Have you taken a true multi-night backpacking trip into the wild outdoors? The kind of trip where itโs just you (maybe some friends), your pack, some trekking poles, a trusty pair of hiking boots, and a grand sense of adventure?
If you have, youโve probably experienced the captivating magic of trail life. The range of emotions you feel during and after a big adventure spans from the tough lows up to magnificent highs, but the memory you take with you in the end is truly magical.
In this 4-part series, Iโm not going into the nuts and bolts of backpacking or the how-toโs or what to bring, but instead taking you through the mental aspect of trail life and what your senses experience:
Part 1: Trail Life & Magic of Backpacking // Tickle Your Senses
Part 2: Trail Life & Magic of Backpacking // Reset to Simple
Part 3: Trail Life & Magic of Backpacking // Ties That Bind
Part 4: Trail Life & Magic of Backpacking // Memories That Stick
For those of you who love Gear Lists (like me) and want more detail in what we take on our multi-night backpacking trips:
Check out what we take ? Our Current Backpacking Gear List
Mrs. Saturday & I crave more time and miles on the trail. Itโs a reset of our spirits back to a simple and pleasant routine. We love being fully immersed in the culture and richness of local and diverse environments. While on our savings journey, more time on the trail vs. expensive luxury travel can be an effective way for us to take more frugal trips.
Doesnโt THAT sound exciting?
Backpacking provides added flexibility and frugality to vacations where normally you have to might book a hotel or AirBnB. But, if home happens to be with you, then you can literally be anywhere you want!
Now, into the magic of backpacking and trail life.
Your Backpack is Now Home
A subtle change in thinking comes into play when transitioning to a backpack. Itโs slightly unnerving at first and also exciting at the same time. Hereโs what we felt when taking some of our first real backpacking trips.
After the anticipation & excitement of reaching the parking lot for the trailhead, you step out of the car, look around and take a deep breath. Itโs about to get real. You get your gear out of the back and once youโre organized, you throw your backpack over your shoulder, click the waist belt into position and finally, adjust your straps. One last check to make sure you havenโt forgotten anything and everyone gives a thumbs up. You grab your trekking poles, take a photo at the trail marker and once you start down that path, the realization hits you – your new home is your backpack.
Everything that you need, want, and will make this adventure memorable and (hopefully) enjoyable is tucked away on your back.
You feel exposed and youโre now self-reliant whether you like it or not. Youโre also relying on the skills you possess that will allow you to improvise what you either forgot or didnโt prepare for. Fleeting thoughts and worries flash through your thoughts:
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- Did I bring enough food?
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- Will I stay warm with the clothes I brought?
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- What if I run out of fuel to cook food and make coffee?
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- What if my sleeping pad gets a hole?
- What if a bear attacks us???
As the routine of the trail sets in, youโre gathering and filtering water from natural sources, cooking up meals you packed in beforehand (using filtered water). Youโre setting up your tent, sleeping bag, and constantly have to revolve clothing to keep a comfortable body temperature. Youโre life is reduced to the bare simplicities.
Your main concerns: stay warm, cool, dry, hike, drink, eat, bathroom, & sleep.
After many hours and miles under your belt, occasionally you stop for a rest, take off your backpack and immediately feel lighter on your feet without the heavy load. As you enjoy the break, though, a strange little nagging feeling develops that makes you feel slightly naked without your backpack. Your back is cool and you feel a need to have it on again like something is missing.
Your backpack has become a part of you and is your refuge of safety and comfort.
The Range of Emotions You Feel
To describe the array of emotions you feel on a long backpacking trip, choose any emotion you can possibly feel and (FILL IN THE BLANK).
Life on the trail is now very simple, but far from easy. It’s like flipping a switch that controls only two inverse situations that are tied together. Your options are one or the other:
At home, life is complex:
You have chores, work, social media, friends, obligations, meetings, bills, and an endless amount of other things competing for your time and attention. But life is easy. Thirsty? Water comes right out of tap. Hungry? Open the fridge or go to a restaurant. It’s raining? Read a book while looking out the window with a glass of wine.
On the trail, life is simple:
You walk, drink, eat, do your business, and take in the views. You don’t have to be anywhere except where you are. But now life is hard. Thirsty? You have to filter and carry water. Hungry? Unpack your backpack, set up your cookset, rehydrate your meal, and hope you brought enough. It’s raining? Unpack your tent in the pouring rain, set it up, and bring everything in while โtryingโ to stay dry.
In these conditions, your mood and emotions can swing from super highs to extreme lows, but even through this crazy range:
An average day on the trail is better than the best day at work.
You would think that resetting back to a simple life would lead to only a baseline array of emotions that wouldnโt fluctuate wildly, but I disagree! When life is reduced to its bare simplicity, itโs then where you can truly come alive and tap into lifeโs wonder.
Without all the complexity fogging your vision, things sharpen into focus and you start to notice lifeโs little intricacies and pleasures that in the past would have escaped your attention.
The spectrum of your emotions is broad and extensive. The most common we experience with trail life and backpacking trips are many and frequent:
TRAIL LIFE – An Emotional Rainbow
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- Excitement โ beginning of trip
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- Refreshed โ Good nightโs sleep or dip in a stream or waterfall
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- Enlightened โ I never knew views or places like this existed in real life
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- Connected โ The world is more beautiful than I thought
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- Disconnected โ Home, friends, & civilization are so far away
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- Wild โ Iโm just another creature in this environment
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- Happy โ Routine of simple trail life
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- Thirsty โ During every uphill
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- Hungry โ Constantly and often
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- Comfortable / Cold / Hot / Dirty / Uncomfortable โ Constant sliding scale
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- Bored โ Repetitive straightaways or stuck in tent due to rain
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- Scared โ What was that noise outside the tent?
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- Accomplished โ I really just did that!
- Sad โ end of trip
Each of these simple emotions holds a collection of stories & experiences. Every memory is but a tiny chip in a grand mosaic of your life. The more intense and real the emotion and memory is, the brighter the color of the tile.
If you could step back and see the whole masterpiece, how colorful and unique would your life be? Every day you add a tiny piece. Would you be happy with what you see?
What Does & Doesnโt Matter Anymore
Far away from home, work, and normal life, status goes right out the window. You could be hiking next to a billionaire, a movie star, or a professional athlete, but you all suffer the same aches, pains, and desires as the other.
Trail life is the great equalizer of people.
Backpacking in Yosemite National Park
What DOESN’T matter on the trail:
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- What kind of car you have
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- How much you make per year or your net worth
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- Your professional connections
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- Your incredibly fashionable clothes
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- Basically all materialistic things that donโt have a function or real-world value
- Your conventional knowledge of hygiene ๐
What DOES matter on the trail:
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- Your attitude & optimism
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- Your proven outdoor skills
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- Good health & endurance
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- Perseverance
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- The ability to work with others even at your lowest
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- Your foresight & pre-planning
- Your updated knowledge of hygiene ๐
Do You Need a Reset to Simple?
Sometimes life can get overwhelming and it can feel as if we can’t focus on any single thing because we’re juggling SO MANY things at the same time. Spring cleaning and smart lifestyle design might be in order and can help immensely, but there’s also a soul element that needs nourishing too.
Serene forest trail in Fundy National Park, New Brunswick, Canada
Many people have found that a simple reset back to what actually matters is what they need to get back on the path to happiness & contentment. You can throw on a backpack, head out solo or with friends, and let nature do its thing. Think of it as full-body medicine to recharge your soul.
Next up in this series is Part 3: Trail Life & Magic of Backpacking // Ties That Bind
Ahh, this is nice. Mr. Picky Pincher and I haven’t gone and done a proper backpacking trip together, although last year we did go camping. It was really nice to enjoy the great outdoors and explore. ๐ It’s crazy how little we get out and enjoy nature these days.
You guys have to get out some time and try it! We eased into it for a couple years with many car camping trips. Doing that let us try out new gear and practice what worked for both of us to stay happy and comfortable. The first time actually hiking out with everything you need on your back is exhilarating but scary at the same time.