Tag: Lessons Learned

For a short background on this series, see my first post.  

S.T.O.P. slide from PowerPoint by Steve Lagreca

I have covered lots of lessons learned over the course of this blog series. There are likely many more small lessons I didn’t include. To close up this series, I want to cover what is probably the biggest lesson I have learned over the course of all my backpacking trips. This is to stay calm, think, and don’t rush when things don’t quite seem right or don’t go to plan. The S.T.O.P. acronym above is a great thing to keep in mind.

On our first trip, this may have resulted in me actually knowing we were still headed in the right direction, instead of just having a hunch/hoping we were. When I couldn’t find the trail in the Tetons, this could have resulted in me finding the trail again instead of taking the more dangerous route. When we were pumping water on the Highland Park trip and it got hard to pump, this may have saved us from having to cut the trip short due to a broken filter.

I could go on and on with this. There is a moment on nearly all of my backpacking trips where this would have likely saved or did save me some trouble. This S.T.O.P. acronym is often aimed towards people who are lost, but it comes in handy in many other situations as well. Rushed/hurried decisions, or those made while panicking, often aren’t the best decisions, and while you are backpacking, there can be severe consequences for bad decisions.

So when something goes awry in your next backpacking trip, S.T.O.P. Take a breath, relax, think, and take as much time as you can to make the best decision possible.

One more thing I want to touch on: you don’t need the best gear to do backpacking. My brother and I started off with a lot of cheap equipment on our first trips, and we were able to do the trips. Over the years, I have upgraded nearly all of my equipment to better equipment. It definitely helps in the comfort department, but it’s definitely not necessary. So don’t think to start out that you need to spend a boatload of money. You can definitely start off cheap like my brother and I did and work your way up to better equipment over time.

For a short background on this series, see my first post.  

Sep 2019 – Observation Peak Area – Sawtooth Range, ID

My reprieve from train wreck trips was short lived. With my previous train wrecks, I was able to at least get in most of the trip. That wasn’t the case with this one. You can read my trip report here.

First lesson from this trip: don’t get in a rush. As soon as I got up to the first lake, I could tell it would probably be difficult to find a spot to pitch my tent. I could also tell there were already a few people at the lake, which would probably make finding a spot even more difficult. That got me in the mindset that I needed to hurry and find a spot. I pitched my tent at the first spot I found, which I wasn’t a big fan of, and was way too close to the lake. Thus, I figured I would try and hurry up to the second lake and see if I could find a spot up there. I went around the first lake, and didn’t see any obvious trail heading up to the second lake. In my hurry up mentality, instead of taking some time to look for a better route, I decided to take a route up to the lake that was quite steep and had a lot of loose rock. Probably about 2/3 of the way up I slipped on some loose rock and fell, and knew right away I had hurt my hand.

I’m lucky it wasn’t worse than it ended up being. Looking back on it, it was a pretty stupid decision, especially once I actually figured out the better way to the second lake (on my way back to the first lake). But it really all began when I got in that hurry up mentality. If I had actually taken my time and found the better way, there likely would have been a much better outcome. Getting in a hurry in the backcountry definitely increases the risk of something bad happening.

Second lesson: if you can, ask for directions if you’re unsure. I generally try not to bug other people while in the mountains. I’m shy as it is, and I know a lot of people get into the mountains to get away from people. Looking back on it, once I figured out I didn’t see the easier route to the second lake, I should have asked some of the people at the lake if they knew how to get up there. I’m sure they probably wouldn’t have minded, and once again, it likely would have had a better outcome. Funny thing is I should have learned this on my Aero Lakes trip when a couple other hikers found a way down a small cliff side.

For a short background on this series, see my first post.  

July 2019 – Aero Lakes – Beartooth Mountains, MT

After three rough trips in a row, I was really in need of a good trip. Thankfully this trip came through, although it almost went sideways the first day. You can read my trip report here.

So first lesson: being familiar with your hike can save you a lot of time and frustration. Do some research into the hike ahead of time. See what information you can learn on the internet. If you know other people who have done the hike, talk to them about it. Then, when you’re on the trail, be following along with where you are on the map and be thinking ahead in regards to what should be coming ahead on the trail. If I hadn’t known we should be going against the flow of water, I have no idea how far down that trail we would have ended up before we realized we went the wrong way. Although it wasn’t marked on the map, the trail we had started down was mentioned in a guidebook I had read, so once we got on the right trail I connected the dots and realized what that other trail was.

Second lesson: the largest, most worn trail isn’t necessarily the correct one. Once I put all the puzzle pieces together, taking the smaller trail made sense. But without any signs and no trail intersection on the map, my logical choice was to take the larger trail. I learned pretty quick that isn’t always the right choice. Haha.

For a short background on this series, see my first post.  

September 2018 – Highline Trail – Uinta Mts., UT

This was trip number three in a row that ended in a train wreck (remember how I mentioned in an earlier blog I’m now very thankful when things go to plan). The first three days of this trip went really well. The fourth day not so much. You can read about the hike in this blog post. What lessons did this trip teach me?

First, keep my Camelbak bladder in the tent overnight to reduce the chance of it freezing. While it didn’t end up being a huge problem on this trip, it was definitely an inconvenience I would like to avoid in the future if possible.

Second, carrying a detailed map of the area you plan to hike, as well as a less detailed, broader view map, is a good idea. Thankfully I had both on this trip, and I was able to reference the broader view map to see what other options I had for hiking out had I not been able to get out to the trailhead where I started due to the fire. I wrote a little more detailed blog post about this after this trip.

Third, having a way to communicate with the outside world would have definitely helped with the stress level. If it had come to hiking out to a different trailhead, I would have had no way of letting anybody know that’s where I was. I would have to bank on finding someone who would be willing to give me a ride to my vehicle at the other trailhead. If I had been carrying a satellite communication device like I do now, I could have let my parents know if I hiked to that other trailhead, and at least had them try to contact someone (likely the local ranger office) to see if a ride could be arranged.

For a short background on this series, see my first post.  

July 2018 – Highland Park – Big Horn Mts., WY

This was another one of the train wreck trips mentioned in the previous blog. The first couple days went really well, other than leaving the Sawtooth Lakes area sooner than we would have liked due to storms. On our hike the third day, I had planned to stop at a particular lake for a little while so my brother could do some fishing. The map showed the trail going right next to the lake, but it never came that close. We realized pretty quickly that we had missed it, but we decided to keep going. Things just went downhill from there.

We ended up stopping later at a different lake for lunch. My brother tried some fishing, but we weren’t sure the lake even had fish. We kept moving and made it up to Highland Park mid-afternoon, where we decided to camp. It was stormy around, and the wind came up pretty good around dinner time. While the wind was blowing, we went to go get water from a small pond nearby. The wind had caused the water to become quite dirty. After pumping some water, it became quite difficult to pump, but we kept at it and we eventually got our water. The next morning, while taking a break on our hike and filling up with more water, my brother noticed he had “floaties” in his water, at which point we realized our water filter was likely bad. Since our only back up was boiling water, we decided to hike out that day (a day early).

Thankfully neither my bother or I got sick. After this I realized I hadn’t put enough thought into the water filter going bad/breaking situation. While we could have boiled water if it came down to it, once I started really thinking about it, it was not a great option. It would have been very time consuming (small amount at a time, having to let it cool before pouring in our bladders) and would have used a lot, if not all, of the fuel we had with us. After this trip, we both got Sawyer Mini filters to use as back up in case we had an issue again. So definitely put some thought into what your back up plan is if your primary water filtration system has problems. I’m not saying you can’t use boiling, but just know the pros and cons of each method.

For a short background on this series, see my first post.  

July 2017 – Teepee Pole Flats/Emerald Lake – Big Horn Mts., WY

This trip, along with three of the following four trips, were pretty much train wrecks. There were lots of valuable lessons learned during this stretch. Haha.

The plan for this trip was to do the purple loop in the map above, starting at the yellow star and going counter clockwise. However, on the first day, we ran into a creek crossing that we didn’t feel comfortable crossing because of the depth and current (roughly in the vicinity of the red star). We briefly looked for other options, then decided to head back to Teepee Pole Flats (pink star) and figure out what we wanted to do. We ended up camping at Teepee Pole Flats, and then hiked back out to the campground at the trailhead the next day and stayed there for a night. After that we hiked to Emerald Lake (orange star) and spent a night there before hiking back out. So what lessons did I take away from this?

First, trekking poles were on my list of gear to get for the next trip. I had never used them since I figured they were additional items to bring along that I didn’t necessarily need, but they would have been really useful for this creek crossing. I have taken trekking poles and used them throughout each trip since this trip. They were a tremendous help for all the creek/river crossings on the Eagle Rock Loop hike I did earlier this year.

Second, I wish we would have taken longer to try and find a spot to cross that we were comfortable with. I’m not sure if we would have found one, but we definitely had some time to look, and I think it would have been worth taking some more time to try and save completing the loop. I’m pretty sure if we had had trekking poles, and had taken some time to find a better crossing, we could have got across that creek.

Finally, a good pack makes a big difference. Up until this trip, my brother and I had used cheap packs we bought at Walmart. I remember after our last trip with those packs my shoulders were killing me. For this trip, my brother and I each got an Osprey pack and had REI fit us. This helped tremendously. The fitting was definitely a good move since there were some adjustments they made I would have had no idea I could have made. So while not necessary, a good pack will definitely make the trips more comfortable.

For a short background on this series, see my first post.  

August 2016 – Titcomb Basin – Wind River Range, WY

This was a trip that actually went pretty much as planned with no big hiccups. We (my brother and I) got incredibly lucky on the second day though. We had stayed at Barbara Lake the first night, and on the second day we hiked to Island Lake. As the hike to Island Lake progressed, it looked like it was getting stormy behind us. I wasn’t 100% sure it was headed towards us, but I figured we better try to get to Island Lake as soon as we could in case it was coming our way. We usually stopped for lunch each day on our hikes, but if I remember correctly, on this day we just took a short break for snacks and water and then kept going. I’m sure my brother wasn’t too happy with me by the time we got to Island Lake. By the time we got to Island Lake, the storm appeared like it was pretty close, so we grabbed the first suitable camp spot we found. As we were finishing setting up the tent it started to sprinkle, and not too long after we were in the tent, it was a full on downpour with some very small hail/grapuel included as well. This still holds as the most intense storm I have been through while backpacking. After the storm moved through, we overheard several stories of people getting caught in the storm in Titcomb Basin, which is not a good place to try and find shelter from a storm.

Since I’m already a weather nerd (my degree is in meteorology), I’m probably more tuned into the sky than a lot of people while out backpacking, but this was a great reminder to pay attention to the sky throughout the day. This storm was a great example of how quickly conditions can deteriorate. However, we had plenty of warning the storm was coming. Enough so that we were able to push hard to Island Lake, and got lucky enough to beat the storm. If you’re tuned into the sky, you’ll almost always have some warning that storms are coming and can take appropriate action. Had we not been paying attention to the sky, we likely would have taken our time on the trail and been caught in the storm on the trail somewhere.

Also, know how to set up your tent so in a situation like this you can get it set up quickly, and have your rain gear in a spot where you can get to it quickly in case you are still on the trail when you get caught in a storm.

For a short background on this series, see my first post.  

August 2015 – Paintbrush & Cascade Canyons – Teton Range, WY

My first takeaway from this trip was that I wasn’t a big fan of backpacking in Grand Teton National Park. Why? In the park, we were only allowed to camp in designated spots, and we had to have a permit for the specific spot we were staying at for that specific night. Had we been able to reserve these a little bit ahead of time, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But we weren’t, so we had to go to the visitor’s center the day we wanted to start our trip and see which camp spots were open on which nights, and then try and figure out a trip that worked with the camp spots available.

I will point out that if you can commit to the trip early in the year, you can reserve backcountry camp spots in advance (this year the reservation system was open Jan. 8 through May 15). So if you are able to set your trip in stone that early, then this can work for you. Also, there are probably a couple hikes I could do where I could camp just outside the park and then do day hikes into the park.

Thankfully we were able to figure out a way to do the loop we wanted. However, I hesitate to go back to the Tetons for backpacking since I really don’t want to take a two day road trip (one way) only to find out the route I want to do isn’t available. It’s also a bummer since it doesn’t allow any flexibility. If you get part way into your trip and decide you want to change plans, you’re out of luck. I’ll probably be back at some point, but if I’m not able to get reservations made ahead of time, I’ll likely choose somewhere else to go. Just keep this in mind if you are planning a hike in a national park.

Second: if the trail disappears, take some time to evaluate and see if you can find it. We came to a spot on the trail where it seemed to disappear, except for a faint path going up a steep hill with loose rock. I really wasn’t a fan of following that path, but I didn’t see another route, so my brother and I took it. It put my brother and I in a dangerous position, and a couple hikers behind us started to follow us as well. It turned out the actual trail did go a different way that was much safer. Thankfully someone further down the trail who knew the correct route started running towards us and yelling, and the two hikers behind us ended up taking the actual trail. But had I just taken a minute longer to try and find the actual trail, I likely would have found it.

Third takeaway was that I really missed having my DSLR. I only took my cell phone on the Cloud Peak trip and on this trip. My cell phone got some decent pictures, but I could have got much better pictures with my DSLR. So, although a pain, for each trip from this point forward I have lugged around my DSLR.

For a short background on this series, see my first post.  

July 2014 – Cloud Peak – Big Horn Mountains, WY

This was the first true backpacking trip for my brother and I. Two main lessons came from this trip.

First, mosquitoes can be downright awful in the mountains. I had grown up with mosquitoes in Wyoming, but never had I been swarmed by as many as we were on this trip. I remember being in our tent and we could hear the hum of all the mosquitoes outside. I can’t remember if we brought bug spray or not, but this trip definitely moved bug spray to the essential list of items to take on future backpacking trips. 

Second, it is very easy to get lost. From what I had read prior to the trip, the hike from Mistymoon Lake was pretty straightforward, and my brother and I made it to the peak without any problems. The approximate route we took is reflected by the blue line in the image above. However, on the way down, we somehow managed to take a slightly different route. I believe it was something like the red line the screenshot above, although I’m not sure where we actually got off our original route. We were following cairns on the way down since most of the route was boulder/rock hopping without any trail, and the cairns we followed took us a different route on the way down. We had no idea we were going a different way until we eventually realized we were somewhere we hadn’t been on our way up. That was not a good feeling. Based on our map, I was pretty sure we were headed in the same general direction, so we kept going and thankfully we met back up with our original route, but it could have been pretty bad if that different route had taken us in a different direction. So don’t think just because you made it to your destination that the trip back will be no problem and you can let your guard down.