Believe it or not, in addition to sewing, crocheting, baking, knitting, and paper making, backpacking is one of my favorite things to do. My husband and I just started planning a week long backpacking trip in Yosemite for August and I have never seen him so excited. We are taking along a sweet couple that has never backpacked before and they are equally excited. I can hardly sit still. In preparation for our trip, I started exercising again. Like I've been telling Lenny, I don't want to be the weak link on this trip. You never know when the weak link will have to be eaten!!! In all seriousness though, I suck (wind) going uphill. It kills. I'm slow. But, it's hard to keep up with me going downhill. I have my leki hiking poles and often times will jog/run downhill. I've been told I look like a praying mantis when I go downhill, but who cares. I love it.
I'm a little nervous though, for this trip. Here in Colorado, we have backpacked all over, and have never run into any bears. We've always taken (feeble) precautions though, hanging our food (although sometimes it was only a mere 5 feet off the ground) and cooking away from our tent. In Yosemite however, the story is that encountering bears is to be expected. Whether it's on the trail or hearing them trying to get into our bear-proof food containers at night, I am trying to prepare myself for this. I have always been a nervous Nellie even when it's just the little patterings of mice (or Bambi) outside our tent at nighttime. I wonder how this will go. Hum. I think there will be a lot of praying going on. Yes, yes, I think there will be.
So in the true spirit of backpacking, here is one of my "I've had enough and I am so tired I could cry (and often have)" photos that my husband took of me as part of a tradition he started. Upon taking the traditional photo, he says, "the next time you want to go backpacking, I'm going to show you this photo!". He's such a sweetie! And I love him way lots!
Here's to all you backpackers out there!
~Penny
