On a trail in the woods, scant or no cell service, hiking 10 miles or more with over 30 lbs. on one’s back, following hard-to-see trail markers attached to the trees, sleeping on the ground, eating freeze-dried food out of a pouch, and facing weather that can change quickly might seem uncomfortable at best to many people. But, I’d like to describe some of the good stuff.

I’ve had a yearning to go backpacking for decades. I had a taste of it in Boy Scouts, at Camp El Rancho Cima in the hill country of central Texas. Back in the 1960’s, backpacks had external aluminum frames, were made of heavy canvas, and were not weather resistant. At that camp, I recall going on a trek using donkeys to carry our food and tents, and loving the idea of existing out in nature without access to anything comfortable. We took good care of the donkeys, and had a great time looking up at the stars, unlike anything we could see back home in Houston. That was it for my backpacking experience as a youth.

Seven years ago I paid a visit to REI. The hunger to go backpacking got me motivated, and I wanted to be equipped. The sales people at REI really are good at capturing one’s attention. I spent an hour with the guy selling backpacks, and settled on my Deuter ACT Lite 65+10 model. He showed me how to get the straps adjusted just right, and made sure I was comfortable. I also bought an REI branded cocoon sleeping bag, an air mattress, a Big Agnes Copper Spur tent and a camp stove. I was very happy bringing these items home. I set up the tent in my backyard, and marveled at the ease of doing so. I tried out the stove, to be sure I could light it properly in camp. Unfortunately, I could find no one who was interested in a trek in the woods, and I was not about to go out solo for my first real backpacking excursion. These items got stowed away in a corner on the third floor of our house, tucked into a trunk.

In 2021, five years after I bought all that camping gear and buried it in a trunk, things turned around. Two of my running partners, Steve and Pat, said they were interested in backpacking that spring. Both had fairly extensive experience, and so were ideal partners for me. We made plans for an overnight outing in May, and started some training with our packs. We chose to do the Loyalsock Link Trail in north central Pennsylvania. The trail is about nine miles, and starts at the World’s End State Park, on the banks of the Loyalsock Creek. It was an ideal first trek for me, including clambering over large boulders, some steep climbs and descents, and wound up at a great site for setting up our tents. It was by a stream, flat, and had a fire ring and boulders set up for sitting near the fire. 

Since then, we added two more to our group, Christine and Michele from our running club, who also had the bug to go backpacking. We have done several two night trips with various members of our group taking part, on the Loyalsock Trail and the “Old Loggers’ Path”, as well as a two nighter on the Pinchot Trail in the Pocono Mountains.

What makes these jaunts so rewarding? Any time you can get out in the woods, away from the business of daily life is a treat. As soon as you are a quarter mile into the trail, the civilized world seems distant. This sets me at ease, and I can concentrate on the trail, following the blazes, learning the clues the blazes give for when there is a change in direction, and noting the great variety of plant life we encounter. The subtle, and sometimes obvious, changes in ecosystems along a trail are wonderful to appreciate. Along the Pinchot trail, for example, there are tunnels created by overarching rhododendrons, which then give way to pine and hardwood forests. It is remarkable how much natural spring water comes flowing down these mountains, creating rivulets which empty into larger rills, then into creeks and rivers. 

As you hike along, you get to know your backpacking partners pretty well. When you are out in the wilds and dependent on your partners for help should you need it, you get a great appreciation for their skills and support. Conversation along the trail ebbs and flows. Sometimes, during a tricky ascent, we hold the talk, but it resumes when we are on the flats. Crossing streams becomes a puzzle to solve, are there stable rocks to use, or do we need to switch to water shoes, hike up the leggings, and wade through? Spotting various forms of wildlife is also a reward. We’ve come across all varieties of mushrooms, sprouting plants, old decayed and fallen trees, and brilliant colors, in spring from blossoms and in fall from the leaves. Animal life is a bit scarce sometimes, but there have been some great sightings. We did have a bear run across the road in front of us driving to a trail head, and have seen bear scat on the ground, but fortunately have not encountered bears along the way. I spotted a beautiful eight point buck, about a quarter mile from us, who then bounded away when he saw me. We’ve seen small frogs and toads, newts, and spiders. We’ve seen trout in streams, and a great variety of birds flying about.

Finding an ideal spot to settle for the night is fairly easy on the trails we’ve chosen, since there are established campsites. These come with stone circles for campfires, and some even have large stones set up around the fire ring for a place to sit. Now, this may sound a bit too comfortable, but we didn’t ask for them, they were just there, set up by scout troops decades ago. One of the chores we approach with great vigor is collecting firewood for a campfire. There is usually none to be had around the camp, but searching a short distance away is usually productive. We learned early on to carry small collapsable saws with us so that we are not limited to what we can break with just our hands. We look for good, solid, fallen wood which is not spongy or saturated with water. It gets chilly in the mountains in the spring and fall, so having a nice warm campfire is not only for pleasure. Warming oneself by the fire, and watching the flames, is mesmerizing. The other chores, setting up our tents, getting water into our filter bag, and getting our air mattresses and sleeping bags set up is a practiced skill. Since it gets dark quickly in the mountains, we set up a stove early to boil water for our freeze dried dinners. Now this may sound unappetizing, but these meals turn out to be pretty tasty. Some backpackers stick with old standbys, such as ramen noodles with added freeze dried vegetables from home, but the pre-made packets are nice for variety, spices, and simplicity. We’ve also brought marshmallows, which add very little weight to a pack, by the way, and had toasted marshmallows as a desert.

You might think sleeping on the ground in a tent in the woods would be a poor sleeping experience. I have found the opposite to be true. The air mattress is comfortable, the sleeping bag is warm, and sleeping in the cold night air feels very natural. It may not always be a bed of rose petals, granted. I have had two air mattress incidents. One, which woke everyone up in camp, was a loud pop, which turned out to be one of the channels in my air mattress rupturing. It put a hump in the middle of my air mattress which made me slide one way or the other, but did not allow me to remain centered. That was annoying. On another outing, my brand new replacement for this failed mattress developed a profound leak before I got to use it a single time. This made for a very difficult night with little sleep. I could not get comfortable on the hard ground, and in the morning, could not identify the leak point. The next night, since this trip was in the fall, I collected a large amount of leaves under my tent floor for cushioning, and, as suggested by my partner for this trip, used a foam pad from my backpack under my hips. I slept very well that second night. So another great thing about primitive camping is learning to make do with natural resources.

Peeing in the woods, for the guys, is a pleasure. For the women, I recognize it is more problematic, although the principles still apply. It might not occur to those who are stuck back home, but taking a “natural break” whenever and where ever you are is liberating. It also gives an indication of how well hydrated you are. Dark yellow, and infrequent peeing is an indicator one needs to drink more.

Pooping in the woods is another means of reward. It can be tricky, at times. Digging the appropriate hole can be challenging, especially if all you have around you is trees, roots and rocks. But given an appropriate hole, a tree for support, and enough privacy one is not inhibited, it becomes a chance to score nature points by hitting the hole. And, of course, everyone poops.

Getting to the end of the trail is a mix of relief and letdown. You wish you could keep going, enjoying the life in the woods, campfires, philosophical chats, tucking into your sleeping bag at night, rekindling the fire in the morning and enjoying that delicious cup of hot coffee. On the relief side, you have gotten to the end of the trail, are likely hungry, and your limbs might be a bit fatigued. We’ve had some interesting end-of-the-trail experiences. On our first backpacking trip, we got back to the car and found we had a flat tire. It took a while to get the tire changed and get moving. We drove back through Williamsport in north central Pennsylvania, and were fortunate to find a tire shop as we drove into town. We were able to get the regular tire repaired and get the little donut tire back in the well of the car where it belonged. While it was getting fixed, we strolled over to a Taco Bell across the street and gorged on burritos and tacos. This has become a required stop for us on our return from the woods.

On a recent backpacking trip, one of our friends who was backpacking for the first time, was asked at the end of the trip if she had fun. She said it reminded her of making a long trek in an airport carrying a suitcase. I don’t think she’ll be joining us again, although we would love for her to try it again. For the rest of us, it is a wonderful trip into the woods and away from the civilized world.

I’d like to give credit to Christine, Michele and Pat for the use of some of their photos for this blog, and also for their great companionship on our backpacking trips, and for more to come.