergic reaction, and ibuprofen, which can mean the difference between hobbling back to the trailhead and maybe getting in an extra mile or two. Also wear a Medic Alert bracelet, or take comparable identification alerting others to any conditions you might have.
• Take a first-aid kit.  Even the basic $10 pre-packaged kit has most of what you might need to handle minor injuries.

Watch the time

True, you’re in the woods to escape the constraints of time, but you also need to be cognizant of it, lest you discover the sun is about to set and you’re still an hour from the trailhead.

Watch the weather

When hiking on your own it’s especially important to check the weather forecast before heading out. If it looks like rain moving in around 3, plan to be back by 2:30. Keep an eye on the radar. Before heading out, check the radar (most weather apps offer that option) to make sure nothing unexpected is moving in. (Keep in mind that on a hot summer day thunderstorms can pop up out of nowhere.) And above all, keep an eye on the sky. This can be especially challenging in summer, when the canopy is leafed out and long views are a challenge. Check it out when you can.

Trouble?

Despite the best preparation and planning, trouble can arise. The good news is that regardless of where you’re hiking, you only need to know one phone number to summon help: 911. Call 911, and they will not only dispatch help, they will notify the appropriate land manager who can respond as well.

* * *

Hike Solo (with us!)

Hiking alone for the first time needn’t be a lonely experience. Not when you start without GetHiking! Hiking Solo class. Here’s what it entails:

• GetHiking! Guide to Hiking Solo. Our tips sheet covers everything, from the Advantages of hiking alone to everything you need to bring with you, including Zyrtec.
• Zoom tutorial session. In this half-hour Zoom session we look at the main concerns of hiking solo, then go over what to expect on your first solo hike and how to prepare for it.
• Solo Hike (sorta). We meet at a local trailhead, review the key elements of hiking on your own, then go for a solo hike. With a maximum of 7 hikers, we send hikers off in two-minute intervals, with the hike leader two minutes behind the last student. We meet at the midpoint to see how everyone is faring and answer questions, then set off again, in two-minute intervals.

Fee: $75

Our next session begins with the Zoom gathering Thursday, July 14, at 6 p.m., and the hike on Saturday, July 16, at 9 a.m. at Eno River State Park in Durham.

Sign up to join us here.

The post Hiking solo tips (and a class) appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

One way to make that happen? Become a hiker.

OK, maybe you have hiked. Maybe a friend convinced you to go for a short hike last year. Maybe you even did a New Year’s Day hike. We’re not talking about sampling the product. We’re talking about becoming an avid, hiking-boot-owning, guide-book-wielding, join-the-American-Hiking-Society hiker. A bonafide hiker.

Yeah, I dunno. Maybe …

On the fence? Well, let’s consider the myriad of benefits derived from hiking regularly, among them:

• Hiking reduces your chances of heart disease.
• Hiking on a regular basis can lower blood pressure by 4 to 10 points.
• A frequent walk in the woods can help reduce your chances of getting diabetes. If you already have the disease, hiking, combined with proper diet, can reduce or even eliminate the need for insulin therapy.
• As a weight-bearing exercise, hiking can help stave off osteoporosis.
• A regular exercise program centered around hiking, coupled with a sound diet, can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Depending upon your pace and other factors, you can burn up to 500 calories per hour hiking.

Those are just some. You can read about more here.

But probably the best health benefit of taking a walk in the woods? It clears your head.

When we started our hiking program in 2013, our goal was to give a physical outlet to people stuck at work all week, a chance to manage all of the above. To our surprise, we found that the vast majority of participants were there to simply zone out for a couple of hours. In the nine years since, we’ve found that the majority of our hikers are motivated by the mental benefits of hiking, of being able to detach for a while and let the mind loose to wander. The physical rewards — the weight loss, the improved cardiovascular health, the building of stronger bones — was gravy.

What we’ve also discovered is that the main thing holding folks back from getting involved was fear of the unknown. What do I wear for a hike? What should I take with me? Where should I even go? And will there be bears?

Which is why we started a program aimed at beginners that not only answers these questions, but builds the novice into a competent, confident hiker.

Our GetHiking! Series for the Aspiring Hiker starts with an introductory half-hour Zoom session designed to address basic concerns —clothes, shoes, bears — before the first hike. Then, over the course of the 10-week program we:

• Take weekly hikes at different venues designed to introduce you to the local hiking options and also to build your stamina: we start with a 2.5-mile hike and build up to 5 miles.
• Send a weekly enewsletter with tips, resources, gear recommendations, and a guide for that week’s hike
• Send you a Guide to 25 Triangle Trails to introduce you to even more trails
• Give you a copy of “Let’s GetHiking! A Quick and Comprehensive Guide for the Aspiring Hiker (Second Edition),” a 109-page guide with everything an aspiring hiker needs to know.

Best of all, you can get started right away: our next 10-week session starts Wednesday, March 23, at 6 p.m. and runs every Wednesday evening through May 18.

Spring officially begins Sunday. Make the most of it by becoming a hiker!

* * * 

GetHiking! Spring 2022 Series for the Aspiring Hiker

Learn more about our hiking program for beginners and sign up to join us by going here for individual hikers, here for couples and families. Starts Wednesday, March 23 and runs through Wednesday, May 18.

GetHiking! Spring 2022 Sunday Afternoon Hike Series

Already a hiker, but looking for a structured program to help you make the most of the spring hiking season? Join our GetHiking! Spring 2022 Sunday Afternoon Hike Series, with 10 weekly hikes at 1 p.m., each at different venues. Learn more and sign up to join us by going here for individual hikers, here for couples and families. Starts Sunday, March 20 and runs through Sunday, May 22.

The post It’s Spring: Become a Hiker appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Fall in North Carolina is the time to go backpacking. Daytime highs gradually dip and overnight lows are perfect for snugging into a down bag and getting a long night’s rest. From Shining Rock to the Smokies, the AT to the MST, the woods beckon for an extended stay. The glorious yellows, reds and oranges of leaves changing color is but one sign of the natural world slowing down for winter; you can experience also the stillness and the dwindling yet increasingly brilliant sunlight knifing through the woods.

You backpackers know what I’m talking about; you non-backpackers might be wishing you did. And you can.

If you’re not a backpacker today, you can be one by the time fall kicks in. We have two GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking classes scheduled for fall. The first starts this Sunday and the second on Oct. 15. Both consist of three training sessions, each focused on a  specific skill, each including increasingly longer hikes in full pack. We start with gear and packing a pack, move on to setting up and breaking down camp, then get out our spork and camp stove with a session on trail food.

We end with a trip, a two-night, three-day visit to South Mountains State Park. Here, you’ll put your newfound skills to the test, and experience autumn like you’ve not experienced it before.

Ready to start? Check it out here:

• GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking: September session
• GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking: October session

If you’re already a backpacker, we’re thinking of you as well. While this is the time to be out and about savoring the trail, it’s also the time to be planning ahead — for that epic hike that’s been on your mind. The 77-mile Foothills Trail. The 1,175-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The Long Trail. The John Muir. The AT.

This fall, in conjunction with our friends at Great Outdoor Provision Co., we’re holding a series of Pints & Paths sessions on Tuesday nights (to keep your weekends free for backpacking!). From 5:30 to 6:30 we’ll enjoy a local craft beer, then settle in and listen to folks who’ve been there talk about their experiences on America’s premier trails. You’ll have first-hand access to hikers who have done the planning, worked out the the logistics, hiked the trail. Stay tuned for more details.

Finally, for active backpackers itching to get out on the trail, our friends at the LandTrust for Central North Carolina are planning a four-day, 40-mile Uwharrie Trail Thru-Hike. There are 13 slots left for this 70-person event. For more details, check out the Uwharrie Trail Thru-Hike.

Happy trails!

Joe

The post Three Great Opportunities for Backpackers appeared first on GetGoing NC!.