My First Solo Backpacking Trip

Let me start off by saying, this was my very first backpacking experience ever! And I did it alone! Was I prepared? Nope! Was I familiar with the area? Absolutely! Could I have done it better? Oh yeah! Do I regret it? NO!

So I had done this 7+ mile loop in the Talladega National Forest several times before. And every time I left wishing I had just stayed the night. It is a well traveled area for day hikers and overnighters. Even to this day, I haven't made the full loop with out seeing other hikers or aleast pitched tents.

This time I left the house packed prepared (ish) to stay but in all honesty I thought I would chicken out! My gear was subpar to say the least. I lucked apon a small backpack on marketplace for $10. While it was super comfortable for day trips and perfectly designed for such, it was not a backpacking pack.. but it was what I had and what I had been using for day trips. I'll list out the items I packed below and add a few links so you can better understand how odd this experience may have looked.

Water bladder

Hammock plus straps

Velour Blanket

Sleeping bag

Snacks

Ziploc with first aid items

Headlamp

Battery Bank

Ta Daaa that's all! I laugh at myself now. But minus the sleeping bag, these were things I almost always had on me on day hikes. YES, I hiked with that velour blanket! It was so nice to snuggle up in the hammock and enjoy the view or solitude of the wilderness.

This wasn't so much about the hike but more of a way to clear my head. Hiking in general has been more or less therapeutic. While on trail my problems feel so small, it's easy to find clarity. Finding the nerve to backpack was just a way of extending that feeling. Some might say escapism. Although it wasn't like I was running from any of them but rather I had a found a way to easier process them. Maybe the exercise exhausts some of the anxiety so life is clear. Either way I took it and ran with it, lol.

I left the house, made the 1 1/2 hour drive that had been made dozens of time before. I got to the trail head about 11 am on a bright and sunny 65° Saturday morning in January. I threw my pack on my back and walked away from my car with no real intent to not walk right back up to it in a few hours. I was feeling good, though. About 3 miles in I ran into 2 men and young boy more lost than anyone I had ever encountered on this trail. Typically every trip to this loop I have to help someone navigate but these guys were completely turned around. After finally getting them back on track, I had alittle bit of an ego boost. I could do this! So I decided I would set up camp a couple of mile ahead at a popular look out. But when I arrived, there were several people already set up. Their setups were so nicely prepared. I felt out of place, so I kept walking. Hiking on with this woe is me attitude, discouraged, and attempting to pump my self up again.

The sun was starting to set. I was only about 2 miles from the trail head with easy hiking ahead so I decided to sit down and watch the sunset on this quiet cliff. I had never actually stopped to enjoy this view before so I knew I would aleast be gaining something new from this hike. And that would help lift my mood. It was one of the prettiest sunsets I had ever seen from that route. But as I sat there eating my snack and thinking over how I could improve my gear to feel more suited among others, I noticed two trees that would be perfect for my hammock! It was like those two trees were screaming "here's your chance, take it!". So I did. Just that simple, I set up my hammock. Snuggled up in my sleeping bag.

Around midnight the wind picked up on the ridge above me and the temperatures dropped in the lower 40s. I realized then that an underquilt is kind of a necessity. I took that velour blanket and wrapped it under my hammock as if it was an underquilt, knotting the ends over the top of each end. I was so worry the winds would eventually come over the ridge above me and freeze me out. But I stuck to it, attempting to sleep. I think around 3am I finally fell into a restful sleep. But around 6am I was wide awake covered in dew and ready to rule the day. I had never felt so calm and strong all at the same time. Like this it. This is what it's all about. This is living.

As I was sitting in my hammock watching the light from the sun gradually shine across the land below me, a guy around my age stopped to chat. We just talked about the winds from that night and how perfect the weather was that weekend. As we talked, all the feelings of being "out of place" I had felt the day before just went away. I felt welcomed. And not only welcomed but you know that place that you've never felt like you needed an invite to just show up. That place, I was there.

Below is my Instagram post from that morning.

I woke up changed. I knew this was "my thing". My dad called as I was nearly skipping through the last two miles of trail. I was so high on life yet trying to hide my excitement. He was just calling to chat. He was surprised to hear I was hiking out but wanting to hear all about my endeavor. I honestly thought I would hear words of discouragement being a female alone in the woods and all. Boy was I wrong! He was probably more excited than me. I'm tearing up as I type this. This was just one more time that my family has proven to always have my back! Maybe he could just hear the excitement as I talked and didn't want to bring me down. But since then he's only had an encouraging attitude so I like to think he was just excited for my happiness.

At the end of the day, I knew I had to improve. Underquilt and a tarp would be my next purchases. Proper shelter is a must. With in a few months I bought an actual backpacking backpack. A friend let me borrow a cook set and bear bag for a while. He also offered many words of encouragement as I asked a ton of questions from pondering thoughts. I'm still not the most prepared backpacker on trail. But I'm not really the "everything but the kitchen sink" type. Nor does my budget allow me to be an ultralight either. I'm somewhere in the middle. I like the middle.

The.... begining!!

Full disclosure: Products are affiliate links but they're really the items I had on trail that day. I still use the sleeping bag, blanket, hammock, and headlamp often. I've since stopped using a water bladder and moved on to smart water bottles. My kids prefer a bladder, so it's still in rotation. And the battery bank died a few months ago, but it lived a well worn life lol

ALSO I am no writer, but I'm hoping this helps me put my thoughts into words.

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