Here is my very first overnight backpacking trip experience.
Though I’ve done multiple day hikes, I wasn’t quite ready for a backpacking trip. It took me more than a year before I considered going on an overnight backpacking trip in the mountains. Why did I hesitate? For three reasons.
First, I am terrified of slugs!
Second, I am always cold.
Third, and a biggest holdup, was because it’s an investment. Check out my 30 backpacking essentials hiking gear list. Most if not all of this items I bought from my favorite store REI Co-Op.
You can download my complete list of CAMPING ESSENTIALS CHECKLIST for FREE
Camping gear can be expensive. I didn’t want to buy items only to realize that I wouldn’t enjoy camping. But I am so glad we took a chance on it and I have enjoyed the two backpacking trips I’ve gone on in June 2019. Note: When we bought our gear, we chose quality items rather than cheap stuff. We didn’t want to save money at the expense of efficiency and convenience.
On July 7, 2019, I went on my first backpacking adventure up the mountains, an hour away from downtown Seattle in Washington State. We went to beautiful Melakwa Lake. We’ve been on this trail more than half a dozen times on a day hike and I thought it might be fun to go on a backpacking camping adventure at a place that I was familiar with and one that’s close to Seattle. We hiked up on a Sunday, a day when most people would be hiking down.
You’re probably wondering how much our bags weighed. Mr. R. was carrying a 40-pound bag and I had a 30-pound bag. And yes, I’m sure we could shave off 10-15 pounds. However, we like bringing our camping chairs which add a bit of weight. We planned on starting our hike up a little later in the day than we would typically start out when day hiking since we wanted to sleep in for once.
We started hiking up at 11:00 am. The weather was cloudy so there were not as many people on this trail as usual. The hike up wasn’t hard perhaps because I have done this hike many times, plus it’s rated moderate, but it sure ain’t a beginner’s hike. I was surprised to have made it up the mountains in only 10 minutes longer than it would take us on a day hike. Once we arrived at our campground, we unpacked and put up our tent. Because this was my first-time camping adventure, I didn’t really know what to do after that.
Typically, on our day hikes, we tend to spend about an hour or so just hanging out before we head back to our car. This time was different. We had all afternoon to relax, so we decided to walk around. And as we were walking, we started smelling smoke. Apparently, people who had been camping nearby didn’t completely put out their fire. We immediately poured tons of water on it and made sure the surfaces and logs we completely wet. This was a great first lesson and reminder to be sure fire is completely out before leaving a camp site. I am glad we saved a fire. This is also one of the “leave no trace” principles that as outdoors enthusiasts we should strive to enforce. You can find the rest of the leave no traced principles here.
We then headed out and made our own fire, had dinner and enjoyed a lovely evening. We didn’t go to bed until 10:40 and in the morning we were awakened by nature’s playlist of the day, water streaming and birds chirping. We made coffee, tea, had breakfast and enjoyed a calming start to our day. After an hour of goofing off, it was time to pack up and head back to our car as I had to be at work at 2 pm. We had such a wonderful time that we went on another backpacking trip a few weeks later.
On July 21, 2019, I went on my second backpacking camping adventure at Mountain Loop Highway, a 2.5 hours’ drive from Seattle. This was a 10-mile hiking adventure with a 3,100 elevation gain: 4 hours of hiking up and 3:15 minutes down. We started our hike up at 6:45 in the morning, took a 25 minutes break at the first lake, Gothic Basin, and arrived at our destination, Foggy Lake, at 11 am. The reason I mention these times is because I highly suggest starting your hike as early as possible, which avoids having to carry a heavy backpack full of camping gear at the hottest time of the day. Starting early also avoids crowds, plus it’s easier to find a spot before the parking lot is full.
This hike was both physically challenging and mentally tiresome. Probably on my top three hardest hikes I’ll take in my 2019 list of hiking adventures. Mr. R and my mantra is to start with the hardest hike first because it makes the rest of the hikes feel easy. The reason I say this hike was hard is not only that I was carrying a 30-pound backpack, but because the hike involves a steep elevation gain. You are basically going up the whole way, a few times having to crawl. For those who know me, I am scared of heights. Some sections of this hike are treacherous and ridiculously rocky. One wrong slip and it’s quite a tumble down. Narrow sections of rock with steep, slippery drop offs unnerved me a little and my legs started shaking uncontrollably. Holy gains, this is one of the hardest hikes and yet probably one of the prettiest. But enough about how hard this hike was, let’s talk about how the views are so worth the effort.
We set up our tent, had lunch and were off exploring of the campground. We collected firewood and were ready for a campsite bonfire and time to relax. Tired, we took an afternoon nap and woke up just in time before sunset. We made coffee, tea and dinner and it was delicious.
We enjoyed the rest of the evening by the campfire and looked out as the sky filled with stars. Tired from a long day, we laid down and fell asleep as we watched the stars.
Woke up at 7 am, made tea, coffee and breakfast as we enjoyed the view.
Had a relaxing afternoon exploring some more.
At around 1 pm we started packing up and headed back to our car. We arrived at the trailhead at 5:30 pm. We were so excited to take off our boots and call it another awesome backpacking trip adventure.
Let’s explore the outdoors and be sure to follow all my hiking and travel adventure by following me on social at #travelwithirine
Need help finding backpacking trip gear? Check out this blog post I wrote, 30 Backpacking Essentials Checklist.
I loved reading your article Irine! The gorgeous scenery and landscapes take my breath away! I hope to return to the PNW AND GO EXPLORING! eXCELLENT POST!
Thank you Shannon for the feedback. Hope you get to visit PNW when everything cools down,
IhAve to ask. Did you have slug repellent with you? Might explain the heavy bag. Sounds an interesting experience, i have never even been camping though. Maybe i should start on flat ground first.
Hahaha John, happy to report I didn’t need a slug repellent. I came to learn that slugs are actually mostly on the trails but rarely on the camping spot. This year my bags has been around 26-30 pounds. I have seen others who are minimalist and can manage a night up the mountains with very little. Yes, flat ground might be a great way to start you camping journey. Since this trip, I have been hooked and Now I loveeeeeeee spending the night up the mountains
Thanks for sharing Irine. That camp fire sounds perfect after a hard day’s hike. What a bEautiful place to explore, it looks So peaceful.
You are most welcome Wendy, thank you for making read my post.
what a beautiful post irine! thanks for sharing.the photos are stunning, especially the reflection of the mountains. there’s nothing like being with nature, esp when you wake up in the morning. your alarm clock is the sound of the birds humming or the sound of the water running down the streams. heaven!
Jane, I Returned to this lake this year and honestly, I think it gets prettier and prettier with time. The reflection was jaw dropping. Morning up the mountains are my favorites