The Ultralight Movement is keeping me from backpacking

I suggest next time you take a slab* of Korean beer with you and an iPad so you can watch some American movies.

A slab is a carton with 24 stubbies
A stubby is…
oh, never mind

Oh Franco, you can assume I know what a stubby is…

But serious, too many friends from Seoul. Last time I took a "slab" anywhere was an island hiking trip with a rack of Fat Tire from Costco.

God I hate Costco.

Sounds like my first 25 mile day. Need a bigger loop.

Do the loop twice?

At very least it would be fun to confuse the mountain bikers and boy scouts again.

Maybe another side trip or UL gourmet cooking? There's also buying a better camera to take more pictures in the late afternoon sun. If not ambitious mileage, activities after camp should be planned for. Better to have too much time rather than stumble into camp at dusk.

This is becoming my problem too.. I keep putting in TOO MANY miles and under estimate everything.

I just did 45 miles in 3 days … actually more like 2.5 days.

I actually WANTED to do all four days but I finished 1.5 days early.

I guess that's better than 1.5 days late and worrying my family … but still.

Doing the loop twice did cross my mind, the area was beautiful.

I think if nothing else, just plan way more miles next time. I'm not much of a foodie, but I suppose I could try out actually cooking on a trip. I don't usually bring a stove unless the wife is along. That might be fun. Or just carry more beer.

Time to up the mileage. I had the same problem for years as I've always had a fast metabolism and tended to speed hike. I've found having something to do in camp and showing up exhausted at the end of the day can help. That can be fishing, or sketching or just bringing a good book and a nice drink. Better to relax somewhere with a good view than at home whenever possible.

Have run out of trail several times and come home early. Once my partners wife thought we had had a fight and that is why we came back early (she was worried no one would go with him anymore) ;)

Add more weight to slow you down? :P

Have a leisurely breakfast with the wife, drive up and start later in the day. Camp at dusk. Hike out and grab a late breakfast in town. Makes for what I call 24 hrs in the woods. Sometimes it fits the schedule well.

Relax, look, and listen?

>"Or just carry more beer."

Too much beer weight is self-correcting.

Leaving UL, coming back SUL!

You sound like you are are about to enter the land of uber high mile days. It is addicting and also opens up weekend trip to itineraries that most do in a week. There is no known cure!

Try getting into fishing. That should slow you down a bit.

..and if you hike off trail, mileage has less meaning. When you are climbing up steep tundra with some low class 3 scrambling on the talus in places and then bashing through willows, I can assure you the mileage will go down. :D)

The best part of hiking off trail is that you go where few people go and really feel like you are deep in the wilderness.

So the TRAILS aren't challenging? Get a good topo and go off-trail.

I totally agree with Paul. Off trail hiking is fun, so much fun that you won't be rushing or concerned with mileage. You will want to explore places in a non linear fashion – just hopping around lake to lake or peak to peak.

off trail might be the ticket, I'm just such a horrible planner! if I show up with endless miles of trail ahead of me, I know I have minimal navigation and therefor, maximal "head time" if that makes sense…?

i'll admit I used "Flagging" for the first time ever two weeks ago. Had 12 hours to escape, and a heavily wooded peak to summit. I collected every piece on the way down, my guilt is light. oh well.

I can't wait to do a long thru-hike. No objective but Going. April can't come fast enough!

I'm with Paul. The late start, early return is the best way to squeeze in an overnighter of almost any distance, especially a loop if you can camp where you want. Mini trips are a great way of not letting life get in the way of backpacking. But Ken's idea of doing the loop twice just to boggle the minds of the scouts and bikers you met sounds great too. Maybe you could pretend that you're lost on pass two and let the scouts save you. Everybody wins.

I think you need a wilderness hobby besides walking. I like to fish or practice bushcraft skills while backpacking. My friend is studying ecology and likes to identify plants.
Learn to gather wild edible plants.
Climbing stuff is always fun.

This is why I like to bring a nook – I can do a lot more mileage than my friends, so I just take a nice long lunch at a beautiful spot, take off my shoes, have a bit of a soak, and lose myself in a good book surrounded by awesome smells, sounds, feelings, breeze on my face…that can consume a heck of a lot of time if I'm not careful….

Birdwatching. Warning: addictive. In no time at all, you'll want to collect the whole set.

I like the idea of doing the loop twice. But change clothes before the second loop, and act like you don't know anything about that other guy that looks like you.