Plan an Epic Backpacking Adventure in NC with Me

A six part blog series where we go through each stage of planning an epic hike.

As a backpacker I get asked a handful of questions repeatedly:

Aren’t you afraid of bears?
How do you sleep in a hammock?
Where do you go to the bathroom?
How do you know where to go?

The answers to those questions will vary from snarky to truthful depending upon my mood but generally consist of the following:

No
Very well
Cat hole
That depends…

Ultimately it’s that last question that requires the most forethought, because ultimately the success or failure of a hiking or backpacking expedition comes down to proper planning. In this guide I will break down my backpacking planning system step-by-step as I plan an actual outing for me and some friends.

What’s this series all about?

Over the next few months you’ll see new posts all related to this theme.

Each post will recap the previous step and discuss what we need to accomplish. While this guide is for backpacking you can easily use the same format to plan your next family or car camping trip. As always, if you have any questions, please leave it in the comments section below or send us an email.

The posts in this series will be:

Choosing the basics: Finding a good time to go backpacking.
Selecting the right trail – More than meets the eye.
Individual & Group Gear Selection.
Consumables – Food, Water, Fuel
Hashing out the details.
Final preparatory work.
Post-Trip Recap

The first post in this series (linked here) is extremely important and contains a lot of questions that you’ll want to confirm with you and the folks who may be joining you on your adventure. So let’s get started by choosing a date and really thinking about what we want to accomplish on this trip.

There is a lot to consider, from health factors, to weather, wildlife, food, transportation, child care, & Volcano insurance. I’m putting this guide together because I don’t want someone to skip backpacking, or only stick to the front country because they don’t know what to do.