We’re sort of like the Educational partner for the Hiking Buddies group. With them/for them, we teach, we train, we do, we love it, and some fun is had along the way. It’s cool to be part of this.
This past weekend yielded yet another fun Hiking Buddies educational backpacking trip adventure. This time the group ventured to Shoal Pond for some very legitimate Pemi Wilderness backpacking experience. Leading and instructing on this trip was Redline Guide Arlette Laan. For those not in the know, Arlette is pretty well-versed in spending some time on trail. She offered this summary along with some photos…
Hiking Buddies Intro to Backpacking
Finally a sunny weekend for the intro backpacking trip! I had four wonderful ladies ready to learn about backpacking gear, how to pack your backpack, and spend a night safely in the woods.
After about an hour at Basecamp focusing on gear and discussing what’s needed and what you could leave behind, we headed out to the trail to put everything to the test. (Hint: You don’t need to carry 4 liters of water when you go hiking in the White Mountains).
I had selected a nice primitive site large enough for our group. Along the way we stopped for lunch at Ethan Pond and I was able to explain some tricks and techniques on how to set up on a wooden tent platform.
We continued on to our destination tackling rotten bog boards, avoiding tripping on nails, and we didn’t lose any shoes to the mud pits. But overall the trail was in much better shape than during last year’s rainy outings. We loved the views of the river, noticed the changing flora, and saw cool mushrooms. At camp we set up the tents and studied the different ways of anchoring them to the ground and securing the rain flies. Water filters were used for the first time. I failed to notice the clear stream near camp and made everyone get water from the luke warm scummy pond (oops!).
At dinner, stoves were put to good use and fears of setting camp on fire were overcome.
In the evening we enjoyed watching a momma duck and her duckling swim across the pond as the sun was setting.
Camp was quiet overnight but as usual it takes first timers a while to sleep comfortably. I, however, was super comfy and almost overslept.
The next morning we were all in good spirits and decided to check out nearby Thoreau Falls. It was a nice walk, crossing over a rickety bridge but with some beautiful trail. The falls cascaded down the smooth rock and had an amazing backdrop. We were happy to have done the side trip.
Walking back to the car we navigated all the rocks, roots, and mud safely again. Now an experience richer, plans for a next trip were discussed. A Zealand Bonds traverse perhaps? —Arlette
