To Discover is to be Naive

Ultra light backpacking is like any trip into nature, it is meant for discovery. Not just some cheesy discovery of the soul type thing but seeing and experiencing different views, temperatures, situations and yes discovery of your own limits. To discover is to be naïve. By this I mean that there are things you must know, things you need to know before venturing into nature with minimal supplies. But there is only so much one can know without first experiencing it for yourself. This is the naivety of discovery.

The internet and television ruin discovery. On the internet one can read hundreds of different gear lists from hundreds of different ultra light backpackers. One can read thousands of articles pertaining to camping and survival. The time you can spend reading and discovering what is the “right” gear to take might mean you don’t even venture out into nature and live the backpacking experience. You can read reviews of tents and clothing without testing for yourself what works. This is over-analyzing your trip. Should you read a few articles to get an idea of what you need and perhaps what worked for others? Definitely. But the truth is, you will never know what makes you comfortable or keeps you warm better than living it.

Television too ruins discovery by showcasing shows and stars who put themselves in survival situations, mostly so you can live vicariously through them. Unless of course one watches them to learn, but even then, the lessons are repetitive and really only truly knowable until you have lived in that moment. Bear Grylls television show imparts some knowledge but much of it is purely for show, however enjoyable, it has little merit to the lone traveler in relation to survival. While backpacking is not meant for survival, it surely has the potential. The only show I know that is truly a teaching tool is Survivorman. Les Stroud is all alone, with help days away. His use of primitive techniques and minimal gear is of much use to backpackers of all kinds.

While internet and television (and magazines) can be useful, they can also be harmful to the discovery so many of us want on the trail. The need for the mind to think and rationalize in a situation where we may be in danger is essential to human thinking. It is the most basic, primitive knowledge one can posses. In that time, I would hope those that have seen or read useful tidbits would use them, but also that they would think and act in a manner that is primitive and yet mindful. Some knowledge can be taught but much of it is useless practiced. You can watch Bear Grylls or Les Stroud light fires all day long but until you go out there and make your own bow and hand drill, you cannot know what it means to attempt it.

Discovery should be naïve. It should be new and unexpected. It should make one desire to live and experience something else new and wonderful. Do not let yourself fall prey to the multitude of products on the market. You will surely drown in them. Buy what you need and go on. Learn from your mistakes and live the discovery. There may be discomfort but it is nothing you cannot handle (with some exceptions, but I’m talking moderate weather situations, maybe a thunderstorm or two). Imagine our ancestors who forged paths using much more primitive (and heavy) gear than we use today. Many survived where society was three to fours days out of reach. Today, there are not many places you can go where you are that far from civilization. Take caution, yes, but remember to leave discovery to yourself and not reserved only for television or the internet. Be naïve.

Itinerary

Ultra light backpacking incorporates a high fitness level along with a need for supplies designed to be light enough to carry essentials while keeping weight under 15-20 pounds. The main idea of going ultra light is to cover a good amount of distance each day (my goal being 20-25 miles). A lighter pack helps you achieve this by reducing the strain on your body of a heavy pack (30-70 pounds of weight certainly makes a slow go of hiking). My personal weight goal is 15-17 pounds (including food) on the first trip. To attain this goal many new items must be added to a normal campers pack, replacing heavy or bulky items they once found essential. The list below contains the items I deem essential to backpacking and survival if necessary.

Itinerary:

GoLite Jam Pack
Sog Seal Pup Elite knife
Jetboil foldaway fork, spoon and spatula
Fozzils fold-up bowls
Smith’s knife sharpener
Alps Mystique One person tent
Sleepcell Mummy sleeping bag (which I would like to trade out for a lighter bag)
Brooks Cascadia 5 running shoes
Mountain Hardwear weather resistant convertible pants
Icebreaker T-shirt (merino wool)
bandana
Alcohol stove w/fuel
Rain shell
Sun/rain hat
Titanium cup
70% Wool/30% synthetic socks (two pairs)
Point and Shoot Camera
Compass
Lighter
Magnesium striker
Waterproof matches
First aid/survival kit (detailed list coming soon)

These items all add up to around 12-13 pounds. The addition of food should put me around my target goal. I feel this list will be adequate for at least my first excursion. I may find I need more but for now I believe I am ready to go!

My Background and the Ultimate Question, What is Ultra Light Backpacking?

I have always enjoyed the outdoors, camping and running. As a child I remember camping in the Rockies and Mid-Missouri with my family. It was a great time. Waking up and walking through grass soaked in dew and the sounds of nature in the morning. Traipsing through the woods during the day and spending the night around the campfire listening to owls and cicadas. Nothing was better.

Running has also always been enjoyable to me although it has taken many different roles in my life. I first loved sprints mostly due to watching Carl Lewis in the Olympics, although I was never good at it. For many years afterward I wanted to do sprints and run the bases in baseball. Once I figured out it wasn’t my thing I decided to simply run. I found myself running a mile here and there but soon found that running farther was a great stress reliever. Five years ago I began running around three miles with the intent of quickly running a 5K. I ran my first and only 5K in 2006 and completed it in just over twenty-three minutes. Not the quickest time but it didn’t matter. I had fun. But then began the slow realization that competition was really not something I cared for. I ran afterwards unsure why I was doing it and what for. I still enjoyed it but began to question why should I continue? Around two years after the 5K I stopped running for nearly nine months. I knew I needed to start again to get away from the world.

Finally, in 2008 I started again for no real reason until I went camping alone in Colorado for a week. For months afterwards I reminisced about one particular day that I hiked all day, covering an estimated eleven or twelve miles (round trip) and wondered how great it would’ve been to have jogged part of it and kept going, covering even more mileage, stopping only briefly to take in wonderful sights, set up camp and eat. In the early part of 2010 the desire to do this had grown so much that I just wanted to pack stuff up and go. So I looked into what I would need to go camping with only lightweight, minimalistic supplies so that the ability to jog part of the trail would be possible. I discovered a whole world I had known nothing about, fastpacking or ultra light backpacking (I prefer the latter and will now only refer to it as such).

Ultra light backpacking consists of many levels of physical exertion but mostly, hiking, scrambling and jogging. The goal I believe is different depending on who you ask, mostly because it is a discipline designed not to compete with others but with yourself. And even then, I don’t really see it as a competition. I see it as a way to enjoy the outdoors, to immerse yourself in it. There is one common goal among those who practice the discipline, the ability to cover many miles (anywhere between 20-40 a day) sometimes for days, weeks or even months. You camp and live with only light weight essentials. It is an activity most people would shy away from. There are no creature comforts, no TV or ice cream or showers or mirrors with which to check your hair. None of that matters anyway, you are outdoors in a place that is so beautiful even in its most uncombed areas.

For the past year I have been preparing to go ultra light backpacking. Preparation has been difficult at times (monetary issues and twisted ankle to name a few) but I am nearly ready. Some supplies are still needed but the list is many times shorter than it was. My jogging has increased to 4-10 miles three days a week and I also take into account how much I walk at work (around 4-8 miles). I see no reason I cannot do twenty miles a day on my first two day excursion later this summer.

This seems the most logical next step. My love of the outdoors combined with the joys of jogging. I don't think anything could alleviate the stresses of the day quite like this. In this blog I will detail my preparations leading up to and following my first excursion. Anyone wishing to check on my status, supplies (list coming soon) or are merely interested in learning more about ultra light backpacking please check back soon and often.

Peace.