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Backpacking in Colorado

Challis Hackley
Jul 10, 2017
3 min read

I go from all-inclusive resorts to carrying everything I need to survive on my back for five miles. I am a complicated girl, or maybe I am just a little crazy. The first time I went backpacking was last summer at the Wind River Mountain Range in Wyoming. It was five frustrating, peaceful, taxing, beautiful days, miles away from the nearest cell-phone signal, let alone civilization. I have a love-hate relationship with backpacking.I was glad that I did it, there is something seriously satisfying about doing things for yourself and knowing you can survive on your own. I was glad i did it, but I wasn't sure that I was ever going to do it again. Hiking with a twenty-five pound pack anywhere is not fun, I don't care what you say. It's destination that makes the work worth it. It's the stars you see and the free-flowing water you hear and the bark you feel beneath your palm and the campfire smoke that you smell in the air. It's how everything tastes better when you're sitting around a campfire with the people that are crazy enough to do this with you. I guess I'm just a sucker for pain. Or maybe it's just the view.

What We Did

We went to the lost creek wilderness area in Colorado to go camping for the weekend (two days and a night). The first day we planned on hiking six miles with our packs before setting up camp but as we hiked up-river we realized that the river was getting smaller (probably because of the beaver dams two miles up). We knew that the fishing wasn't going to get any better until we got to the beaver ponds. So, we dropped our packs after five miles (determining that we would come back there to set up camp) and went on hiking up-river to fish. We had just eaten before we reached the beaver ponds so I was drowsy and tired from the hike. I laid down under a tree on some nice soft grass and napped the hour away while they fished. We planned on only spending one night so we brought fishing gear to catch some food but we also brought enough freeze-dried food to feed us if we didn't catch anything, which we didn't (at least nothing big enough to really eat). We made a fire and our food and spent the night around the campfire, watching the sun set, telling stories, and just generally enjoying each other's company. I slept pretty good that night after all the hiking we had done, even after the hour nap I took at the beaver ponds. It was a good night

The next day we ate breakfast and washed up a little bit. We tore down camp and packed up everything away. Our packs were perceptibly lighter on our way back because we burned our garbage in the campfire before we put it out. And then we started the long trek back. We stopped along the way to do some more fishing. We didn't catch anything anything and I guess it wouldn't have mattered because we were on our way out. We got back to our car around noon and headed home.

What I Packed

The rule is to pack no more than twenty-five percent of your body weight but even that is a lot. Less is definitely more in this circumstance. Pack as little as you can and make a packing list. Make a list, make a list, make a list. I didn't because I was in a bit of a rush, and because of that I forgot some major things like bug spray. But anyway here's what I did pack and I didn't regret any of the extra weight because I used everything.

Pictured

Head lamp

Sleeping bag

First aid kit

Sleeping pad

Freeze dried meals

Poncho

Fly rod

Mess kit

Water bottle

Water purifiers

Chem lights

Mosquito netting

Fishing flies

Extra underwear and socks

Extra fishing line

Good hiking shoes

What else I Packed

Reading Material

Wipes

Solar Charger

Charging Cord

Phone

Headphones

Ball Cap

Tent

Sugar!

Note: My dad packed in the tent that we used and my little sister had some other freeze-dried meals in her pack.

Note: This last one is one that I learned to pack the hard way. The first time I went backpacking I was not really prepared mentally or physically for the trek. I was struggling... until my uncle gave me a jolly rancher. Seriously it turned everything around for me, just that little bit of sugar and something else to focus on during the hike. I could not recommend this more. Pack something within easy reach to give you a little boost.

In the end, I had a really good time with my family out in the forest. It was a nice change of pace and I would do it again.