Any Dopers been Backpacking?
I’ve done a fair amount in the past N.America,EuropeM.East andF.East.
Though an old bastard now I’m contemplating some future trips as am getting bored shitless in the U.K.
Anyone out there got any suggestions,advice,anecdotes or whatever?
Anyone BPing as we speak?
Even vicarious travel will lighten my day at the moment.
England is soooooooooo boring.
Do you mean backpacking like hiking in the mountains, or more in a just travelling about the place sense?
If its the former, I was in the pyrenees not long back and thought the GR.10 looked like an awesome thing to do. Its basically a hiking trail that goes right across the spine of the Pyrenees, from the Atlantic to the MEd. It’s a classic route so there are loads of places to stop off and sleep, get supplies etc even quite high up. You would have to be a warrior, and have the time (its 500 miles), to do it all in a oner, I think most people do it in sections. Breath-taking mountain scenery and a lovely part of the world.
In the more back-packing holiday type activity, I did the trans Siberian railway with my wife a couple of years back, Beijing to Moscow. Absolutely awesome trip - you stop off along the way of course. I think you have to like trains, and reading, to enjoy it, but definitely one of the best trips I’ve taken.
Wow that sounds awesome,had a mate who was thinking about that trip himself but never got round to doing it.
And to clarify my post I’m on about travelling from place to place,basically roughing it .In my experience you meet some really interesting and fun people that way and you see things that the package tourists never get to.(Or probably want to )
I got back from a backpacking trip yesterday. It was in the American southwest (Northern Texas up to southern Colorado).
There were two of us carrying about 30 lbs each in our packs because we were carrying all of our camp gear. Originally we were going to do some touring on bicycles, but decided to do a series of “difficult” hikes instead that required scrambling and some very steep ascents.
We had a couple miserable nights because, at this time of year, the temperature difference between night and day can be 40 degrees F. Our days were sunny and warm, but at night we froze our asses off. Most of the areas where we camped prohibited fires due to the high risk of forest fires.
The American southwest is an awesome place to backpack. You’ll rarely see a bad day, and the terrain can be wildly diverse from area to area.
One of the mountain ranges where we did a trail with a such a steep ascent that on the one journey, you’ll see virtually the same plant and wildlife that you would see traveling from the southwest to the Canadian border. It started with desert at the bottom and by the top we’d passed through an enormous cedar forest.
The other handy thing about the southwest is that there is an abundancy of free camping, or very cheap camping, depending on how well you weather primitive conditions. Backcountry camping is also available in some national parks by permit only (but often the permits are usually free). Many self-serve campsites have flush toilets. At this time of year the campgrounds are pretty empty, but there are still enough other campers that it’s not totally isolated, and park rangers usually drive-by in the morning to make sure everything is okay.
At night a herd of elk crossed through our one camp. We saw mule deer, pinon mice, rabbits, rock squirrels, a porcupine, and the glowing eyes of a pair of coyotes who came to investigate the smell of the curry we were cooking on our camp stove. In the morning there was a lot of bear scat on a neighboring ridge, but as far as we could tell, no bears came near the campground (it was a very rainy year, so the area was lush with vegetation and everyone was well fed).
I’ve done some backpacking of both types. I backpacked around Western Europe a couple times and around parts of the Middle East. Pretty freaking awesome.
**SwallowedMyCellPhone ** Are you allowed to camp on non campsites?though Isuppose not with the wild fires and everything.
Shamozzle Did you go to Israel or Egypt?
Whereabouts in Europe?
We backpacked in Peru last year, totally unplanned, as in, we bought the tickets and landed in Lima with no hostel reservations and only a general idea of the route we wanted to take. Also, neither of us knew Spanish.
I think that’s the best part of backpacking abroad. No plans and no real schedule.
We stayed in Lima for a night and, through a tour agency we found in Miraflores, we took a bus to Pisco (home of the Pisco Sour). Very small village on the western coast. Went to the town square that evening and found a guide who spoke English. He set us up with our next couple of stops and hostels. It kind of turned into a ‘friend on a friend’ trip, where we’d go on to our next destination, then they’d say ‘oh, we know so and so in such and such place, I’ll call ahead for you.’
The best parts of our adventure was flying the Nazca lines in a Cessna spur of the moment with a couple we met along the way (they were Dutch). Sandboarding in Hucachina and staying at this really wicked oasis type place where huge sand dunes surrounded you. Mountain biking down Mt. Chichani in Arequipa. Staying at a not-quite-open yet hostel in Arequipa for about four days and becoming friends with the guys who ran it, then getting to participate in the opening ceremony and dinner on our last night there. We got to have a real Peruvian meal with the guys’ grandparents and extended family, who laughed at me because I can’t handle all the spicy food.
The highlight was our trek on foot from Cusco to Machu Picchu in five days. I got altitude sickness pretty bad, but I made it, and it was so worth it. Standing there at MP while the sun rises is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.
tbh, I don’t think I’ll ever take a strictly scripted vacation again. It was life changing.
Anyway, that was the most recent big trip. Otherwise we do 2 - 7 day backpacking trip in the Alberta/B.C. Rockies, although we’re planning a trip for next September.
Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree Forum is a backpacker’s treasure trove of info and experiences.
I took a great backpacking trip on the Na Pali coast in kauai. Highly recomend it. Less than 50 miles round trip but some truly breath taking scenery.
Oh, and I should add that watching the condors fly (it was a tour out to the ‘deepest canyon in the world’) was also breathtaking. They fly right over you and the wingspan is something crazy like 20 feet or more.
Yes, and lots of great backpacking everywhere in Hawaii. A great destination.
I did travel in Egypt and Israel. Also, Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.
In Europe I hit the usual places: The Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, etc…
Some of the public lands or national parks allow primitive camping, but often it’s allowed only with a backcountry/wilderness permit. Most of the national parks permit camping in designated sites only. And any form of campfires are often (but not always) prohibited. Contained fuel camp stoves are usually alright though.
We hiked at El Malpais National Conservation Area, in New Mexico, so we could explore the lava tubes. They are in the process of developing an actual campground, in the meantime, you can get a free permit for primitive camping at the El Malpais Information Center. We didn’t stay there, but campground near Grants, NM that’s run by the U.S. Forest Service.
There are tons and tons and tons of designated free campgrounds on public lands, although they may not have any ameneties. There were some pimitive sites near the trailhead for one of our hikes that had not even an outhouse. We stayed in free campgrounds in the Lincoln National Forest and the Cibola National Forest and some of the paid campgrounds that had running water and flush toilets (note: “running water” does not necessarily mean “potable water”).
Generally, we found it really hard to tell what lands were “public lands” and which belonged to a ranch, so we stuck to developed campsites that were posted as such. There are picnic stops ALL OVER too, because driving is a real chore. We drove 5 hours once without seeing another car, but right in the middle of nowhere we’d find a sheltered picnic table at the side of the road. There was a pull-off big enough for a truck to get off the road, and the picnic table would have a shleter over it so weary drivers could get out of their vehicles to walk around and eat in the shade. No water and no outhouses though. Usually there were signs by the picnic table that said “No Camping” because it would be dangerous.
There are also areas that have very sensitive archeological sites and overnight backpacking or backcountry camping are NOT allowed. We went to see some of the ancient ruins at Mesa Verde (southwestern colorado) and had to stay at a campground about 10 miles away in the San Juan National Forest. (That was actually confusing because there are discrepancies on their website about fee vs. no-fee camping areas).
Generally, you can refer to the National Parks Service website www.nps.gov, or the U.S. Forest Service www.fs.fed.us to find free campgrounds ahead of time. We found that very helpful.
Whoops. Missed the edit window.
Some of the “free” campsites are only free seasonally. Where we stayed in Colorado, the campground has a $10 fee from May through September (I’m not sure but it may have been $10 for a 14 day stay, but the info was a bit confusing). From Labor Day to late May the campground is free, but there are no services or water available. Only the toilets are open.
The train is fantastic from that perspective - you meet a lot of cool people. I thought it would be banged out with trustafarians, but it really wasn’t. That leads to my next point in that great trip though it is, it’s not roughing it financially. I don’t recall it absolutely breaking the bank, but it was an outlay.
Why is it dangerous to camp in New Mexico if you don’t mind me asking? Varmints? or are we talking Granpa with his chainsaw 
Camping is not dangerous, but you’re generally not supposed to camp at the roadside picnic areas because they are right off the highway. And I don’t mean the kind that have a little, mini-ring road, and little mowed grass park. These ones just have a wider shoulder so you can pull off and get your car completely off the road. Kind of like the pull-offs they have when there is a “historic plaque” or “scenic view” or a break-down lane.
Camp there and a drousy trucker may squash ya. Late at night, those picnic sites may be tempting, but that’s why they usually have “No Camping” signs.
In New Mexico and Colorado, the national forests cover vast amounts of land, so genuine campgrounds are easy to come by. Coyotes might come by, but I’ve never heard of anyone running into Leatherface or anything. Camping is safe and rangers drive by at the end of their shift and first thing in the morning, but if the signs say “No Camping” there is a good reason for it.
If you come to Sydney, you will have a good time, and we’ll be friendly to you provided you don’t:
Sorry if this sounds snippy, but aside from personal experiences, I’ve been doing work for a university study of backpacking, and it wasn’t pretty. Most people do the right thing, but there were some real horror stories.
I’ve done a number of trips all throughout the Sierras. The best was through-hiking the John Muir Trail.
I’ve become rather spoiled by the beauty of the area and am reluctant to go backpacking anywhere else now.
The US has a lot of good stuff. I’ve backpacked all over the Midwest and a pretty good chunk of Colorado. It’s truly liberating to have my entire world on my back and be self-sufficient. In full gear I can comfortably cover 15 miles of uneven terrain, but usually I hump in for a hard day and make overnight camp, then stroll/recon the rest of the distance to my (usually out of the way) destination campsite. Then it’s day-hikes and side trips until it’s time to pack out.
Historically my comfortable range of days in the wilderness before running dangerously low on camp gas is 7-10. If I’m buddy camping that means more gas so my range is greatly extended. That also means much more bitching so it’s a crap shoot. 
If you hike in the States please remember: pack out all trash, including the last guy’s, and especially your “leavings*.” In the woods, campfires are nice but unnecessary. Save them for the organized campgrounds where you’re provided a fire ring. Those two things make a world of difference.
Lust4Life: have you been to Tunisia? What about the Yucatan Peninsula? Peru?
My main stints of backpacking were in 1987 - Eastern Europe, Greece and Turkey (just one month), and in 1988 - Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico and parts of the United States (about five months total, managing to keep to a US$12 per day budget for two people, until we reached the US). Have also travelled backpacker style in Spain, France, Holland, Ecuador, Peru, Israel and Egypt.