Hiking Archives - Habitual Balance https://habitualbalance.com/category/outdoors/hiking/ Habitual Balance Fri, 02 May 2025 17:23:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://habitualbalance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Habitual-Balance-Color-Logo-25-150x150.png Hiking Archives - Habitual Balance https://habitualbalance.com/category/outdoors/hiking/ 32 32 Hiking Out Of Havasupai and The 4 Hour Drive To Sedona https://habitualbalance.com/havasupai-hike-and-the-4-hour-drive-to-sedona/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=havasupai-hike-and-the-4-hour-drive-to-sedona https://habitualbalance.com/havasupai-hike-and-the-4-hour-drive-to-sedona/#respond Fri, 02 May 2025 22:22:46 +0000 https://habitualbalance.com/?p=11439 As you can probably tell by now, we had a great adventure on our hands with the Havasupai Trip. If you’re just joining this series, make sure to go back and start from the beginning so you don’t miss any tips or tricks! This journey was both amazing and memorable, and I’d recommend it to anyone determining whether or not to sign up for that permit. It’s something that is really very unique in person, especially with all of the filters on social media these days. Yes! The water really is that clear and blue. Yes! You can only get there by hiking (or with a helicopter…we’ll get to that later). It’s a magical place that you should try to see at least once in your lifetime, I promise it won’t let you down. Here is how our Havasupai hike back out went, what we did the rest of the day, and how we felt after leaving. Legggooo!     The Challenge and Reward of a True Havasupai Hike Not only did we get to take in some epic sights along the trip, but we also got reminded why *anything* in the Grand Canyon is a great battle. It takes a toll on both the mind and body, and is not for the faint of heart. Although you can get to the falls by helicopter, (see how to do that by clicking here), I highly highly highly recommend doing it the harder way and trekking down into the misty falls with just a backpack. There are mules that can assist with your packs if you choose, but I’d truly only suggest using this option if you absolutely have to. Hiking down into the canyon (in any part of it), is a true wonder to spectate. It boasts beautiful views that you can really get no where else on earth as far as I’m concerned, and although each time I hike out I vow to never do it again, I can’t help myself but to keep coming back. Out of the 4 times we’ve been to Arizona so far, 3 of them have landed us on one of the trails in the Grand Canyon. Someone asked me today, “Don’t you ever want to go lay on a beach and just chill?” To which I replied, “Yes, but that’s why we schedule days after our trip to rejuvenate.” 🤷‍♀️     Choosing Adventure Over Escape: What the Havasupai Hike Taught Me Dear Internet friends of the hiking and backpacking world… Don’t ever let someone tell you what that what you consider is fun is weird. I challenge you to push back and look at the other side of things such as, do you prefer to be challenged or do you prefer to shut down? In my opinion, I would choose experience over escape any day. I want to feel alive, bountiful in my blessings and not afraid to push my boundaries. Being fully present, I want to feel encompassed by my feelings while immersing myself in all of what nature has to offer. I want to feel strength and courage and face my fears a little more each time I go out into any kind of wilderness. That, to me, is the perfect getaway. Of course, vacations don’t have to look the same for everyone. They can be relaxing in different ways, and that’s okay. One of the most relaxed states I was in was when we were on Crawlers Ledge of the Napali Coast in Kauai. Never did I ever think I would be chill as a cucumber traversing a rocky cliff face in the rain. But I wouldn’t trade it for one single day sitting in a beach chair with my toes in the sand drinking a cold beer. (PS I gave up drinking nearly a year ago, check out this post to learn more if you’re into giving it a try). I don’t regret tacking more days onto the ends of our trips. I don’t regret my sore muscles and achy, blistering feet. Because for those handful of days, I feel as though I can be my most authentic self, living, breathing, and enjoying the best of this world.     Early Mornings and Rituals: Starting Our Final Havasupai Hike Day As we began our day with a watch alarm, (this lady does NOT like alarm clocks, so we used his Garmin to vibrate when it was time to wake up). Although I was 100% already awake and ready to go by 3am, wanting to beat the heat and get packed before the rest of the campground. However, we decided to wait a little longer and get up about 4:30 instead to ensure we were fully rested and ready for the day ahead. We have a decent routine when it comes to packing things up. He’ll take care of the outside of the tent while I pack up the items inside. Usually, we’ll be done about the same time and can begin working on finishing our packs. I’ll leave our coffee, tea, and granola easily accessible, and make sure to pack what we need the night before if we plan to get up in the dark like we did on this trip. It took around 30 minutes to get everything together, then we made one last bathroom trip and started out of the campsite. It was sad to leave so early but we weren’t the only ones. Even though the stars were still out, there were several groups packing up getting ready to head out before the sun came up. As we passed by Havasu Falls one more time, I was able to snap a pic with the headlamp light. We then continued on past the fry bread tent and the bridges before making our way through the village.     The Helicopter, and the Hikers: Leaving Supai Village As we arrived near the helicopter pad, there were a ton of groups already waiting or getting there to

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Exploring the Confluence: Grand Canyon’s Hidden Gem via Havasupai https://habitualbalance.com/the-confluence/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-confluence https://habitualbalance.com/the-confluence/#respond Fri, 25 Apr 2025 22:30:56 +0000 https://habitualbalance.com/?p=11351 Ahh, the Confluence. A short and sweet hike down into the Grand Canyon…not! Don’t let this hike fool you guys, it is difficult, hard to follow, and pretty exposed. It’s much different IRL than on a video or blog post, so please be sure to research, research, research before you decide to embark upon this epic trail while you’re in the beautiful Havasupai Campground! This post will cover how we planned ahead for it, what we brought with us, and how the trail was in 2025 (after the flash flood in 2024). Let’s go!!   What Is The Confluence? The Confluence is where Havasu Creek meets the Colorado River, located deep in the Grand Canyon and accessible via a strenuous trail from Havasupai. Known for its bright blue-green water merging with the Colorado’s darker current, it’s one of the most scenic and remote day hikes in the region.     Why We Decided to Hike The Confluence from Havasupai Would I do it again? Yes. Was it extremely annoying? Also yes. Let’s start from the beginning. I have nothing but love for trails of all kinds, especially the ones that put me to the test through both mind and body. It’s the endurance, the amazing views, the irritability that comes and goes as I move through states of mind along the quiet and questionable pieces of the hike. The steep drop offs, the straight uphill climbs, the wandering off trail a whole bunch, it’s all going to happen when you make your way onto the Confluence Trail. Some YouTubers we watched afterward do the same trail said it’s not worth the trip, but I beg to differ. Once the pain creeped up my legs, once my foot cramped for the MILLIONTH time this trip, once a stick poked through my sandals and catapulted me into the abyss…that’s when I knew this was my kind of trail. Despite my RBF the entire time. 🙂 I love these kind of hikes, they’re both challenging and perfect in so many ways. On that video, they mentioned that it was “BORING.” Like, what? Did you forget where you are at? Allow me to remind you. 👇     “Are We There Yet?” Syndrome I think that is something that comes along with grueling activities. It seems like a great idea until we actually do the thing, where we soon find out that “oh, the thing is really hard,” so our brain switches from “this is so much fun!” to, “are we there yet?” Which ironically is something I continually work on in this life, learning how to accept the suck. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable. Because every time I tackle yet another one of these battles, a new feeling of accomplishment rushes over me, knowing I was able to successfully do the thing without giving in. Let me explain what I mean by “giving in.” Sure, your body will fizzle out at some point. Mine seems to check out around mile 6-7. I’m usually feeling super amazing up until then, chatting up the hubs about our next adventures and bee-bopping along with no external motivation needed. And then, around mile 7-8, I notice a significant drop off in my energy level, no matter how much I prepared ahead of time. This is when you need to dig deep, find that inner strength and pull that sh*t out of you…(Millennials, you’ll know the line). But in all seriousness, it becomes all mental after that. For the next 8 miles, I went into my own head and decided I would become present and see the beauty around me instead of checking out and waiting for the ride to end.     Packing List for The Confluence Day Hike Once we knew for certain we’d be packing not only for the Havasupai Falls trail, we made sure to bring a daypack that would allow us to hike to the Confluence without lugging our giant backpacking packs the 16 (approximate) miles there and back. Of course, carrying an extra pack seemed a bit annoying, which is why we determined that just one would do the trick instead of bringing both of our daypacks. (We were supposed to switch on and off throughout the hike to the Colorado River, but the hubs was nice enough to notice my struggle and carried it the entire way instead). <3 Yay for awesome partners! We really love the Osprey line of packs, I’ll link a few below that we use most often. Check out our trip back home post (coming soon), to see which luggage options of theirs we’re loving as well! After seeing a few couples with really lightweight, more packable style backpacks, we were grateful to have suffered the extra weight to be able to have a backpack that was fully supportive with padded shoulders and a thick hip belt to help distribute the weight evenly. A lot of the trail was gradually uphill and downhill, but there were several parts that shot straight up or down as well. Here’s what it looked like after a bunch of creek crossings on the way there!   Our favorite current go-to packs by Osprey: Osprey Sportlite 25 Hiking Backpack (I like the purple one, he chose the green, they are both beautiful!) Osprey Eja 48 Ultralight Backpacking Backpack (I chose the one in this link, the hubs liked the plain gray) Here’s what we opted to carrying with us to the Confluence in case you’re wondering! JetBoil stove (including waterproof matches, a windproof lighter and a small fuel canister) Water filter in case there were any stops along the way to fill our water bladders…there wasn’t 3 liter water bladder filled to da brimmm A few snack bars for us each Stinger Energy Chews, Salt Stick electrolyte tablets, and of course, grape jolly ranchers Two lunch meals and sporks (<— one of my favorite words) Chapstick (which you’ll soon find for purchase on Habitual Balance! Yay!), sunscreen, bug spray, and hand sanitizer

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The Treacherous Traverse Down Into The Famous Mooney Falls https://habitualbalance.com/the-treacherous-traverse-down-into-the-famous-mooney-falls/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-treacherous-traverse-down-into-the-famous-mooney-falls https://habitualbalance.com/the-treacherous-traverse-down-into-the-famous-mooney-falls/#respond Wed, 23 Apr 2025 22:57:52 +0000 https://habitualbalance.com/?p=11322 Supppp peeps! If you’ve been following along on the Havasupai Series, you’ll know that we left off by arriving to the campground! Yay! This post will cover what we did in the campground the first night and second morning, including our traverse into Mooney Falls. Don’t forget to stop back later this week to read all about our trip afterwards down to the Confluence! Yay again!!     Mooney Falls Hike: Facing Fears, Climbing Chains & Finding Magic in the Mist As you can see by now, this recent trip has a lot to unpack. Which is why we love staggering our stays into several stages (which you can read more about in this post!) By doing this, it allows us to take our time, prepare accordingly, and feel at ease while we’re in traveling mode. I used to have such angst while traveling. Whether it was at the airport or packing beforehand or finding the nearest gas station when we got into our rental car, I was usually a mess mentally. Nit-picking would come easy because I would have no plan on what to do next, and no idea of the area surrounding me or where we were going because I wouldn’t take the time to research before we left. (Because, who has extra time, right?) When You Quit Trying to Control, You Can Begin Living But this time was different. As we made our way into the Havasupai campground and got unpacked, it felt unreal. Unreal that I was finally in this beautiful place after so many months of planning and unreal that I had so much less anxiety than I ever used to. Every trip into nature, especially the backpacking ones in my opinion, are like mini rebirths every single time on my own little journey. It’s enlightening to see how much further you grow from the last one, or to recognize how much growth you still have to conquer. Backpacking heals me. Seriously. Even though we got to completely relax and veg out in Parks, Arizona before this excursion, I still longed for that “off-grid” type vibe that I was looking forward to for so long. And, once I got out of the tent that first morning, I remembered why the blisters aching my feet and the nearly 40 pound pack wasn’t a bother anymore.     Base Camp Vibes: Easing Into the Mooney Falls Hike Even though this hike was centered around the Havasu Falls, the more pressing task on my mind was the fact that to go *literally* anywhere else from there, we would have to hike down to Mooney Falls. Now, this may not seem like a big deal to you, especially if heights aren’t an issue. But for humans out here like me, it was actually kind of a big deal…especially when Ben (the hubs) decided to take an evening stroll to the top to see the staircase the night before we had to get after it. (see the pics above for reference!) I knew from watching previous YouTube videos that it would be a bit of sketch, but when I saw it in person, my heart literally sunk. I remember turning to him and saying, “like, I don’t know if I can actually do this.” He probably thought I was joking…I was not. The feeling that I got when seeing how tiny those people looked on the side of the cliff, the feeling when I could barely see the rock cut out where the “steps” were by the chains that you’d need to hold onto, was the same exact feeling I’d gotten the night we camped out on the Napali Coast.     Of course, I felt accomplished. I’d tackled one of the most dangerous hikes in the world (so they say), during a time when the trail was shut down from weather right after we’d entered hours earlier. I’d tackled Angel’s Landing in Zion, (future post to come!) even though it took some persisting to get me past some of the harder parts. And I’d tackled Humphrey’s Peak, the tippy top of Seneca Rocks and the list goes on. (Check out the blog page to more travel posts!) But as I laid next to the ocean waves crashing beside me that night, I thought, “Why did I put myself in this position?” This is the same as what happened the first night we camped in Havasupai. Not realizing that I’d have to yet again face my fears to complete my conquest of the day, I worried that I would be ruining our whole trip if I couldn’t make it down. To my surprise though, we did it! And it was MUCH more slippery (and straight down) than we had anticipated.   Caves, Gloves & Muddy Steps: Beginning the Mooney Falls Hike Descent When we got up, we decided if we were feeling okay to keep hiking. Since we felt pretty good still, we had some dehydrated berries and granola for breakfast, packed up the one day pack we brought, my new found little waist pack, and hit the trail.  (PS, make sure you use the bathroom at the top! There won’t be anymore along the way if you’re going to Mooney Falls, Beaver Falls, or The Confluence). As we made our way down, we hit the spot where the cave is. It’s pretty cool actually, (including the view that peaks at Mooney when you’re going from one cave into another, see below) and I’m really grateful that we got to experience it. We waited for a few folks ahead of us, (try not to get too close to people ahead of you especially on this descend/ascend, let them go at their own pace with what they feel comfortable at so that you don’t make them feel rushed), and then continued on our little adventure down the muddy mess. Once you’re at the top of the “steps,” you’ll notice some extra gloves others leave behind for hikers to use. We

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Seligman, Arizona – the Birthplace of Historic Route 66 https://habitualbalance.com/seligman-arizona-birthplace-of-historic-route-66/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=seligman-arizona-birthplace-of-historic-route-66 https://habitualbalance.com/seligman-arizona-birthplace-of-historic-route-66/#respond Wed, 16 Apr 2025 00:27:14 +0000 https://habitualbalance.com/?p=11267 Hey ladies and gents of the internet world! Seligman, Arizona was not something I’d ever dreamed specifically of visiting, but as we prepped for our trip to Havasupai Falls, it came into our radar when other nearby options were sold out. Here’s a quick bit about our short time there, must-stops, and what you can get to nearby. Leggoooo!   The Cutest Boho Hotel We Found Last-Minute in Seligman About a year ago we were booking our trip when we noticed a lot of nearby places were already sold out. So I decided to check out Airbnb to check out what availability they had instead. To my surprise, they had a cute little boho-looking boutique hotel on there as well, which I promptly took the option to reserve! It looked just like the pictures. It was cute, aesthetic, and newly remodeled. And super close to where we needed to be the next day for the trailhead. I was so excited that it was not only my favorite colors, but clearly the new owner took great pride in keeping things clean and updated as well. (There was even a paper strap across the toilet that ensured it had been cleaned! Something I’d never seen before even at upscale luxury hotels).                   Boutique Hospitality and Small-Town Charm in Seligman There was even a nice set of chairs outside the room on the cement to watch the stars from at night, and a digital keypad to keep things modern and fast-paced! Even though the whole vibe of the town was geared more toward the 1950s, I thought it was refreshing to have a bit of a break from that all once we stepped foot back onto this quaint little property. We arrived right at opening, where Christina checked on the rooms and made sure her team had prepped everything perfectly before guests came into town. She was so kind, genuine and helpful even when we needed her help with the keypad. One of my favorite parts that I wish I got to spend more time in was the little gift shop area near the check-in desk! It had the most adorable jewelry selection and a few pieces of clothing as well. Now I love dogs and was missing my own greatly.  So when her little pup came over to greet me when we walked in the door, I was more than ecstatic! There was also a sweet antique car out front. If nothing else, to keep your interest while you await your turn at the desk. If you’re ever passing through on Route 66 in Seligman, I would highly recommend staying at The Postcard Motel. It was a brief stay, but pretty perfect nonetheless. Related: Havasu Falls Hike Preparation: Our Backpacking To-Do List       Exploring Seligman: Gift Shops, Ice Cream, and Small-Town Charm Once we got checked in and unloaded our luggage, we headed out to walk around the town, (which probably in total took us a whole 45 minutes to walk up and down both sides. It’s super tiny!) It was great weather, which was basically t-shirt kind of warm compared to what we experienced in Parks, Arizona just a day beforehand! It was such a pleasant walk along the sidewalks, popping in and out of local gift shops that had so much to offer! We picked up a new tee, a bracelet, and some dinner (at the same shop! LOL) which hit the spot before we had to hit the trail in the AM. Check out these cool mannequins on the rooftop! Another favorite spot was an iconic ice cream shop that we most definitely couldn’t pass up. They had this awesome car out from with a Christmas tree on it! I was yearning for some ice cream all day so it was ironic that we stumbled upon one of the best places in town! The workers there really make every effort to make you smile, it was super fun watching them squeeze fake mustard and offering real straw instead of drinking straws! Definitely check Delgadillo’s Snow Cap out if you’re ever out this way! .         .          As we walked back to our room, we discussed what time to get up and made sure when we returned that everything was good to go. We did some last minute prepping and showered once more before using wipes for the next few days! Then we set our alarm and turned in for the night after having some Oreos on the patio. PS, if you’re searching for the best wipes to use on your backpacking trips, we’ve tried them all. These Venture Wipes are by far our favorite so far with their size and “cleaness” feel so I’d highly recommend trying them out! I loved that they offered them in single serving packs, which we determined bringing 4 each for us for each day. (2 for the mornings and 2 for the nights).   Early Mornings, Granola, and Dinos on the Road to Havasupai In the morning it wasn’t too hard to get up, knowing that we would have another 1.5 hours drive to wake up until we got to the trailhead parking lot. We passed the Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn, (along with some dinos) and not a whole lot else along the nearly 90 mile stretch. Since we already had our bags packed and loaded into the rental car, all we had to do was keep out some granola packs for breakfast when we arrived. I kept these on the outside straps of my bag to make sure they were easy to get to when we needed them. I also realized that carrying the mugs on the outside straps was super handy to break out for coffee or tea when you’re getting a little chilly! Here are some of the contents of my bag only. Since he already had his packed up perfectly, I’ll

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Havasu Falls Hike Preparation: Our Backpacking To-Do List https://habitualbalance.com/havasu-falls-hike-preparation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=havasu-falls-hike-preparation https://habitualbalance.com/havasu-falls-hike-preparation/#respond Wed, 02 Apr 2025 22:53:02 +0000 https://habitualbalance.com/?p=11137 Hey friends! Soon, we will be soaring across the skies again on our way to sunny Arizona. This will be our fourth time in the last few years because we just love it so much! It’s one of my favorite states at this point in my life because of the sunshine, epic views, and different scenery we get to experience from Sedona to the Grand Canyon to Flagstaff! Today I wanted to touch base on what our weeks (and months) leading up to trips like this look like, because although it is still a vacation, a TON of preparation needs to go into it to ensure all plans run smoothly especially on a trip like a Havasu Falls hike. Shall we?!   Prep and Planning for the Havasu Falls Hike and Other Adventures So before we even know where we’re going, we usually apply for multiple permits to places that are nearby one another just in case we end up getting all of them so we can hit them up at the same time! Then, once permits are approved (or not approved, boo!), we create the rest of our travel plans from there. This time though, we knew where we were going since early last year when we got permits for the one and only Havasu Falls. If you’re not sure what this is, I highly recommend checking out some pics online because it is a sight to behold, and one I’m very grateful that we soon get to see in person! We were scheduled for our Havasu Falls hike for September of last year, until the tragic 2024 flash flood wiped out most of the area only 2 weeks before our trip. It was a unexpected but we readjusted and made plans around the area anyway. We still had a wonderful time and I actually enjoyed just winging it! Check out this post if you’re up for hearing about our trek up Humphrey’s Peak! We actually found a place outside Flagstaff to camp for one of the nights, and loved it so much that we booked a tiny home there to prep for our way down into the canyon this time! We’re going to use the first two days to prepare hearty meals, make sure we have everything we need for our 4 day backpacking adventure into the Grand Canyon (where Havasu Falls is at), and enjoy some peace and quiet before being surrounded by 374 permits per day that are accepted there! Luckily, we were able to snag an early morning flight, and although it’ll suck getting up around 1:30am, it’ll be amazing to touch down in Phoenix right after breakfast! (Matt’s Big Breakfast in Scottsdale is usually our go-to!) We will then have the entire day to grab our rental car, find good food, enjoy our few hours drive, gear up at the REI in Flagstaff and checkout any cool stops along the way. Then when we check into our tiny home, we can just take one whole day to simply chill and prep before hitting the trail a few days later. On the third day, we are heading to a boutique hotel in Seligman, Arizona. This is one of the closest places you can get to the entrance for the hike. We’ll need to grab our permits and head out early so we can beat the heat of the sun as we descend into the canyon.     Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon? Have you hiked it? What’re your thoughts if so? Would you go back?   Gear, Prep, and Post-Trail Recovery Once we’re there, we will live out of our Osprey backpacks for 4 days and 3 nights. We are loving our 48 liter Eja and Exos which carry everything we need for our trips thus far. This is probably the part I’m most excited about. We’ll be grabbing a bear canister at that previously mentioned REI and some dehydrated meals for this part of the trip, and using water from the sole water source once we get to camp. (From what we read online, there is only one area to get potable water from). *Potable water, also known as drinking water, is water that is safe and suitable for human consumption, meeting standards for purity and freedom from contaminants.   I’m most eager for this part because I love being off grid and away from the notification world. Although there will be hundreds of people traveling to the same area at the same time, it’s still immersed in nature and living outdoors which is something I truly can’t get enough of. If you’d like to hear more about how this trip went, check back in the next few weeks to hear a post that goes into more detail about how everything worked out! 🙂 As for today’s post, we’re simply covering how we prepare and execute a week long backpacking-centered trip (in this case Havasu Falls), so let’s get into more of that. Once we make our way back out of the canyon, we’ll most likely be stinky, muddy, and sweaty. Ew. We are hopeful to complete our backpacking early on in the day before the sun comes up too much, and get on the road to the next adventure. (This time, being the hotel we have booked in Phoenix!) This is something we make sure to include at the end of any long hiking trail. ESPECIALLY if said hiking trail includes any backpacking. We learned quickly after exiting the Bright Angel Trail that we would need much more than just half of one day to recover before flying back home and working the next day. Not only does this allow us more recovery time, but it also gives us time and space to reorganize our messy packs, wash off any lingering dirt or mud before reorganizing our luggage, and showering like, a BUNCH so we can get back to smelling like our normal selves. After at least two days

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Here’s A Few Ideas On Where You Should Start Your Backpacking Adventures https://habitualbalance.com/heres-a-few-ideas-on-where-you-should-start-your-backpacking-adventures/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=heres-a-few-ideas-on-where-you-should-start-your-backpacking-adventures https://habitualbalance.com/heres-a-few-ideas-on-where-you-should-start-your-backpacking-adventures/#respond Thu, 20 Mar 2025 21:18:51 +0000 https://habitualbalance.com/?p=4000 So, you’re fed up with mediocre adventures and are ready to step it up in the hiking world. I see you. No matter if you’re ready to conquer small or big backpacking trips, I wanted to drop in today to talk about my favorite ways to prepare for them, as well as list off a handful of my favorite trails to do so! I swear I could add dreads to my hair tomorrow and go for days out into the wilderness. Give me a water filter and a JetBoil and I’ll be good to go. Being fully immersed into nature’s beauty is more than ever at the top of my priority list. I’m all in for making my days easier, more colorful and fuller with any adventure outdoors that I can get my toes in. Where do you stand?   Childhood Hikes to Adult Backpacking Exploration I never grew up backpacking or having backpacking adventures. I didn’t even have a single clue about what it was until maybe 5-7 years ago. (I can’t remember the exact date we shopped for backpacks, but I do recall the exciting experience of fitting and finding the perfect pack. More about how to fit a pack later in the post!) When I would go hiking with my parents as a toddler and adolescent, and as a young adult with my friends, I absolutely loved every minute of it. Looking back, I actually don’t think I realized just how much it was a genuinely loved part of my life. I remember distinctly this one memory as a 15/16 year old. I had this tiny child sized colorful backpack that I stuffed full of peanut butter sandwiches (hold the jelly, please), and smarties. (Two of my favorite snacks to this day). My best friend and I actually stayed up all night so that we didn’t miss the sunrise. This has to be one of the first sunrises I actually remembering being present with and enjoying. It’s an amazing thing, our human memory, isn’t it?   My Tiny House We started out of my playhouse (a cool little mini house that was more like a shed that my dad built for me near our home), early when the sun was rising. I can still feel that memory so strongly that I could paint you a picture of looking into my tiny home to make sure I remembered everything, pulling the door knob closed after I shut off the fan, and looking out to the east where the most beautiful colors began coming up on the horizon between the woods. I remember smiling to myself as we stepped off the porch into the shale, and started up the logging road to the beautiful nature behind my childhood home. Only now can I recognize what an important part of this life that memory would be. If I had to choose a specific time and place where I truly felt in tune with my hiking aura, it would have to be this morning. Although I have a ton of memories hiking with my parents beforehand, for some reason, going out on my own (with my friend of course), felt truly like it was the first of many to come as an individual. I love that memory. Do you have something similar? At the time I didn’t realize I’d actually been halfass “backpacking.” I had even remembered to bring a safety and first aid kit, besides the snacks and water that I carried in my pack for my friend and I. We trekked out a ways until it felt like far enough, gathered some sticks and started a teeny tiny fire. I enjoyed my sandwiches around the smell of the fire (my all-time favorite smell to this day, ESPECIALLY in the morning), and made sure it was out before heading back down the trail. We were gone for hours. That was the longest of my hikes at that time, something I wish I would have made an effort to do more often as I grew into adulthood.   Where To Start and the Lessons I Learned So aside from the sappy teeny me story, it’s that time in the post to share some tidbits about where and how you may consider starting your own backpacking journey. Let’s get into that. I mentioned that about 5-7 years ago is really where it began to transform my adult life. It was at this time that my husband and I decided to start to travel more (for adventure, not for relaxation). We were out in Arizona with our day packs (actually, I believe we had just camelbacks at the time, pssh, newbs…) and trekked down into the Grand Canyon a bit past Skeleton Point on the South Kaibab trail. I knew we could keep going, but knowing the dangers of the Canyon that a lot of people ignore, we made the choice to turn around and try again the next year with better preparation and training.   We also booked Angels Landing in Zion National Park (for a daytrip) in Utah the year after. We had Havasupai Falls scheduled as well, but with the flash flood that came through, caused us to reschedule (for two weeks from now, actually, yay!). (Check out the videos below to get a glimpse of the before and after). And we just finished backpacking the Napali Coast in Kauai this past December. Since then, we’ve learned that getting permits is hella hard, backpacking can be intimidating if you don’t plan properly, and preparing your body for carrying 30-40 pounds up a crap ton of elevation is MUCH harder than it looks on paper. Check Out AllTrails for Your Adventure Therefore, I recommend starting out small. Get the AllTrails app and find some fun trails near you that you can practice on. Check out your nearest outdoor store to get fitted for a pack, (something else I never realized you had to do!). Our favorite store is REI, but if there are none near your city,

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