Raven Goes Backpacking (finally!!)

So… I went backpacking. And it was really cool.

But true story, I’ve wanted to go backpacking since 2012. My ex and I even put backpacking gear on our wedding registry! We spent a lot of time camping each summer with the gear we had but we never went backpacking.

After the breakup, I knew I just had to make it happen for myself.

As my last post on camping will attest, being outdoors in the cold is something I tested my gear with. I love the ability to go camping or backpacking year-round. I had some time off in March, so I planned the trip for a one night along the Rogue River Trail in southern Oregon.

I got to drive a Subaru Crosstrek that I rented through Turo.

Having moved to and lived in southern Oregon right out of nursing school, I knew some people down there and got to visit with one of my friends there and catch up on life. They also graciously offered their home for lodging before and after my trip.

The problem was, there had just been a major rain storm.

And flooding.

But also snow and sun!

The Rogue River Trail is about an hour south, so the next morning I headed out not knowing the conditions of the trail.

Lots of windy roads later, I ended up here…

There is supposed to be a parking area and bathroom down there!

Access to the trail head was not possible, although I could see the outline of the trail along the ridge.

So I drove back, and settled in at one of the coffee shops in town to figure out a plan.

The North Umpqua Trail was my next choice, but HWY 138 was also closed.

So I kept looking on All Trails.

Eventually, I came across a trail out of Newport that looked really interesting. It’s called Horse Creek Trail.

… 4 hours later …

So it took 4 hours to drive over to Newport, and I ended up seeing that South Beach State Park was open and decided it was way to late in the day to hike, so I got a camping spot there for the night.

The sunset was glorious!

Grainy retro lighthouse pic:

Orion was still out and I experimented with using my phone for night photography:

Got a sweet toothbrush from my friend (maybe I’m a bit basic, but Rainbow Dash is my MLP of choice).

Woke up cozy, got some coffee, and headed out to the trail

It was a bit of a drive up into the Drift Creek Wilderness area, so I’m glad I had 4x4 on the cute Crosstrek I was renting.

Got started on the trail and had all my gear (turns out too much) with me.

The hike was kinda hard because there were a lot of downed trees, debris, and brush. Plus, everything was all wet from the storm, and it was a bit muddy. Glad I brought my poles!

There was great opportunities for photos tho, as the light was really cool:

At one point there was this tree that had snapped off but hadn’t fallen yet and you have to walk on the trail right under it!

The trail is steep for the last mile with lots of switch-backs. Once you get to the bottom, there is a camping area.

Once I set up camp and cold soaked my food, it started raining again while I was eating.

Got into my tent early and fell asleep super early.

Woke up in the middle of the night hearing gunshots a ways away. Who knows why.

In the morning I was in desperate need of water since I hadn’t kept myself properly hydrated and skipped going down to the creek the day before

It was a scramble down to the creek area, I filled up my water container, filtered it, hydrated and was on my way.

Remember how I mentioned that the last mile on the way in was downhill, well… now I had to climb up that and it’s 1800ish elevation gain over that mile.

So I took it slow and got some photos along the way.

It took me… a while to get to the end of trail, but I did it!!

I finished my first backpacking trip! There wasn’t a person in sight the whole time and I didn’t die! Most importantly, it was fun!

What did I learn

• Poles are a must on trails like this
• I am not taking the fuji 16-55 f2.8 lens in the future, it’s too big and too heavy (switching to sigma 8-16 f2.8 on camera and 70-300 in the bag)
• Stoveless camping is great but I kinda miss hot coffee in the AM. Most likely staying stoveless tho
• A full, real tripod is kinda necessary for me and how I shoot photos
• My synthetic quilt, altho cozy and rated for 20 degrees Fahrenheit is way too bulky and takes up way too much of my backpack. I’m switching to a 30 degree synthetic sleeping bag and optionally layering it with a 50 degree synthetic quilt depending on temp.
• I’m not sure the Hyperlight backpack is for me anymore and I’ll be switching to the Durston 55 bag for my next trip
• Carry more water and stop for hydration more often
• This time of year is nice to hike in
• Do not have too much tension in the tent or you’ll risk ruining the zipper
• I’d prefer to hike in more minimal shoes in the future

My next trip is in June, and I’m not even sure where I’m going yet, but I’m excited for the next backpacking trip!