Earlier this year, I was talking to Tenjin about backpacking. He showed me some photos, and my interest was piqued. Traveling to the middle of nowhere, with nothing but what you can carry on your back? As a computer scientist who spends way too much time in front of my computer, I felt like I was up for the job. But then hubris entered the equation, and I confidently stated that I wanted to hike the West Coast Trail. A trail that is notorious for its tragedy and challenge, but also its unrelenting beauty. 7 days. 75km of walking while carrying a 40lb backpack. Sounds easy enough...
I'm not sure why I was so confident, but nonetheless, I started getting ready for a season of backpacking. Tenjin took Chase and me on our first practice trip into the Crownlands of Alberta. I wisely started packing all of 30 minutes before I left. Needless to say, I forgot pretty much everything except for my tent. Thankfully I survived, and we managed to have lots of fun (and I got to shoot a gun).
The next trip was better. I got a bigger pack, an actual water filter, a smaller sleeping pad, and just generally put in some more effort. I even brought extra batteries which saved my ass! Nevertheless, I still forgot some gear, which has turned out to be the motif for all of my backpacking trips this year. This isn't a huge deal on the 1-night trips we have been doing, but the West Coast Trail is a week of remote hiking through rivers, forests, ladders (oh god so many ladders), surge channels, and pretty much every other hazard imaginable.
And so the West Coast Trail looms with a sense of impending doom. We leave in 2 days and I still have to dehydrate all of my food. Why did I think it was a good idea to start learning how to dehydrate food all of 2 days before I leave? I guess history repeats itself.
I hope it will all go well, but if I'm being honest, it's probably going to be a bit of a shit show. All of the backpacking trips this year have been a bit of a shit show. But what I am learning is that shit shows can be a lot of fun, and in the end, that is what I am hoping for. A shit show full of trials and tribulations, and memories that I will look back on fondly. Hopefully a few nice photos too.