Backpacking

I love to go backpacking!

My first real taste of it was when I was 14 years old. My dad and I went to a BSA High Adventure camp in New Mexico called Philmont. We did about 10 days of hiking in the Rocky Mountains, and it was amazing. I was pretty little at the time, so I think I had a hard time carrying much of a load (thanks to those who picked up my slack!), but I made it! I remember hating to have to treat my water with iodine, and being slightly frightened of being mauled to death by a bear (which was actually a legitimate concern). I also remember hiding from hail while the sun was out, and I can't say that makes any more sense now than it did at the time. All in all, I have great memories of that place, and if I ever have a (male) kid I'd love to go again.

After that, I did a few smaller trips throughout Missouri, but not as many as I would have liked. I think, in fact, that my next big backpacking trip was quite a few years later. This was a trip to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming with my friends Alex and Ryan. If anyone ever gets a chance, do the Teton Crest Trail! Wow! On that trip, we saw LOTS of bears. One gave us quite a scare while we were hanging up our food bag, in fact - we didn't notice it until it was about 10 feet from us!

Since then, I've done a bit in California, Utah, Oregon and Washington, and I hope to do quite a bit more here in New Zealand!

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