I Have A Permit–What Now?

After the stress of figuring out the permit process, worrying about whether or not you’ll snag one and then the giant sigh of relief when you get that sweet confirmation email, comes the sudden realization that it’s now ON.  You have to get serious about preparing yourself. Omg! What to do first?! If you’ve never done a multi-day backpacking trip before, now is the time to start. Is it possible to do the trail with no experience whatsoever?  Of course.  Is it recommended? Not particularly. So get out there and start practicing!

Physical Conditioning

Thankfully I’ve done several multi-day hikes, so I know a bit of what to expect. But I’ve never been out in the backcountry longer than 6 weeks at a time. I’ve also not hiked hundreds of miles in the desert or hiked much in snow. Being born and raised in Florida, the terrain didn’t allow for elevation training so I had to maximize my time in the gym to simulate hills and mountains as much as possible. A move to the Pacific Northwest has helped me to train more effectively, but moving to the mountains isn’t an option for everyone ahead of a big hike. 

You have to meet yourself where you’re at with regard to training. Slow and steady is always best. This mitigates burnout and the possibility of injury, both during training and once you get out there. Get your nutrition in order. Do a ton of research on properly fueling your body for the demands you are about to put on it. Consult a personal trainer if you can. Get in with your doctor to make sure there are no underlying health conditions that need addressed before you set out into the backcountry. Figure out any prescription meds way ahead of time.

Gear

Begin examining the gear you will need for the conditions you will be facing. Take stock of what you have and what you will need. You will hear a lot of people (myself included) talking about the benefits of going as light as possible with regard to your gear loadout. While going lighter certainly has its benefits, the biggest drawback will be budget. Ultralight gear is often very expensive. I do plan on doing a more in depth post on gear, so I will say this for now–use what you have, practice with it. Lighter and more expensive doesn’t always equal better. 

Go with what you can afford. Check gear boards, thrift shops, ask friends if you can borrow gear. Take advantage of sales. REI has a wonderful used gear program and in some locations, they have entire used gear stores. There are many options and they don’t have to equal brand new or expensive gear.

Finances

Examine your finances. Spending time living in a tent for an extended period of time does come at a financial cost. If you haven’t already, make a plan. How will your bills get paid while you are on trail? Who will care for your pets/children/home while you are away? Will you be able to take that much time off of work? Travel insurance–look into it.

Emergency Preparedness

Have a plan in place if you have an accident, get lost, etc. Have an emergency sat com device. The most common are Garmin InReach and Zoleo devices, which allow you to get messages to people if you are in an area with no cell service, and also allows you to summon emergency response teams if you are injured and need to be extracted from the backcountry. Even though newer cell phones have satellite communication capability, I wouldn’t rely on this alone for safety.  Being able to summon a SAR (Search and Rescue) team with the touch of a button and share your location in (nearly) real time is a big comfort with sat com devices. There are some good videos on YouTube about this very subject.

Mental Preparedness

This is something I didn’t really think about much before I left on my first overnight backpacking trip. I was so caught up in gear choices and logistics, I didn’t give much thought to how I would deal with the realization that I was suddenly alone. Maybe you won’t be totally alone every day and/or night, but there may be some time that passes before you see another soul on trail. How will you cope with this? Strange sounds in the night? How will you deal with being away from your friends, loved ones, pets or anything remotely familiar for weeks/months? It is certainly worth talking to someone about and even doing some shakedowns solo so you can get a feel for what it may be like to suddenly be out of your comfort zone out there.

Logistics & Planning

While you definitely need to have plans in place as much as possible, try not to get into a state of paralysis where you just get completely overwhelmed. You may not be able to plan every single inch of your hike. Weather happens, re-routes happen, injuries happen. Any number of things can throw the best laid plans aside. Look at the route section by section, make notes and focus on the most important mitigating factors for that section. Try to give yourself some flexibility. If you try to stick to too rigid a schedule, you may find yourself unable to maintain it. 

Book your flight(s) and go from there. Research as much as possible and realize that you won’t be able to plan every single second and maybe look at your itinerary as a bit of a rough outline. Allow a certain number of zero days (days you don’t hike) in case of exhaustion, side trips, injuries, weather. 

Research the best places along your route to resupply, get water, charge devices, catch a ride, etc. 

Enjoy Yourself

Most importantly, enjoy the experience. Be present and don’t rush through the miles. Stop every now and again and look at where you are. Enjoy the freedom of being bound by nothing. It’s not often in our modern day society that we get to experience the unique freedom that backpacking brings.

If there is anything you can think of that I missed, drop it in the comments below! Happy hiking!