The ABCs of Packing Your Pack

Yesterday I had the luxury of getting a backpacking tutorial, from one of my friend’s sisters who went to school for adventure-based environmental education. She regularly leads expeditions and had lots of great tips for packing your pack.

Khalila explains that packing your pack is like brick laying. You want to utilize all of the available space. The items in stuff sacks are your bricks while clothes are the mortar. Line your pack with a 3mm trash compactor bag which will keep everything in your pack dry.

The ABCs of Packing Your Pack

Accessibility- Pack the things you need readily on top: snacks, hat, gloves, and rain shell. Your tent and sleeping bag should be placed at the bottom of your pack, since they required only at the end of the day.

Balance- The heaviest items should be packed in the middle of your pack opposite the middle of your back. This allows you to have a better center of gravity while with pack.

Compression- “I’m not into the bag-lady look,” says Khalila, referring to items clipped to the outside of a pack. Loosen all straps and pack your pack using all the space available, then compress your pack by tightening the straps.

“Make your backpack your home; get organized,” she says.

Bottom Layer- “Your sleeping bag is like your baby…do not let this baby get wet…ever!” Line the compression sack with a 3mm trash compactor bag.

Your sleeping bag is the first brick. It goes in a compression sack and is placed at the bottom of your pack. Your clothes act as the mortar and are used to fill the cracks.

Middle Layer- Your heaviest items should fall in the middle of your back. These items consist of your kitchen setup, food and tent. These items fit into stuff sacks are another two or three bricks.

Top Layer-

Stuff you will need to access easily, e.g. first aid, snacks, rain shell, hat and gloves should be placed at the top.

It is vital that you get enough Vitamin C on the trail. Khalila suggested the commercial product, Emergen-C, however, a good friend once told me that the Indians used to chew on the pine needles of white pine (which are rich in vitamin C) to fight scurvy’s (a vitamin C deficiency). I have tried the needles and I think they are comparable to the combination of a mild orange peel and a white grape which is not what you would expect, but it’s enjoyable. So go try it for yourself. White pine is everywhere; it’s needles are about 3” long and in groups of five.  

Sometimes it Doesn't Go as Planned

I got stumped. 

My friend invited me out to western mass to hike the 7 Sisters of the Holyoke range. It sounded like an awesome idea, and by the time we set out the sun was going down. He was not sure how long it would take or how long the trail was but we had our headlamps and a full container of Oreos so we were set. Since it is a range we parked a car at each end. We parked my car at the end point and his car at the starting point. When we were about 20 minutes from the summit house (where my car was parked), he turned and asked, "you brought your keys, right?" That would have been the smart thing to do. My thoughts rewound to getting out of his car at the trail head, me putting on my pack and sliding my keys underneath his back seat. I believe I even patted them twice. So after a moments pause, I relayed the unfortunate news. "I don't believe you" he said with a tight laugh, "you're such a jokester." So, I was completely calm and suggested that we try hitchhiking, since it would be practice for the trail. On the way down the auto road to my car, I thought of an idea. What if we rolled my car down the hill and got it into gear (Plan B). This shows how much I know about mechanics because, my dad informed me later this morning that the key is needed to ignite the engine and rolling it down the hill would not do anything. Anyways, we put my car in neutral and pushed it as far as we could and the wheel locked. "Why does it do that?" I asked. "So that someone can't steel your car," said he. Place C, we walked to the road and attempted to  thumb a ride. Luckily his friend was able to give us a lift to the trail head where my friend's car was parked. Having a plan is good, but having a plan that doesn't work out is a great opportunity to get creative. I thought it was a pretty awesome night!

Hike This Morning; Two Poles Down

I took my pooch out for a stroll this morning and while I was taking in the serene beauty of the ice-coated beaver pond, I looked down and spotted a beer can. So I pierced it with the tip of my hiking pole and turned to head back home when I saw an appalling dumb heap like the Grinch’s soul. I poked what I could with my poles and stuffed 6 flattened cans and two plastic plates into my pack. So, poles are not only great for improving circulation, supporting your weight, and warding off bears, they can also be used for collecting trash.  On my way home I spotted another litter spot— torn envelops, scratch tickets and more cans.

 At the rate we are going a trash bag will be listed as one of the top 10 hiking essentials.

My hike was litter-ally ruined. Remember to pick up after yourself and the babies who rely on others to clean up after their dumps, so that we can keep our trails pristine.