As our world becomes more and more crowded, those of us with a natural instinct for exploring the unknown and refreshing our skills at self reliance are frequently found hiking into the wilderness in search of a few days of solitude and simplicity to escape from an increasingly complex and demanding civilization. Each of us has their own perspective and :
ideas on how to best take an excursion into the wilderness;
how to prevent blisters, black toes;
how to hike with pace and add easy miles to your trips;
how to pack, how to make a camp, and
the ten commandments of the wilderness.
Hiking in the wilderness can make weak hearts strong and old hearts young. There are a number of different styles of backpacking adventures -- trekking, base camping, groups and solos.
My favorite backpack adventure is the base camping where you hike in a day or two and dump the pack on the ground and the pack doesn't move until the food is virtually gone and it is time to return home. In the meantime, one takes extended day trips from the base camp. This takes a lot of the pain and agony of carrying around 50 to 60 pounds of food and gear on some loop trek. You can also see more and spend more time communing with the wilderness. But to each their own.