New member

Welcome, Matthew!

What has been your coolest backpacking trip to date?  Where do you hope to go next?  Any aspirations for big trips in the years ahead?

Feel free to ask questions or look for opinions.  A few people will post “we’ve talked about this before” or “use the search function” and you can just ignore them, if you want.  Those of us who’d rather answer backpacking questions than mow the lawn, fold laundry, or get that stupid report out will respond.  I’ve been doing UL backpacking for 34 years now and I’m still learning.  Some of that learning comes through discussing/debating in a thread some newbie kicked off.

Thanks for the welcome David! So far I’ve been on several long day hikes with a few 3 day trips in the mix. I would say my favorite weekend trip has been the crest trail in New Mexico’s Sandia Mountains. Most of my day hikes have been local, Palo Duro Canyon and Caprock Canyon. Both in West Texas. My first big trip planned is the Collegiate Loop next summer. I’m trying to log as many miles as I can before then to be physically prepared while also shaking out my gear.

I, too, would rather talk about backpacking then grade assignments or fold laundry. I’m at a medium level of experience, far less than many of the folks on here but I have learned a thing or two and have plenty of opinions. I’m next door to you over here in Arizona. :)

Welcome!

Welcome, Matthew.  BPL has an incredible wealth of experience in it’s current and past members.  Peruse the old posts and you can learn a lot.  Also you can learn a lot from class act current members like David and matthew k.  Yes, there are some cranky members around but there are lots of us who are so passionate about lightweight backpacking that we are more than happy to give advice, something we can’t give our spouses most of the time without incurring their wrath! :-)

Haha I’m definitely open to advice! I will definitely look at older posts and I’m not afraid of the search function either.

Welcome, Matthew! I fall into the same category as those who previously posted here, I love newbies with questions. I learn a lot for the answers, too! And in the few areas where I have some knowledge, I love to share.

I’m also new as well to the site.  Been reading the forums for a while with the free membership but just changed it to a basic level membership.  I’ve lived in Colorado for a decade and now mostly spend time in the mountains of New Mexico backpacking, hiking, fly fishing, Tenkara also.

welcome noobs n lurkers!