Ultralight Backpacking

Some years ago I was attending the closing potluck for my then 10-year-old son's wilderness camp. The camp was put on by Wilderness Awareness school in Duvall, WA. If I understand correctly, this school is an offshoot of the work of Tom Brown, author of The Tracker and other books. If you have read Tom's works, you know that as a youth he was educated by an Apache elder in the ways of the wilderness.

Anyway, on this particular occasion I was picking up my son after a week of learning wilderness skills. There was a potluck, and I took the chance to talk to one of the instructors. We chatted a bit about the camp, the program, the beauty of the wilderness, etc. Wishing to show that I had some experience in the wilderness, I fondly recalled (out loud) my experiences backpacking on the East Coast and British Columbia. After a few moments I paused.

There was a curious look on the counsellors face. He must have been about 15 years younger than me, but his next comment showed who was the wiser. "Yeah, I used to backpack a lot myself" he said. "Eventually I came to realize that all I was doing was carrying the world around in my pack. So I ditched it."

"Oh, so you've stopped camping" I asked?

"Oh no, I still go camping. All the time. But now I leave the backpack at home, where it can't get between me and the wilderness. I build shelter when I need it, and forage for food."

Wow, did I feel like a chump.

Still do, actually. I love the wilderness. I love nature. I have loved it ever since I was a kid, when I used to spend hours in the woods near our house. Huck Finn was my childhood hero - I used to dream of living in caves and makeshift shelters on river banks just like Huck.

In fact, I secretly vowed that some day I would retake my youthful dreams and make a trip to the wilderness with nothing but my clothes, and see how I would survive.

Well, a more practical version of that dream came a little closer to realization tonight, thanks to a story about "Ultralight Backpacking." In this story the author tells how one hike for days on end in the wilderness with nothing but a small pack that weighs a total of 15 pounds. Sounds great - I'll let you know when I do it!