Staying in-practice mentally (dealing w/complexity)

[Ian Schumann]

As a starting point I hope we can all agree that backpacking is complex. It involves navigating and solving a bunch of little problems (and some big ones) using a combination of mental and physical tools that are highly specialized. The working-out of that complexity is a lot of the reason we have this forum, right?

Anyway in my view, there are (at least) two classes of problems amid that complexity, and I’m interested in perspectives (or just sympathy) regarding the second of these two:

1. Problems that can be solved through knowledge: for example, all the first principles that I learned from reading seminal BPL articles in the mid-2000s. The various ways in which the body loses heat to the environment, and how to mitigate them. How to use a windshirt as the core ‘action layer’ while hiking through variable mountain conditions. How to put together an ultralight sleep system. How to select a reasonable campsite. Subjectively speaking, I learned most of these concepts from my desk and I’ve been able to put them into practice consistently ever since.
2. Problems that mainly get solved through practice: and mainly here, I mean how to reduce fussiness in all the little things. How to select and pack all your gear (before hitting the trail) quickly and efficiently. How to rig up your pack in such a way that things you need are easy to reach and accessible while you hike. How to pitch your chosen shelter quickly and without frustration. Basically, how to do anything on trail quickly and efficiently. There are certainly some heuristics to get at these problems, but for the most part I find these are too idiosyncratic and personal to be addressed by broad principles.

Overall my experience has been that this second class of problem is nearly impossible to address from the comfort of a desk. These problems mainly get resolved by going backpacking and there’s no way around that.

Any disagreement so far?

The trouble is, the fruit of that practice only gets to be enjoyed if one is able to backpack frequently enough that the lessons actually stick.

In my case, I live in central Texas, and have only ever managed to do “real” backpacking about once a year. This month I’m in an unusual break from that pattern: I’m working remotely in the Dillon CO area, so I will get to backpack 1-2 nights a week, for a string of 4 weeks in a row. In other words finally I will be able to go backpacking often enough to apply the lessons from the previous trip, to the next trip. The practice will compound on itself, for once.

But usually, this compounding isn’t available to me. When I go a full year between trips (or sometimes, multiple), I find that I often have to relearn all the “class 2” ☝️ lessons all over again. This creates a lot of barrier energy in front of the whole activity. It’s easy to go backpacking again when one has gone recently, because the brain and body hold onto those recent lessons. It’s hard to go backpacking again when all those lessons have been forgotten, and need to be relearned.

So my questions for the room are: what do you all make of this, and how do you deal with it? Obviously my goal is to be able to enjoy backpacking as much as possible. I find that this is harder (and in particular, going light is harder) when I’m out of practice.

How do you stay mentally in-practice, and avoid all the fussiness that accompanies these hundred-small-problems to solve out on the trail?

Thanks for reading. I hope this is an interesting discussion that’s useful for other occasional-backpackers as well.

[Ryan Jordan]

Great discussion starter, Ian.

My approach to staying “in tune” focuses on frequent overnighters close to home – they might be low mileage, they might be car camping trips, they might be in your backyard. The goal is to use your “backpacking gear” in these contexts to keep the routines practiced. You are right – frequency pays dividends, so anything you can do to overcome the barrier of just getting outside and doing it is good.

Likewise, I often take a full backpacking gear kit on long day hikes for the same reason – practice and tune the routines of hiking for several hours with a complex gear kit.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Class 2 Problems – one way that I mitigate this is to look at trip reviews/reports.  They tend to trigger “forgotten” memories as well as draws on tribal knowledge that I may not have.  I sometime look at YouTube for vary recent trip reports to get an assessment of weather conditions (like snow pack).  My 2 cents.

[Ian Schumann]

Thanks RJ, that’s validating!

Your suggestions / practices here make it sound like you actually treat this as a standing, first-class problem to continually guard against. Stepping back to look at the whole picture, that makes a lot of sense!

I suppose I’ve never noticed that one’s trail habits and mindset are a kind of machine, which requires ongoing maintenance (like any machine) in order to run smoothly. I’ve done the equivalent of storing a car in the garage for a full year at a time, and then being surprised when it has trouble starting up. Hmm! This could be a good paradigm shift to take onboard.

[Ian Schumann]

Interesting Jon, I like that. I can see how the richer texture of videos and trip reports – as opposed to articles about dry concepts and gear reviews – can keep one’s relational memory a little fresher. That is, relational memories of one’s one on-trail experiences and habits, etc. Good call.

[dirtbag]

I am always pitching my tarps, tents, bivys and hammocks in my back yard. I always break out my cook kits and mess with them in my yard also… Different weather patterns to keep my skills sharp. I don’t mind setting up my tent in my yard when it is windy and pouring rain out! Snow storm rolling in? Great time to get some practice in with my winter set up. I do this so many times my wife has plenty of jokes and my neighbors probably think I get the “dog house” quite often.  It never gets old for me. But yes its true.. Nothing like actually getting out and using your gear to get that feel for it.  I will also add, if you take only the necessities, then the packing and unpacking part that concerns you should NOT be a problem at all. There should not be too much for you to worry about there.

[HkNewman]

I’m always trying to optimize gear and clothing, simplifying what needs to be simplified.   So my softshell microfleece-lined screen compatible gloves are in a hipbelt pocket for deployment, my storm layers tops are “hoodies” (no warm hat to forget or lose), sunscreens/bug juice/etc.. in an external mostly  “netting” shoulder pouch so I can get to it and a squish doesn’t get the substances all over other gear/pockets.  Some of this has been learned the hard way.

reducing fussiness

All about that on 3-season trips.  In the morning last thing I want to do is futz with too much repacking.  So I’ll try to put away everything possible before trying to go to sleep.   That way in the AM, it’s (cold) coffee and then a simplified load out .. breakfast later.   Note when solo I like starting to hike at the crack of dawn, but set up camp before sundown.  After dinner I’ll have plenty of time to put everything where it needs to go.

Some hikers may want to do the opposite, simply dump their gear in their shelter to lie down pronto and then take their leisurely time packing up in the morning.  That’s fine too.

Then I met a young hiker on the southern PCT this year with a Pa’lante pack … who had only a tarp to set up for inclement weather, but cowboy camping otherwise.  That can be pretty simple if knowing how to rig a stormproof tarp.

[Bonzo]

I cram my practice into whatever space is available.  I play with tents in the yard, I carry packs on the local hiking/walking trails, I walk up and down icy driveways with microspikes in the winter, and I often take a stove and canister to the local pub to practice cooking while having a pint.  When it’s raining I either read articles at my desk, or learn how to stay dry on my lunch break.  Using your theoretical knowledge/resources to crack the problem of “how do I train?” sharpens both your theory and your practice, regardless of situation.  Wilderness can be found where you seek it; not just where you see it on a map.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I think doing weekend day hikes helps a lot. You stay “in shape” as far as employing layers to stay comfortable, or knowing how your body deals with hydration, dehydration and exertion. You keep your feet in shape, you stay used to weather. You can even test out some kinds of gear, like headlamps, rain gear, wind shirts, navigation, even stoves if you feel like cooking your lunch.

Other than that, I don’t think backpacking is all that complex. You walk for a while, then you eat and sleep.

[Kevin Babione]

@Diane – Thanks for bumping this thread…I missed it while on vacation this summer.

I typically get 2-3 weekends a year and may occasionally hit 4 weekends backpacking so I have the same issue.  My “trick” is that I always write up a trip report and email it to the people who were on the trip with me.  The last section of every trip report is “Lessons Learned/Things for Next Time”.  There, in bullet-form, I simply list things that worked well this trip or things that did not.  Then, as I’m planning the next trip, I reread my last log to trigger my failing memory of the things that I want to repeat or do differently.  I’ve had enough trips where I’m on the trail and exclaim to myself:  “Oh – that’s right…I’d forgotten, but this (fill in the blank) doesn’t work well for me.”

It’s also fun to read my logs from 10 years ago and see things like:  “With three of us on the trip we don’t need to bring 3 JetBoil stoves – one would suffice since we all eat together.”

[AK Granola]

Backpacking certainly gets easier in all ways, the more you do it, like anything else. Everything gets easier and simpler – the camp setup, the food prep, the packing, leaving unneeded crap at home. Even realizing when you’ve made mistakes and mitigating them mid-hike, gets easier. Dealing with type 2 or even 3 fun, gets easier.

I’m glad I didn’t start hiking and backpacking after the introduction of social media; instead I was lucky enough to have learned from others on actual trips and also learned from experience. I see a fair number of people attempting the AT or whatever after reading a few social media posts and watching YouTube, without ever doing an overnight. I’m sure some succeed! That said, i’ve gotten some great tips for improvement off this forum and others. I’d never have tried a Tarptent otherwise, or used trail runners instead of boots.

Now the trick for me is to be comfortable backpacking alone here in Alaska, in grizzly bear country. I much prefer to be in company in this environment, and it’s more and more challenging to find hiking partners as I get older. I’ve been looking for trails Outside because of that – feeling more comfortable hiking in areas without the risks I face at home.

[Rex Sanders]

Social media is not the root of all evil, just the latest incarnation. Too many of us failed to finish the PCT after a few backpacking trips and reading books like Fletchers’ Complete Walker and Thousand Mile Summer, while relying on several-year-old Wilderness Press guidebooks and ancient USGS topo maps.

Somehow completion rates have increased dramatically in the last decade or two despite a big jump in newbies “trained” on social media and blindly following their smartphones.

— Rex

[HkNewman]

Somehow completion rates have increased dramatically in the last decade or two despite a big jump in newbies “trained” on social media and blindly following their smartphones.

On that particular point, it could  be most are younger hikers too.  Younger joints and muscles will take a lot more punishment than most older ones … and then there’s the fact most thru hiking hits a summer peak, some info from more experienced hikers has dispersed via social osmosis, gear shakedowns, etc.. .  By the time most northbounders get to the opposite terminus, they’ve probably been exposed to enough discomfort  to make better decisions.   They can also carry enough to add weight to avoid another cold night … whereas the more elderly experienced will try to avoid that unpleasantness in the first place.

[Mark Verber]

In order of impact for me:

Most important: I bring a small audio recorder (these days an app on my phone) where I keep notes. I record the conditions, how comfortable I was, things that worked well, things that didn’t work well, random ideas. Once I come back I do a retro on the trip and update my “backpacking notes” which is where I try to consolidate what I have learned. For example, range of comfort for particular clothing, number of lumens I need in different situations, how much fuel/time it takes to heat up the amount of water I use for dinner, etc.

I try to fit in over night trips close to home whenever I can. The destinations might not be the high sierras, but it’s better than being stuck in the city.

In day to day life I am try to use my skills and learning. Day hikes (and just normal around town activities) provide opportunities to test range of comfort of clothing. Work in the backyard provide opportunities for knots, improvising using the minimalist tools I hike with, etc. I will often walk to the store and carry things back home rather than driving. Note: concrete sidewalks are harder on feet than trails… I hurt my feet last year with a combination of shoes I was testing (and clearly failed) , concrete sidewalks, and carrying 20-40lbs.

My gear list used to be a fairly complex. Pretty much every trip I changed several items looking for optimal performance based on the above notes. I had formulas that were driven by a variables like temperature ranges, the bug force number, etc to select what was “perfect” for a given set of conditions. Around 2010? I started to simplify my gear and my selection progress, trying to make it as fiddle free as I could (e.g. my learned is baked into gear list).

[Dan]

I think I may be an outlier in this forum, but I started reading the OP and did not relate to the premises. I don’t feel that backpacking is complex, and I definitely don’t think about it in terms of problems to be solved. I have enough complex problems to solve in my normal life and that is not a paradigm that appeals to me. I also don’t care about miles traveled, speed, or how many minutes it takes to boil my water or pitch my tent. Backpacking can be simple, and it need not be a competition (despite what you might think from reading BPL), so the goal doesn’t need to be optimal efficiency and perfection. Have fun. Explore. Enjoy your surroundings. Be grateful for the opportunity to be alone in the wilderness. Walk when you want to walk, and stop when you want to stop. Every day can be different, and dictated by your surroundings. If things aren’t perfect and efficient, you will still have a great time if you don’t obsess about meeting your goals. Maybe you don’t even need goals.

[Ian Schumann]

@Dan I have to admit that being an engineer by trade, I tend to generalize engineering-thinking to most areas of my life. Not everybody has this disease … and that is a good thing!

However to be clear, I am not trying to optimize for miles, minutes, or grams. When I talk about reducing fussiness in the OP, mostly what I mean is reducing the experiential complexity of everything I’m trying to get done out there. Not “optimizing” for the sake of packing in as much nature as possible, or some other achiever-oriented paradigm – somewhat like you said, I get enough of that in my urban rat race lifestyle :-)

Some reduction of complexity comes through plain-and-simple practice. This is the second category of learnings that I alluded to. Regardless of what tent or cook system you happen to carry out there, you’ll get better at using it effectively (and without frustration) if you just put in the reps. What this thread has turned out to be about (well in large part) is learning how BPL folks manage to put in those reps, and keep those lessons fresh in their minds, so that when they out on the trail they’re more free (I hope) to experience the wilderness relatively unfettered. That’s ultimately my aim here, anyway.

For what it’s worth ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Dan]

Yeah, I’m familiar with the engineering mindset; in fact, I’ve been an engineering professor for decades. Engineering is great, but one piece of advice you may not have learned in school is that generalizing engineering principles to every area of one’s life may not always be ideal for a happy life. If you are in a long-term relationship, you may already have learned this from your partner.  ;-)

And my apologies, I didn’t mean to imply that you are one of the competitive gram/mile/minute counters that infest the forum. I just get a bit tired of the constant over-thinking that goes on here … makes me a little cranky.

Anyway don’t get me wrong, I do understand your question. I was just pushing back a little and encouraging people to stop taking backpacking so seriously. I could give you some standard advice on how to stay in practice, but I thought a different perspective might be interesting.

You asked several times in your OP if people agreed, so please allow me to say that I simply don’t agree with all of your premises. You also said that your goal is to enjoy backpacking more, and so I was giving you the benefit of my experience regarding how one might enjoy backpacking more, even if you don’t get a lot of practice. Maybe you can’t solve all of the “problems”, but that doesn’t necessarily need to reduce your enjoyment if you can adopt a slightly different mindset. That was my point. It will be good practice for the compromises you will necessarily need to make as you age.

Sure, I am usually a little rusty in June, so my first trip can be a little wonky. But so what, I still enjoy it just as much. And if I forget something, it’s an opportunity to improvise. Sure, it’s a good idea to practice using your gear before you take it into the backcountry, but don’t drive yourself crazy.  :-)

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Funny, as an engineer myself, part of the joy of backpacking for me is problem solving.  Riddling out, how best to cross a creek, best location to pitch a tent, what to do if you forgot your fuel.  All of the puzzling out is part of my enjoyment.

 

I had a trip where I brought Esbit and a firesteel and forgot to bring a BIC lighter.  I had to figure out how to light Esbit with firesteel.  Fun times.  And now I am pretty proficient at it.

 

I went on a trip and didn’t bring enough alcohol.  I was able to stretch it out by adding small bits of wood to my stove to burn simultaneously.  Fun stuff.

My 2 cents.

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