Backpacking...finally!

So I'm going backpacking tomorrow with a friend. A friend who has no idea how much good she is doing for me just by going along. This is a trip that's been on my "things to do list" since I moved out here. I got the permit on the first day for phone reservations with the backcountry office, planning to do it with ex-j. When things went bad and I broke it off (less than two weeks before the trip), I had a permit and needed to recruit a friend or two for a weekend adventure.

Within a half hour of her initial response of "let me check and see", B came back with another reply - "of course I'll go - am I crazy, I've always wanted to try it, I'll rearrange anything I have to in order to make it work"

She's never been backpacking before but is all in for an incredible adventure she says. Her biggest concern...how much does a bottle of wine weigh.


Have I told you she's an awesome friend?


So last night we got together at my place to pack the backpacks. Being the "gear-girl" that I am, I have two. We put up my new backpacking tent, a light little thing, coming in at just over four pounds including the rainfly, groundcloth, poles, stakes and tent body of course. I think it's quite little, but once it was up she thought it was huge - which is good since we're both sleeping in there.


We packed up our foodstuffs - this will be my first venture into the world of freezedried meals from REI - simple sounds good to me right now. Boil the water, pour it in the bag, close the bag, wait the alloted time then eat. Easy enough. I hope.

We weighed the packs and since my pack was nearly 70 pounds the last time I went backpacking (in 2001 - with the church kids). Imagine my surprise when with all the liquids I plan to carry, the pack weighs in right at 30 pounds! Hers should be around 25-27, depending on how much water she wants.


Now here's the good stuff. Thanks to a co-worker, I discovered my new favorite gear for backpacking - not even available at REI...no joke! Here it is....



Wine!!!! In giant juice boxes! Giant juice boxes that are 100% recycleable and account for only 3% of the weight when full. They even have little baby ones, straws not included. So, we're going to give the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay a try when we're out this weekend. If you want to learn more about this stuff you can find it here.

I hope to have some amazing pictures of a fantastic adventure by the end of the weekend. So here's hoping for no bears in camp and no blisters on the feet!