New flights to aid backpacking around Russia

Backpacking to the some of the more remote regions in Russia is likely to get easier this summer, with the unveiling of flights to 12 more cities by airline KD avia.

The Russian airline is to offer daily flights from its Kaliningrad hub during the summer of 2008, servicing locations including Moscow, St Petersburg, Perm, Samara, Ufa and Omsk.

Gap year travel looks set to get a lot easier for those heading off from the 14 cities the Russian airline services, including Berlin, Hamburg, Barcelona, Rome, Paris and Milan.

However, KD avia's UK sales manager, Loreta Durrell, noted that for many student travel enthusiasts and backpackers, there is little reason to explore beyond Kaliningrad itself.

She said: "We are seeing a growth in tourism to the fascinating city of Kaliningrad, historically called Konigsberg."

The city was recently the subject of media attention when treasure hunters claimed to have found two tonnes of looted Nazi gold, which was previously exhibited in Konigsberg castle during the war.

Gold Coast set to boost backpacking numbers

Tour operators are hoping to raise the profile of the Australian Gold Coast as a travel destination by emphasising its appeal for student travel, backpacking and young adventurers.

The Gold Coast Adventure Travel Group met on January 16th to discuss ways to increase its popularity among tourists once again, reports Queensland's ABC news.

Group president, Helen Redhead, noted that there is an increasing mindset among backpacking travelers and those embarking on gap year travel that there is little to do.

She explained that many coming to the Gold Coast are "not really sure what there is to do apart from the beach and the theme parks".

However, she is quick to add that "there's a lot more activities in Surfers Paradise itself, as well as outside of Surfers Paradise".

However, although the region is competing with other destinations such as Cairns and Whitsundays for the younger traveler in terms of hostels and youth hostels, few places compete in terms of waves in what has been daubed 'Surfers Paradise'.

Planning a backpacking holiday? Search and book online with HostelBookers

Survival Tips And More On Backpacking

Backpacking tips brings visitors all of the information they would need to know and have to go backpacking safely. Many people find themselves in trouble because they ran out of food, or get in contact with a wild animal. Many people do not know what to do in these situations. Backpacking Tips gives backpackers everything they need to know so they can have fun on a backpacking trip, but be prepared if anything should come up.

This website is everything anyone would need to know about backpacking, whether they are a beginner or a novice. Before going backpacking there is a lot of equipment one would need to have ready. It can be difficult to try to figure out what equipment would be the best for each individual or family. Backpacking Tips will show them the variety of equipment available, as well as which ones are the best for certain people. There are necessities for backpacking that needs to be known before someone goes on a trip. There are also luxury items that someone might want to take with them as well. Backpacking Tips goes over all of the necessary items, as well as luxury items a backpacker should have.

Someone who is planning a backpacking trip does not have to read through stuffy articles to get the information they need. Backpacking Tips has a very well organized website that puts them in control of the information they would need. Backpackers can also find recipes for backpacking food, essential foods a backpacker should have, a simple checklist so the backpacker can make sure they have everything they need before leaving, and a variety of backpacking tips to stay safe and prepared.

Backpacking Tips also goes over a popular place that people love to go backpacking - Europe. They tell readers all about the mysteries of backpacking through Europe with honesty that would grab anyone's attention.

Using Backpacking Tips and the information on their website could certainly save someone's life and make backpacking much more fun than it already is. All of the information they have is well organized so the backpacker can get right to the information they are looking for. They can even print out a checklist to make sure they have everything they need right before they leave.

For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release, contact

http://www.backpackingtips.net/contact-us.html

Or visit the website now at:

http://www.backpackingtips.net

Backpacking through college years

My Turn
By: Savannah Campbell
Posted: 10/11/07
I was walking across campus Thursday, struggling to carry the load I had gathered together for the day in my backpack, when I thought out loud, "It feels like I am carrying my entire life in this backpack."

I should clarify. By "entire life" I mean a collection of physical items that make me who I am.

My mind immediately replied to itself saying, "Well, if I were carrying my entire life in this backpack, I definitely wouldn't be carrying the items I had in it today."

My backpack is purple with seven zipped compartments, four small ones on the front and three larger ones behind those for books, notebooks, etc. There are also side areas for a cell phone or a drink bottle.

Usually, my load consists of no more than three books at a time and a notebook for each class. I always plan my schedule with at least an hour break for lunch around midday so I can eat and return some of the books (if possible) to my dorm room.

That day's load was especially heavy for two, specific reasons. One was I was going out of town to Columbus, Ohio, for the night and needed to bring my required daily toiletries and a change of clothes for the next morning.

The other was, in addition to these items, I packed the book and notebook I needed for my one Friday class.

With these two sets of items weighing my back down as I walked from Wallace to Powell to the library to Cammack, I continued to ponder my earlier thought.

What would I carry with me if I were carrying my entire life in the pack? Even more interesting is what would people I know carry if they were doing the same thing?

But, not to sound rude, other people are not the focus of this article; I am. For the next couple of paragraphs, it's all about my life backpack and me.

I think the first thing that makes me Savannah Campbell is my love for my family and friends. They are the people who are always there for me. They may not always be right on time, but they eventually come around.

I don't think I can fit my closest friends and family into my backpack though.

As a result, it's every photo I've ever had or taken of them that I choose to include in the bag first.

That way, when I meet a stranger on the street and begin to tell stories, they will have visuals to go with the details.

Friends and family aren't the only loved items in my life. I also love certain music bands and artists. To me, one of the greatest experiences in the world is hearing a favorite song on the radio.

I also like to spread this music to others, so at least they can say they've heard the song. I don't mind if they later tell me they don't like it (although if they said the opposite, I would be happier) as long as I at least played them a song they may not have heard otherwise.

So the next item to go into my backpack is my mp3 player, the same mp3 player I've been adding music to for almost six years now.

Over the last few years, I have also began to take pride in the two main talents I've been given in life. One of these is the one I recently decided I was destined to have.

It seems almost all of my life, people around me have been praising my writing ability, whether telling me I would write the great American novel or that they always saw me writing. I never seem to fully agree with the praising statements.

But I am weird because I still like to see what people think of what I call "crap writings." These stories, both news and creative fiction, are another set of items I would include in my backpack.

I do have a goal of one day publishing at least one novel-length book; maybe if I show these stories to the right stranger, I'll get into the publishing world.

My other semi-talent is photography, specifically 35 millimeter film photography. I know the world has turned from this to digital in a matter of mere years or less.

I don't care. I still love sending out film, getting back negatives and deciding which photo would make a good 8 by 10 print.

Not all my photos turn out spectacular, but that's OK. The ones that have are other items to be included in the Savannah Campbell backpack.

I would finally include a composition notebook I have been adding quotations to for years now.

These quotes range from sad to hilarious to famous to something a friend of mine might have said during a trivia game.

I love throwing a random quote from my collection or memory into a situation to help make it funnier or to help someone feel better.

It's just something that makes me the person I am today.

The items in my life backpack might not seem special, but I don't care.

They are the things that help to spell out the person who is Savannah Campbell.

Who knows? Maybe these items are similar to what makes you who you are. You never really know what you would carry in the backpack of your life until you stop and think about it. At least that's what happened with me last week.

Boomer backpackers prefer to stay off the beaten path

By Melissa Serraglio The Tri-City News

Sep 14 2007

For some people, a trip takes a lot of planning. Hotel reservations must be booked, suitcases packed and sightseeing must be scheduled.

For Port Coquitlam resident Bill Greenland, a retired Tri-City teacher and Terry Fox Theatre’s first manager, planning a trip is just the opposite.

“I definitely have a laissez faire attitude when it comes to travelling,” Bill said. “We like to leave ourselves and our schedules open and never make any reservations.”

Greenland and his wife, Karen, leave Sunday for an eight-week backpacking trip that will begin in Italy and lead them wherever else they feel like heading at the time.

“We’re definitely hitting Italy, the Greek Islands and Turkey, but we’re not sure where else yet,” he said. “If we find a place we like, we’ll spend more time there.”

There will be no schedules to follow and no rooms to book at any hotels, and the Greenlands wouldn’t want it any other way.

Bill, who’s 60 years old, and Karen, who’s 59, have travelled throughout their lives but took up backpacking once they retired.

They have been backpacking together for the past three years now, trading in four star hotels for hostels, and have never planned what they’re going to do or see next.

“The trick is to leave yourself really open for the experience, rather than checking your watch and saying ‘I have to be at this place right now,’” Bill said. “When we’re backpacking I find that my daily things here at home drift away, and we both live much more in the moment.”

While Bill has plenty of backpacking experience under his belt, his wife hasn’t always been quite as receptive to the idea of backpacking as she is now.

When they first started backpacking together, Bill said Karen had some reservations about the whole concept.

“She was concerned about safety issues and where we’d be staying when we first started backpacking,” he said. “But she’s definitely much more comfortable with it now than she was before.”

Bill, on the other hand, has always been a fan of backpacking. He prefers it to staying in a hotel or at a guest resort and said he wouldn’t be comfortable going on a trip any other way.

For him, it’s the freedom that gives him the most satisfaction.

“I don’t mean to dismiss all-inclusive trips or guided bus tours, but I feel trapped if I get on one of those,” he said. “I feel like I’m not a person anymore, I’m just a number where people see me as commission. Also, If I’m backpacking and I wind up in a place I don’t like, I don’t have to stay there, I can just leave.”

He said he sees himself more as a traveller rather than a tourist and has noticed a difference in the way people interact with him when he is backpacking.

“You’re treated differently if you’re on your own,” he said. “I think people sometimes see you as being more equal and more connected with them when you’re a backpacker.”

But backpacking can have its risks as well, such as showing up at a new town at night and having to find a place to stay in the dark.

There are also risks to travelling without a set schedule.

“You can’t expect things to always work out,” he said. “Sometimes you have no control over the situation, but you always have control over how you can react.”

Don't Go Hiking With Captain Pain

By Bill Croke
Published 8/17/2007 12:06:54 AM

This article appeared in the July/August 2007 issue of The American Spectator. To subscribe to our monthly print edition, click here.

HIGH COUNTRY HIKERS "hikes are "led" affairs. As many as a half dozen people have taken the responsibility to do the homework required to properly lead a hike. This means consulting a trail guide or the Internet to research a particular area. Two guys are especially good at this, and one is Kevin Lehman. The other guy is usually a stick-to-the-trail type, while Kevin, well, likes to wander. For this reason, I came up with a nickname for him: Captain Pain.

I named him thus because not only does Kevin tend to lead us "off-trail," but it always seems to be up. He likes a hike that will give us a couple of thousand feet of vertical elevation (and great views) during the course of a day. As we "switch back" -- huffing and puffing -- up rocky, windswept ridges, we sometimes call out: "Kevin, when are we going to run out of up?" It should be noted that Captain Pain's wife and two teenaged sons mostly refuse to hike with him.

He once led a group of us to the Copper Lakes near Sunlight Basin, climbing some 1,800 hundred feet in just a couple of miles on a steep grind of a trail without switchbacks through a long hot summer morning. Another time -- without a trail most of the way -- we scaled 12,348-foot Carter Mountain to its summit.

But most of Captain Pain's hikes that turn into mountaineering expeditions start out in an improvisational way. He gazes longingly up at extremely high ridges as if wanting to be immediately there. These scenic journeys are certainly worth the effort, but after some of them I swear to myself that I will never hike with Kevin Lehman again. And there's sometimes a participation attrition rate after a Captain Pain hike. One woman put it to me succinctly: "Kevin's hikes are hard." That's an understatement.

When "high country hikers" hikes, we meet at 8 a.m. on the designated weekend morning in the parking lot of the Cody Recreation Center, and we carpool from there. I always walk over -- pack on my back -- because it's only a couple of blocks from my house. Many times when Kevin leads a hike (remember: "Kevin's hikes are hard") his car is the only one there. Soon, I see his genial, optimistic, bespectacled Midwestern (he's originally from Minnesota) countenance beaming through the windshield. I approach, smile, wave, and think: "What am I doing here?" Because when Kevin has me as his sole hiking companion (captive audience?), those are the hikes where I say: I'll never hike with Kevin Lehman again.

He seems to love "bushwhacking," as if it's worth the struggle to slug your way through brush and over-and-under deadfall (large downed trees) to get to an interesting place or to see a nice view. There are variations of this theme.

Once, while searching for an interesting route back to the trailhead (Kevin hates to go back the same way that he came in) at Painter Creek in Sunlight Basin, Captain Pain led me down the west fork of the creek (neither of us had ever taken this route and were ignorant of the terrain) through a large blowdown (in this case, dead, fire-scorched trees felled by wind).

For two hours we made our way downhill (Thank God for that) through the old burn, a charred forest that reminded me of a carelessly tossed pile of black stick matches leaning on each other. We climbed over some trees, and crawled under others. Dead branches tormented us as they poked at head and body and snagged our clothes and backpacks. A couple of hours of this torture gained us maybe a mile.

In the middle of this Green Beret training exercise, I found a small, two-foot-long elk antler lying on a log. How the elk got there to shed it the previous spring is beyond me. For Captain Pain, my souvenir was justification for the rigors of a nightmarish hike. I was happy to find that elk horn, but despite it I swore that I would never hike with Kevin Lehman again.

Another hike found us a couple of miles up Boulder Creek (which drains into the South Fork of the Shoshone River) following a fading trail that crossed the creek about a dozen times, making us hopscotch across on rocks, sometimes precariously. The creek was bordered by thick willow brush and short-but-steeply-eroded cutbanks that lent a feeling of entrapment and made for slow progress. Captain Pain looked up and studied the adjacent high ridges, and I knew what was coming. "We can climb that ridge and follow it back down to the trailhead," he said.

Oh, well, it sounded better than going back the way we came, and after sweating the 500 or so vertical feet to the crest of the ridge, I followed the Captain as we carefully treaded its wind-scoured spine with the boulder-strewn creek far below.

For an hour or so we negotiated the ridge, frequently triggering talus (unstable rock fragments on a steep slope beneath a solid rock outcropping, and akin to walking ankle-deep in marbles on a steep incline) slides that threatened to carry us down too. Using my binoculars, I spotted a pair of gray bighorn sheep -- a ram and a ewe -- on the opposite ridge across the creek. They chewed their cud and seemed to be watching us as if they thought us to be complete idiots. The views were good from this lofty height, but after this difficult trek back I swore that I would never hike with Kevin Lehman again.

ONE SUNDAY LAST AUGUST, Kevin led eight of us up the Grinnell Creek Trail (named for author and ethnologist George Bird Grinnell, an outdoors crony of Theodore Roosevelt) from the North Fork of the Shoshone River. It was our typical middle-aged crowd of both sexes, with a few newcomers. The goal was a purported garden spot called Grinnell Meadows, but we weren't exactly sure how far it was because none of us had ever been there. According to the trail guide, the best guess was five or six miles.

The first four miles or so were quite steep, as the trail climbed steadily up the drainage through thick timber above the creek, and there was some grumbling back in the ranks. And the mosquitoes were troublesome, which is common in summer when hiking amongst the trees and sheltered from a breeze.

Later, when we stopped for lunch by the creek, a few of our number decided to turn back, having lost patience at not reaching Grinnell Meadows. One firm hiking club rule is that no one who turns back does so alone, but the consensus was fine with Kevin, as a group planned to return.

After further discussion, it was soon apparent that everybody but Kevin and I were turning back, and after lunch we bid our companions goodbye. Out of earshot I ribbed him: "Well, Captain Pain, you don't have to worry about those guys ever hiking with you again."

It wasn't long -- maybe a half mile through the pines as the trail hugged the creek -- before we came out of the trees and into Grinnell Meadows. There hadn't been much more of an elevation gain from our lunch spot, so the grumblers had almost got there anyway. Kevin and I had a good laugh about this.

We were immediately in awe of the place, and that's saying something, because both of us have lived in the Northern Rockies for years. Grinnell Meadows is the sort of location that the 19th-century fur trade era mountain men called a "Park" (as in North, Middle, and South Park in the Colorado Rockies) or a "Hole" (as in Jackson Hole and Pierre's Hole, both in the Yellowstone region). A place of ease and plenty: well watered, with abundant grass for horses, and wild game for the cookpot. A mountain man's summertime paradise.

It WAS HARD FOR US to estimate the size of Grinnell Meadows (100-200 acres?); it was just plain big, hundreds of yards by hundreds of yards. And it was a three-sided box, the sides being the towering mountains, stony and gashed with the remnants of the previous winter's snow. The waving grassland was spotted with clumps of trees, both hardwood and soft: cottonwood, willow, chalky white aspen, and pointy lodgepole pine. Grinnell Creek, here near its headwaters, threads the meadow with two separate channels that were easily forded across shiny, wet gravel bars.

August means the windblown grass was brown and the early summer wildflowers were gone, but Kevin and I still spent a couple of hours exploring the meadow and the timber lining its edges. We didn't see any elk (the middle of the day is a poor time to view wildlife), but small piles of brown "scat" were present here and there, the pellet droppings rather large, the size of acorns, as compared to deer scat, which is smaller. We also didn't see any moose, though the habitat was perfect for one or two to be hanging around. No sign of grizzlies either, though they're known to frequent the meadows earlier in the summer.

Afternoon thunderhead shadows drifted across the peaks and the meadows. There was always that sultry breeze, and the gurgling of the creek. Kevin and I continued to joke about out friends who gave up before the great payoff. No pain, no gain.

We sat on a smooth old gray cottonwood log by the creek, and I could imagine Jim Bridger himself sitting with us as his horse grazed contentedly nearby; his Hawken rifle leaning on the log next to him. Old Gabe smoked his pipe and watched the breeze-drifted clouds shadow the mountains. "I've always thought it as fair a place as any," he said.

And I swore to myself that I would hike with Kevin Lehman again.

Programs mentor at-risk teenagers on backpacking, canoeing trips

Article published Jul 1, 2007
BY KELLI LACKETT

When Greg Christensen's father took him on his first backpacking trip in Utah when he was 8 years old, it was the beginning of a lifetime love for the outdoors.
"It gave me an appreciation for the wilderness and mountains and helped bring the world into perspective. It instilled self-confidence," the 33-year-old Fort Collins resident said.
Christensen would like to give lower-income youth the chance to build their confidence through similar outdoor experiences. In August, he'll climb the 13,770-foot Grand Teton peak near Jackson Hole, Wyo., in order to raise $3,500 for a nonprofit organization Big City Mountaineers.
Big City Mountaineers is a Denver-based program that mentors at-risk teenagers through multiday backpacking and canoeing trips.
"I think it did have an impact on my life," Christensen said about hiking and backpacking as a boy.
"To be able to have kids do that and also be able to do a climb at the same time is a great opportunity."
Summit for Someone organizes benefit climbs
Christensen's brother, Mitch, who lives in Phoenix, found out about the benefit climb last year through Backpacker Magazine, who is the title sponsor of Big City Mountaineer's fundraising arm, Summit for Someone.
Summit for Someone's 350 volunteer climbers pledge to raise $3,500 each for BCM for the chance to climb one of North America's famous peaks with experienced guides. Fourteen climbs feature iconic peaks such as Mount Rainier, Mount Whitney, Mount Shasta, Mt. Hood, Longs Peak and the Grand Teton.
"The climbs are accessible to a lot of people," said Mark Godley, executive director of Big City Mountaineers. "It's open to new participants in mountaineering.
This year, the climbs sold out in three weeks, Godley said. Next year, Summit for Someone is expanding to include 800 participants.
Christensen and his brother are two of the nine people, plus guides, who will climb the Grand Teton during the August trip. The trip demands 7,000 feet of elevation gain and class 5.6 climbing.
"For an accomplished climber, it would not be challenging. But for the novice to intermediate climber like myself and my brother, it will be a challenge," said Christensen, who is a program manager for Intel.
He's raised $675 so far by hitting up friends, family members and businesses.
"Fundraising is ten times harder than the climb will be."
Denver nonprofit mentors teens through wilderness trips
Marcus Matthews was 16 last July when he set off with four other boys and five adult male leaders on his first backpacking trip with Big City Mountaineers.
"To be honest, I hated it. I was carrying a 50-pound backpack and walking for three miles straight," Matthews said. "When we made it to the top of the mountain to the lake, that's when we went fishing and started having fun."
The Denver teenager surprised himself by signing up for a BCM backpack this summer.
"I thought, 'Man, I am doing this again,' " Matthews said.
Existing youth organizations - such as after-school programs, foster care and Boys & Girls Clubs - recommend youth for BCM trips. The trips are same-gender and provide a one-to-one ratio between youths and adult volunteers and leaders.
"What I think is critical is the extended (eight) day trip and the large number of adults that go out with the kids," Godley said.
Over the eight days, the teenagers naturally go through a cycle of building trust, building endurance, achieving goals and making meaning out of the experience, Godley said.
"It is intended to be jarring emotionally. The youth go through self-doubt, loneliness, fear. Seeing a team of adults and peers react to them in a comforting fashion, they begin to relate to themselves differently."
"You could not create the same magic by chopping it up into weekends," Godley said. "It puts them by design in positions where they have to rely on others.
BCM has followed past participants to see whether the trips have a lasting effect on their development. Surveys show that there is a lasting improvement in positive identity and social competencies, Godley said.
Matthews was surprised at how his attitude changed once the boys on his BCM trip finished the climb to the Avalanche Lake in White River National Forest.
He knows what he's going to say to BCM participants who get discouraged or whiny on the trail.
"I'd say, 'I know how my experience went last year. ...Once you get to the end of the trail, it might change your opinion.' "

Question:
Hello, I've been thinking about getting an eVent outershell as..erm...I have been known to perspire the odd swimming pool or so when out trekking. I'm looking for one that has been strengthened in stress areas for backpacking though. Any advice? I've heard the Rab SuperDru is pretty good but that Rab come in tight fitting. I've got the Generator Smock xxl which is a perfect fit. Cheers muchly.

Answer:

Hi there,

Gear here, Richard Gear, queen of the eVent and breathability fanatic. First, I'd agree that eVent is a good choice - it's the most breathable waterproof fabric I've used and even though you can still overwhelm it, it's certainly better than other comparable fabrics I've tested.

There are two obvious jackets you should look at. One is Rab's Super Dru, which was recently reviewed on this site. It's one of the best lightweight mountain jackets we've used and has the reinforced areas you're after, however as you say, it is cut quite snugly and may not suit if you're less than svelte. The only real way to check though, is to try one on.

You should also take a look at the Montane Venture - right - it's a lightweight 4750-gramme eVent waterproof with hi-tenacity nylong reinforcement on shoulders and seat. I haven't used one, so I can't comment on cut, but it ticks your boxes and is also £50 cheaper than the Super Dru at £150.

Another possible candidate is Montane's SuperFly XT. It's deliberately cut slightly larger all round than the same company's SuperFly to accomodate extra clothing and like the Super Dru, it's has tougher fabric on shoulders and other stressed areas. It's heavier than the 400-gramme Rab jacket by around 240 grammes but is a tough, well-engineered jacket.

Rab's equivalent to the XT is probably the Suilven which is again a little heavy at 660 grammes, but is made entirely from a tougher grade eVent fabric, which should be up to anything you choose to throw at it.

April in Arizona: Backpacking the Superstition Wilderness with kids

By LIN WILDER
For the Coloradoan
Lin and Hanna Wilder and Michele and Emma Scheetz

When my friend Michele and I announced our intention to take our daughters Emma, 7, and Hanna, 8, backpacking in the Arizona desert, the response wasn't quite what we had expected. Sure, there were those who recognized our efforts to create character-building, nature-bonding opportunities for our daughters.

But the vast majority of responses ranged from shock (what about all the scorpions and snakes and spiders - oh my!) to disbelief (your daughters are going to be carrying packs?)

Well, as the saying goes - those who think it can't be done should get out of the way of those who are doing it. And so it was that the four of us found ourselves heading into the Superstition Wilderness (about an hour east of Phoenix) in the early hours of April 13.

Because of a rare rain the evening before, the desert was crisp and shining and smelled of creosote bushes. The only nod we made to the ominous date was the panicked discovery of a leak in my Camelback that was quickly fixed with duct tape.

A bystander would have thought us an odd bunch on our first few hours on the trail. Our mouths hung open in awe, and we kept repeating, "This place is amazing!"

Indeed it was - clusters of hedgehog cacti popped their heads up in hot-pink splendor and whimsical ocotillo arched their red flags into the air. "What are THOSE?" the girls asked as they spotted the nearly leafless, green-trunked palo verde trees and the waxy yellow prickly pear blooms. Their excited cries of "lizard!" and "frog!" would punctuate our entire trip.

What seemed like many water-guzzling and sweaty hours later, at the glacial pace of a 7-year-old with a pack, we reached Garden Valley, a vast flat stretch of desert populated with "teddy-bear cholla" cacti that only look soft like a stuffed animal but will break off in small pieces and grab your leg without provocation.

Here, the girls spotted a cactus wren nest snuggled into a cholla, and we found an Indian ruin complete with pottery and tool fragments. On the return trip we would also find grinding holes in the rocks nearby.

We reached our camp at Second Water Spring just as the saguaro shadows began to grow. The girls had adjusted to the long miles by pretending to film and narrate their own show for children called "Arizona Desert Survival." The little desert tidbits and trivia I obnoxiously kept yammering on about were apparently sinking in. We listened happily as the girls told their "viewers" about how agave only blossom once after 10 to 30 years and then promptly die, and how saguaro swell up with water after a rain.

We settled into our sleeping bags early each night to listen to the conversations of pygmy owls and frogs and watch bats swoop through star-studded skies.

While Michele and Emma were snug in their tent, Hanna and I slept under a tarp. While not too concerned about poisonous bedfellows, I do admit to scattering lavender buds around our sleeping area after reading that scorpions don't like lavender. Did it work? I don't know, but I do believe in aromatherapy now, as I've never slept better.

In the middle of one night, though, I was startled awake by a strange sound. A quick flash of the headlamp revealed the hasty retreat of a desert spotted skunk that had been helping clean up some left-over chocolate pudding we'd been too tired to deal with after dinner.

The next day, a 7-mile day hike around the golden cliffs of Battleship Mountain found all of us floating without our heavy packs. A venomous lizard called a Gila monster surprised us on the trail, and then skulked into the leaf litter under a palo verde tree and glowered at us.

We pushed on, hopeful of finding a "secret" emerald swimming hole in the entrance of the LaBarge Box Canyon. Hours later, hot and dusty from bush-whacking over an inhospitable saddle, we shivered in its welcome waters.

During the last hour of the day our fatigue was lessened by another Gila monster visit, the discovery of a scorpion only inches from Hanna's fingers, ruins of the Indian Paint Gold Mine and a lethargic turtle.

The attractions came rapid-fire, distracting us from our fatigue. As we made our final push toward camp, my feet ached and I kept waiting for Hanna and Emma to complain. Instead, they harmonized in a rowdy refrain of "It's the best day ever ...!"

After dinner that night, two men hiked by our camp in the dark and stopped to chat. They regaled us with stories of old-time gold-miners and told us of petroglyphs right next to our camp.

They were so full of desert trivia and history that we joked about putting them in our back pockets for the remainder of our trip.

"Do you have a hiking guide to this area?" one asked. We told him we had planned our trip with the excellent "Hiker's Guide to the Superstition Wilderness."

"Yep, that's my book," he proudly stated, and we realized that he was Jack Carlson, author of our favorite guide. Turns out he was in our back pocket after all.

On our final day, we wished we had more time to explore the Superstitions, but as is true with every backpack trip no matter how wonderful, we all emerged from the desert ready to drop our packs, eat junk food and languish in long, hot showers.

We carried with us a couple of cactus spines we would discover in our legs days later and a sense of togetherness, adventure and accomplishment.

In our eyes, Hanna and Emma had grown up quite a bit. After all, they had truly learned about "Arizona desert survival," and as they told everyone upon their return, it had been "the best trip ever."

BagButton recruits the outdoor enthusiasts

Protect Gear, Save space for pennies
Date Released: 05/01/2007

Mossyrock, WA., May 01, 2007 – BagButton LLC. has a 10 year legacy of the most economical vacuum space saving home storage solution in the world. True to the legacy, BagButton is to launch an innovative ad campaign aimed towards the outdoor enthusiast

BagButton can take plastic garbage bags and make vacuum storage space bags that are ideal for all forms of outdoor recreation as well as travel and seasonal storage. The air tight garbage bags are manufactured from polyethylene and enable the user to compress and protect clothing and gear. Compacting compressible items like fleece, sweaters and sleeping bags in plastic bags can yield up to 100% more room in backpacks, suitcases, duffels and closets. BagButton and the vacuum space bags it creates are indispensable for recreational pursuits like camping, hiking, backpacking, boating, hunting, biking, golf – virtually any activity were the cost for space is at a premium and items must be protected from water and dirt. They’re also useful for travel, since packed items take up less space in suitcases and carry-ons.

BagButton enables the user to use plastic bags for both roll-up and vacuum seal. BagButton is used for both versions of compression and are resistant to water, moisture, mildew, dirt, insects and allergens.

In the roll-up version, air is manually squeezed from the bag through the opened port located on the BagButton. As the air is removed, the packed items compress, “shrink-wrapping” the contents and freeing up to twice as much room. BagButton space-savers are airtight and watertight, so packed items stay protected.

The roll-up version is perfect for backpacking, water sports, boating, canoeing, kayaking, day hiking and car camping. Plastic garbage bags come in virtually unlimited size and styles and a price range from 5 to 50 cents per bag, depending on the size, style and manufacture.

The vacuum-seal storage version uses an ordinary home or shop vacuum to remove air through the BagButton. This version is ideal for off-season, long term storage of bedding, sweaters and bulky outer-garments like parkas and cold-weather gear. Plastic bags come in some pretty amazing sizes so it’s left up to the user as to what can be vacuum sealed.

BagButtons are available at selected retail locations throughout the World and on the web at www.bagbutton.com. www.bagbutton-space-bags.com .

The BagButton is manufactured and distributed by BagButton LLC. Incorporated in 2004, BagButton is recognized as the global leader in the development and marketing of innovative, economical, space-saving storage solution. BagButton’s corporate offices and warehouse are located in Mossyrock Washington with support offices in Overland Park, KS. and Smyrna Beach, FL.

About BagButton LLC.
About The families and staff of BagButton.

We are Made in the United States.

BagButton, Global leader in economical space saving solutions, provides the highest quality and most economical portable vacuum space saving solutions in the World.

Our Links- www.bagbutton.co.uk www.bagbutton.com www.bagbutton-space-bags.com

BagButton LLC

BagButton LLC has been in business for 10 years designing the BagButton in order to bring the BagButton to the market place in February of 2004. We are deeply involved in the economical space saving industry. We were formed with the objective of becoming the major economical participant in the space saving industry, targeting all retail outlets and the massive market that exists with space saving technology. We have established a strong relationship with distributors World Wide. We have established a work ethic and pride in our new and innovative product at a very competitive price. We have been quite successful at this by concentrating on a relatively small number of products in our line. Financial results for our first, second and third year are well above the projected expectations.

Test Riding Or Paddling A Good Way To Pick Up A Summer Sport

Many people want to take up a summer sport, but stop short because they just are not sure where to start. According to staff at Downwind Sports in Houghton, buying a bike, a boat or backpacking gear is a large purchase.

They recommend test riding or paddling the equipment before purchasing it, so you know if it's the right item for you.

Arnie Konis, owner of Downwind says, "A great way for them to do that is to come on by. Usually starting mid-May, we have weekly kayak demos at the Houghton Beach and also in Marquette."

Custom road and mountain bikes average $500. Kayaks and canoes range from $300 to over $1000 a piece. While the cost of a bike includes everything but a helmet, the price tag on the kayaks only includes the boat.

'More Brits go backpacking'

An increasing number of Britons are going on a gap year, new research reveals.

According to a study by the Year Out Group, some 39,000 people went backpacking through the firm over the course of last year, a 3,000 increase from 2005, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The report also revealed that about a quarter of those going backpacking are over the age of 25.

Chief executive Richard Oliver claimed that a rising number of working adults were looking to take a 'gap month' or a sabbatical to go travelling.

He told the publication: "A lot of 28 to 35-year-olds, some who work in particularly high-pressure jobs and with the prospect of children, are deciding to do what they want to before they run out of time."

Africa was highlighted as a popular backpacker destination, particularly for those travelers wishing to carry out voluntary work abroad.

Research conducted by the One Life Live exhibition revealed that 54 per cent of working adults, about 7.5 million, said they would be interested in taking a career break to go backpacking or volunteer abroad.

Ladies, why not try beginner's backpacking?

By Linda Stahl
lstahl@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

By Linda Stahl
lstahl@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

Ladies, you're in luck. Natural Bridge State Resort Park, near Slade in Eastern Kentucky, has added a women-only "Beginner Backpacking" weekend to its list of offerings for 2007.

This guided overnight trip begins March 31 and ends April 1. It is for women 18 and older.

Natural Bridge staffers will provide instruction on how to plan an overnight backpacking trip and provide all the equipment needed for your training weekend.

You will hike approximately 8 to 10 miles total. Participants must be able to walk this distance carrying at least 30 pounds. The fee is $75 and includes equipment, instruction and meals. The outing is limited to eight participants, so hurry.

Call Noelle Theres, park naturalist, at (800) 325-1710 to make a reservation.

By the way, if you've never been to Natural Bridge State Resort Park, you're in for a treat. It is home to one of the largest natural arches in the state and is surrounded by the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Outdoors skills for her

Another special opportunity for women is a Becoming an Outdoors-Woman weekend at Ross Camp near West Lafayette, Ind., May 4-6.

The Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program introduces women to more than 30 outdoor skills and sports in a safe, noncompetitive environment.

Hands-on classes promote confidence in women who are learning a skill for the first time or trying to improve existing skills.

You'll meet other women who enjoy outdoor sports, including hunting and fishing.

Registration is under way. The cost is $165 for the weekend, which covers lodging, meals and equipment. Regular tuition positions are filled but you can get on a waiting list. Cancellations often occur. About 10 positions for those who need partial scholarships remain available. They go to students, single parents and low-income, first-time participants.

You must be 18 or older to enroll.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Hunter Education Association sponsor the workshop. For more information or to register, go to www.bow.IN.gov or contact Dawn Krause at (317) 232-4095.
Forest forensics

Author and ecologist Tom Wessels, who is known for interpreting the landscape by taking a closer look at its scars and wounds -- a process that has been called forest forensics -- will speak Wednesday at The University Club at the University of Louisville.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin with a reception at 5 p.m. followed by Wessels' presentation at 5:45 p.m.

Although Wessels is a scientist, he loves teaching people how to "see the marvelous, large-scale patterns and processes that exist in the world around us."

His book, "The Myth of Progress: Toward a Sustainable Future" (University of Vermont Press, 2006), asks readers: Are we testing the resilience of nature's systems and challenging the very laws of sustainability?

Another of his books, "Reading the Forested Landscape: A Natural History of New England" (Countryman, 1997), has been said to have helped thousands of New Englanders understand their landscape as they look at stunted trees, old stone walls and other clues.

Wessels is professor of ecology and the founding director of the master's degree program in conservation biology at Antioch New England Graduate School in New Hampshire.

His appearance in Louisville is being sponsored by The 21st Century Parks and The Partnership for a Green City.

Learning to count on nature

By Paul Boerger
Published: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 4:06 PM CST

Tim Corcoran says he became a man at the age of 12 when he completed a three-month, 35-state backpacking adventure by making a solo climb of Mt. Shasta.

“I created my own personal code of honor on the mountain,” recalls Corcoran, founder of the local Headwaters Outdoor School. “I vowed I would dedicate my life to connecting boys and girls, men and women, all people, to the spirit of the natural world.”

After recently instructing an 11-day winter class during which 14 students learned a variety of survival skills, Corcoran said there is more to nature than simple survival.

“Through all the craziness in this world, the one constant you can count on for wonderment is nature,” he said. “The school helps people have a personal relationship with nature. It benefits all areas of life, relationships, health, mental health and fun.”

The class was held at numerous locations, including Headwaters land near Mt. Shasta, on the flanks of the 14,162 foot mountain, and at Lava Beds National Wildlife Refuge.

Students learned about winter shelters, fire making, hunting and trapping (with no animals harmed), winter travel and wildlife identification.

Headwaters offers year-round outdoor experiences including wilderness skills, vision quest, nature retreats, plant medicine, earth philosophy and a rite of passage experience for young boys.

Corcoran's recent class began with two and a half days living in bark tepees, then moved to the mountain for two nights in snow shelters. It concluded with four days at Lava Beds.

“With the world getting more crowded,” Corcoran said, “winter is a time in the wilderness you can always be alone. It's all yours.”

He said spending two nights in a snow cave can make class members wonder, “What did I get myself into?” But, “Almost every time, people don't want to leave the winter behind. The experience becomes winter appreciation.”

In the snow above Bunny Flat on a sunny day, Corcoran urges class members to get their snow shelter built before night falls; he knows it's going to get cold, and the weather could turn bad.

“I don't want to hear about fatigue,” Corcoran says. “Just get the shelters built.”

Corcoran said his interest in the wilderness began at a young age with his grandfather and uncle, who first took him into the woods when he was just six years old.

He said his backpacking trip at age 12 was a rite of passage, “my becoming a man trip,” he called it.

At age 17, Corcoran said he spent four months alone in the Canadian wilderness practicing earth skills.

“No matter how long you live, nature will never stop taking you deeper into itself,” Corcoran says. “Our ancestors lived closer to the land. The school helps you remember what you already know, what's in your blood.”

New Lowepro bags built for great outdoors

Sunday, January 14 2007

Lowepro has just introduced an extensive line of digital camera pouches, shoulder bags and photo viewer case designed for the outdoor and adventurous photographer. The Apex line is claimed by Lowepro to be the largest and most complete line of protective pouches and cases in the industry.

Apex AW shoulder bags and pouches lightweight and ruggedly built. The single-compartment design of the Apex AW bags offers is said to offer quick access and accommodates a pro compact camera or digital SLR plus accessories. Apex AW pouches also have the single-compartment design and accommodate a camera, memory card and battery or small accessories.

Soft brushed-tricot lining and interior dividers guard against scratches. Lowepro's patented All Weather Cover protects against weather, dust and sand. In addition, the new Apex PV AW pouch is designed to protect and carry a variety of digital media playback devices including photo viewers, digital storage devices and PDAs.

Other features designed into the entire line of Apex pouches and shoulder bags include a built-in memory card pocket for quick access; reversed zipper with silent zipper pulls resist sand and dirt and rubber molded bumper for additional protection. The Apex-series camera pouches will be available in Black/Gray and Arctic Blue/Black in the January and are priced from $19.99 to $49.99.

Making the most of a backpacking trip through Europe

By Brian Wooddell
McClatchy Newspapers
Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:12/23/2006 01:13:47 PM MST

After months of planning and saving, there we were: Seven of us, three women and four men between 19 and 21, got off the planes and found our packs in the underbelly of Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino airport. For two weeks, we would travel and learn and explore Europe.
Right after a nap. Jet lag, it seemed, could temporarily kill any and all vacation excitement.
We were there to ''do Europe,'' and ''do'' it we did. Five cities in two weeks meant seeing everything as quickly as possible. When we flew home, we brought more than dirty laundry and sore feet. We realized why young adults have been backpacking across Europe for decades.
We had stories about swimming in the (frigid) Mediterranean Sea and being cursed at by an irate Italian man on the streets of Rome. We learned that tourists should always be ready to ''drop some euro'' for the W.C. and that chocolate cereal, which can be found in almost any grocery store, makes a great meal any time of the day. And we figured out that in Europe, ''old'' means something completely different from what it does in the United States.
Everywhere we stayed was clean and safe, and in several hostels, we managed to get a room of seven beds to ourselves. One night in a hostel, or a hotel with several bunk beds in each room, will cost about $20 a person. It's not private, but it provides a way to meet other backpackers.
Here's a taste of our trip to help like-minded travelers plan - if you want to go next summer, now is the time to start.

Rome, days 1-3:
* Where we stayed: M&J Hostel
* What we did right: We made ourselves get up early to see the city, even though we were tired, and we spent the extra 11 euros each to see Palatine Hill.
* What we did wrong: Food. We didn't know where to go or how much to spend, so our meals weren't very good, except for the one time we tried authentic Italian pizza. ''Molto bene!''
* What we saw: The Vatican, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Palatine Hill, the Colosseum, the Forum, the Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese
* Don't miss: Gelato (ice cream) in front of the Spanish Steps at dusk.
* Avoid: The metro. Downtown is small enough that walking isn't a problem, and the subway is way too crowded.

Venice, days 4-6:
* Where we stayed: Villa Dori (an inexpensive hotel)
* What we did right: We stayed outside the touristy part of Venice, so we were able to see typical Italian life.
* What we did wrong: This city is a huge tourist trap. Spend a day and a half at the most. We were there too long.
* What we saw: Islands of Torcello, Murano and Burano; the Grand Canal; San Michele Cemetery
* Don't miss: Torcello and its ancient church. It's one of the least-spoiled parts.
* Avoid: Gondolas. They're a rip-off at $80 plus tip.

Paris, days 7-9:
* Where we stayed: A church in central Paris
* What we did right: By staying in a church, we saved about $20 a person each night. Talk to your place of worship for contacts abroad.
* What we did wrong: We weren't there long enough to see Versailles and a few more museums. In addition, we didn't check to see when things were closed. The Musée d'Orsay (with its Monets and Renoirs), for example, wasn't open the day we tried to visit.
* What we saw: The Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Le Centre Pompidou, La Sainte-Chapelle, Sacré Coeur Basilica, Notre Dame Cathedral, La Grande Arche de la Defense
* Don't miss: The Eiffel Tower at night, La Sainte-Chapelle (near Notre Dame) or La Grande Arche at the far northwest end of the Champs- lysées.
* Avoid: The elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower. If you take the stairs, you save money and time by avoiding the huge line.

Barcelona, days 10-11:
* Where we stayed: Sea Point Youth Hostel
* What we did right: We had been going nonstop, so we took time to relax on the beach.
* What we did wrong: We relaxed too much and didn't plan enough time to see parts of this great city, including the former Olympic venues.
* What we saw: The Mediterranean Sea, Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell
* Don't miss: Parc Guell, an extensive park designed by Antoni Gaudi that sits on a hill. It provides an awesome view of the city.
* Avoid: Certain beachgoers. Beaches in Barcelona are clearly top-optional, and that isn't always a pleasant sight.

Madrid, days 12-14:
* Where we stayed: Hostal Metropol
* What we did right: Visited during the prince's wedding, so the whole city was clean and decorated to the hilt.
* What we did wrong: Visited the city during the prince's wedding, so security was extra tight, and the streets were clogged with tourists.
* What we saw: Parque del Buen Retiro, the Royal Palace, Museo del Prado
* Don't miss: Churros con chocolate. There's a shop near Plaza Mayor that sells this traditional Spanish snack of sweet bread sticks dipped in a mug of thick hot chocolate. Go there, and go often.
* Avoid: Having your passport stolen, missing your flight home and sitting for three hours in Madrid's American Embassy (true story).
In retrospect, my friends and I did nothing perfectly, and there are many things we'd change if we could go back. But because this was the first time any of us had been to Europe without Mom and Dad, we figure we did a pretty good job.
Planning your trip can be fun, and the Internet makes it a breeze.
* Many hostels have Web sites or are listed on sites such as www.hostels.com, which often includes prices, photos and online reservations. It's not a big deal, though, if you don't have reservations or don't know where to stay. Hostels are built for tourists, so they are usually well marked. You can always ask other groups of young travelers as well.
* Information on trains can be found through Rail Europe at www.raileurope.com. And you can always check out blogs and personal Web sites from people who've traveled Europe extensively and know the best ways to get around.
* As far as money, watch the exchange rates before your trip and budget accordingly. Almost everything costs more in Europe. Plan to spend $20-$30 a day for basic necessities, not including a fancy meal.
* If you plan early, things will go more smoothly. Remember: You're probably not coming back for a long time, so make the best of it.

On the Backpacking Trail

Sounds like bad news for all travel agencies. Just when they thought the whole country is on a booking spree for eight-day package tours, there is a new breed of Indian globetrotters packing their rucksacks to march on unexplored trails. The outcome — these not so well heeled travellers know every nook and corner of Rome, where to shop for edgy fashion in New York, the royal castles of Scotland, lesser-known exquisite cafes of Paris, the unexplored islands of Australia and, mysterious facts about the Dark Continent!

No doubt, they consider themselves explorers rather than travellers or tourists. These 21st century pathfinders are all set to redefine the traditional ways of Indian tourism. And excursionists like Reena Grewal, Dharmesh K, Mehar Mann, Minali Tolani and many others, share a firm belief that being a backpacker is the best way to travel. The idea of being a backpacker traveller may sound a bit odd since they all opted for it when they could have easily afforded a stay in a luxurious hotel, a 17-course menu and champagne cocktails to go with it all.

Reasons, Minali Tokani, a senior manger with Kotak Mahindra, “You can stay in a luxurious hotel, enjoy a spa, pop some champagne and do all that kind off stuff in your own country. But if you do the same at a foreign locale, then what’s the big deal?” And this thought prodded her, to throw a pair of jeans, some cheques, most importantly her passport into a bag and head of for Europe.

According to, Vaishali, a software developer, she was never a package-tour type of person, and always opted for the more challenging option, “Being a backpacker means, you don’t have to stick to any schedule. The world is yours, so just go and explore it!” she says. Concurs Dharmesh, who is into the restaurant business, “The thing I hate most about package tours is their promise about providing Indian food. Now, come on, when you’re visiting a foreign destination, the natural choice is to relish the local specialities.”

The idea of being a free spirit made Mehar Mann scout the streets of Rome, with only a Lonely Planet map for company. He stresses that meeting girls was also an underlying thought, which made him walk the same streets twice over. Adds Reena Grewal, who quit a cushy job in the United States to travel, “Being a backpacker means you get to see the small towns. Meet the local people and the best part is flexibility. I extended my stay for three days in a small hamlet in Ireland. Had I been on a package tour, I would have never got to enjoy these small things.”

Most backpackers do not have a fixed schedule or a budget, per say. They explore destinations at their own sweet pace. Nevertheless, Vaishali emphasises that one should chalk out a basic plan, “You should know what really interests you. Otherwise you’ll get lost, for everything is more exquisite than the previous attraction.”

Mehar points out the elemental prerequisite to be a backpacker, “Before you leave for any destination, do some research. This really helps because once you are there, you will be on your own.” That may sound a bit risky, but most backpackers live in hostels, dorms or sometimes at a hospitable native’s place. Dharmesh recalls, “I went to buy the local ingredients at a supermarket in Rome as we were preparing food on our own. There were other backpackers from across the globe and we shared a lot about food and business.”

Minali believes that the exposure she gets from such travels is incomparable. “You get to speak to strangers, not only
do you learn to rely on them you also realise the value of independence. It’s a bonhomie feeling.” For Reena, who did a backpacking trip Down Under, the high point was the thrill of swimming with dolphins. “The experience was worth it, had I been on a package tour, I would have got to see more of mankind than those lovely creatures,” she chuckles.

However, all backpackers have a piece of advice. Travelling light and living it up, will make your trip a success believes Dharmesh. Being not fussy and open about everything is the key, thinks Reena. “Back at home you may be used to having the whole house to yourself but at a dorm, you have to share bathrooms, food and perhaps everything. Being fussy will take you nowhere,” she adds.

Mehar insists that one should be friendly but alert, “In Rome, I’ve seen gypsies lifting people’s wallets. And with no interpreters things can go out of hand.” Vaishali dismiss such incidents as rare. “Life is an adventure and one should not miss the fact, that you get to interact with the whole world. Also at such times, you get to realise what your strengths and weaknesses are.”

Yogesh M Shah, a backpacker who has now set his own company Bacpackerco says, “ When I opted to be a backpacker, I could not find anyone to guide me. So when I came back, I thought we need to get organised and that is how the company came into existence.” He insists that this is more a passion than business for him. Today places like Cafe Mocha Backpackers Club and backpackerco.com provide a platform for like-minded travellers. Dharmesh adds, “I believe that all those who are doing their MBA’s from lesser known institutes should opt for such travels. I’m sure this will broaden their horizons.”

These urban nomads share a free spirit and the nerve to take the road less travelled. Minali sums it aptly, “For being a roadie you need a tough state of mind, otherwise check out some package tours.” So now that you know what the highs and lows of backpacking are, you could possibly consider doing at least one such trip in your lifetime and cherish that experience forever.

Backpacking 18 miles? No problem

By GARRET MATHEWS
Courier & Press columnist
Originally published 12:00 a.m., November 19, 2006
Updated 10:49 p.m., November 18, 2006

Weary stragglers plodded Saturday past grain fields along the Copperline Road in rural Posey County toward the end of an 18-mile course.

Some limped. Others shivered.

But not retired Lt. Col. Nick Chessman.

The 52-year-old stood straight and tall as if he was just back from a stroll around the neighborhood, his uniform still freshly starched. He finished the march in a little more than four hours, coming in well ahead of men and women half his age.

"I do a lot of jogging, so that helps. I put in 12 miles out here today before my legs started to get sore. Some of the young ones think they can just head out the front door and make it that far. They soon find out otherwise."

Chessman, who teaches ROTC at Owensboro, Ky., High School, looked down the gravel road.

"I brought three kids with me, and they're still out on the course. I guess they'll get here when they get here."

On Saturday, the ROTC program at the University of Southern Indiana hosted the fifth annual Norwegian Road March. Participants were required to dress in military uniforms and carry 25-pound packs.

Eighty-seven men and women entered the event, including 22 cadets from USI. Also represented were members of the 163rd Field Artillery Battalion of the Indiana National Guard in Evansville.

A time of four hours, 30 minutes was good enough to win an award.

The idea for the march originated with Dr. Nils Johansen, an academic advisor at USI and a one-time second lieutenant in the Norwegian army.

"In my country, soldiers earn a badge for an 18-mile hike with pack. Not everybody gets it, but everybody tries. I thought it would be something good to do here."

Johansen was in the Norwegian service from 1960 until 1964, when he came to the United States to study at Purdue.

"I'm not in the best shape shape right now because of my back, but I did six of these road marches when I was in field artillery," the 65-year-old said.

Sgt. 1st Class Ken Suratt, an ROTC instructor at USI, helped coordinate the event.

"Starting in September, our cadets trained three times a week for this," Suratt said.

"Participation wasn't required, but it was strongly encouraged, if you know what I mean."

Many families who live along the course provided Gatorade, water and apples to the marchers.

"It was nice to see all that support," the 35-year-old Suratt said. "You don't feel like you're out there by yourself."

A member of the Army since 1988, he was trained as an MP.

"I haven't been to Iraq, but I was part of the team that went to Panama on the Noriega mission."

In March, Suratt will take some of his cadets to northern Michigan for a 25-mile hike with packs, called the Frozen Chosen.

"I won't have to map the course or worry about water stops, so I'll join the guys for that one."

When Suratt musters out of the service in two years, he hopes to be a golf pro.

"My second life will definitely be different from my first," he said.

The Backpacking Theory

Mark Zimmer
The Backpacking Theory

Every time this thought of lecturing about how good someone has it enters my mind, I get the same feeling that I imagine an elderly person gets when they remember the speech they just gave that started with, “When I was your age…” Although I am younger than many of the people that I explain my basic theory to, I can’t help but realize that I have a rather unusual look on not just making money but life overall.

The “theory” that I am talking about is one that I coined while trudging though some hot, stagnant aired forest with mosquitoes the size of small birds sucking blood out of me faster you could say, “Oh my God, I hope I don’t get West Nile Virus!” It was during this exhilarating experience that I came up with my “How to enjoy life: Appreciation through Deprivation” thesis.

The whole basis for this “theory,” if you can call it that, is that the best way someone can learn to enjoy their surroundings and learn to be patient while being persistent, is to take themselves out of their comfort zone, and go for total misery. And the quickest, cheapest, and easiest path that I know of to leave your comfort zone and give you a healthy dose of deprivation is: backpacking.

Now, before anyone jumps to conclusions, I want to make it clear that although I enjoy pointing some of the lesser attributes of backpacking, it is an activity that I enjoy. After reading this some may wonder WHY I enjoy it, and the best justification that I can give is to tell them to give it a try. With that being said, I will get back to backpacking.

At the basis of this theory, there are two main principles that are separate issues; but they work together to address one main “problem” that many people feel that they face. The first problem addressed is the feeling of not having enough material possessions, and the second is the annoying habit of feeling sorry for oneself.

Addressing the first principle of not having enough material possessions happens almost the moment a backpacker steps on the trail. Since everything that the individual brought along is on their back, it becomes instantly obvious that more is not better. The mind suddenly starts to run through the pile of unnecessary junk on your back, and begin to wonder why that pillow, extra shirt, or toothbrush handle (no joke) is being lugged around. This thought process rapidly accelerates when walking on inclines, and jumps exponentially when pushing yourself back up after face planting down a hill. It usually doesn’t take long for the mind to reach the conclusion that although most stuff in life is nice, it sure isn’t necessary.

The second issue of feeling sorry for yourself really never actually goes away; it is just magnified so much that once you reach society again, feeling sorry for yourself doesn’t make sense, since you are excited almost to a childish level. I will give a few examples that may seem ridiculous but are actually true. Take something as basic as a real meal. Quickly jumping back to our first issue, we remember that less is better, and this goes for food as well both in weight and quantity (and usually quality). After a week of rice, beans, dried fruit, and oatmeal; a cheeseburger is a real Godsend. On a more basic level, running water is a truly exciting thing upon your return to the real world. After a week of drinking warm, fishy tasting water that has been flavored with iodine to kill any viruses that the water filter missed, a simple glass of cold water is better than can be imagined. The list of examples goes on and on from sleeping with a pine cone you forgot to move jabbing you in the back all night; to trying to bathe in water that is so cold it does disturbing things to certain parts of the male’s anatomy and makes breathing while bathing, next to impossible. The point of realizing that, “Hey, I don’t have it so bad,” sets in real quick when you hop back into your vehicle and drive to a motel for the night.

The best thing, however, that I feel backpacking offers is the chance to think. Backpacking is physically tiring but mentally stimulating. There is very little noise, and the mind gets a chance to just relax and wander.

So there you have it; the next time you feel that you have it SO hard, and that you NEED that new suit, car, gold-plated harmonica, or whatever; remember that a little bit of serious deprivation can end up making your everyday world pretty rosy. And from that foundation, one can go out and happily achieve their goals while never feeling like they HAVE to get to a certain point to be successful.