Post by honeybee on May 25, 2016 16:35:34 GMT -8
Hey, guys!
I'm new to the solo (read: without my dad/his equipment) side of backpacking, and I have SO many questions. Mostly gear, for now, but I'm sure as I get more confident in that aspect, I'll start to branch out to alllllll the other questions I have.
My name is Chelsea! I'm a 24 y/o who's been in Indiana for...18 years? I'm currently an interpretive naturalist for my county's parks & rec system, which is essentially the coolest job available in my part of the state, haha. I grew up backpacking in the Blue Ridge Mountains (born in NC), and then we moved all over the US, and once we got to Indiana, we just kind of...stopped. For a long time. My dad was a paratrooper in the 82nd, so he's super minimalist when it comes to camping, and he's always seemed pretty hardcore about it. I don't think my family has ever car camped, LOL. I still have my kid's Kelty backpack!I'm pretty outdoorsy, but I'm also pretty broke most of the time, which means I rarely have the extra funds to spend on my own equipment (or travel). Most of my stuff is hand-me-down and just kind of gets me by, which sucks, but it's what I've gotta deal with for a while. I've been lucky enough to occasional find people who will share their gear, and last Memorial weekend I had the chance to go backpacking in the Smokies for several days. I spent about 10 miles on the AT, and fell in love. Something about seeing those white blazes just really did it for me. Since, I've been able to visit Daniel Boone SF, Harper's Ferry, Catoctin Mountain Park, and a teeny bit of Shenandoah.
I have a big list of all the national parks I want to visit (Denali, Zion, Glacier, Olympic, and Acadia and my current top 5), but currently I'm trying to hit the state parks in my area. If anyone here is from Indiana, and is familiar with our state park system, I just visited Clifty Falls over the weekend and LOVED it. Did a lot of off-trail hiking, snapped some cool photos...I can't wait to go back. I think this weekend I'm going to hit Prophetstown SP. I've had a lot of difficulty finding hiking companions around here, but one of my coworkers is typically pretty good about going with me.
Anyway, I'm REALLY excited to start asking gear questions...mostly because my 25th birthday is in just a couple of weeks, and I'm trying to ask for some new stuff. Should I make a separate thread for that in the gear section? Or just add them here?
I'm hoping this ends up being a really great community for me!! I'm super excited to get to know y'all.
Cheers!
I'm new to the solo (read: without my dad/his equipment) side of backpacking, and I have SO many questions. Mostly gear, for now, but I'm sure as I get more confident in that aspect, I'll start to branch out to alllllll the other questions I have.
My name is Chelsea! I'm a 24 y/o who's been in Indiana for...18 years? I'm currently an interpretive naturalist for my county's parks & rec system, which is essentially the coolest job available in my part of the state, haha. I grew up backpacking in the Blue Ridge Mountains (born in NC), and then we moved all over the US, and once we got to Indiana, we just kind of...stopped. For a long time. My dad was a paratrooper in the 82nd, so he's super minimalist when it comes to camping, and he's always seemed pretty hardcore about it. I don't think my family has ever car camped, LOL. I still have my kid's Kelty backpack!I'm pretty outdoorsy, but I'm also pretty broke most of the time, which means I rarely have the extra funds to spend on my own equipment (or travel). Most of my stuff is hand-me-down and just kind of gets me by, which sucks, but it's what I've gotta deal with for a while. I've been lucky enough to occasional find people who will share their gear, and last Memorial weekend I had the chance to go backpacking in the Smokies for several days. I spent about 10 miles on the AT, and fell in love. Something about seeing those white blazes just really did it for me. Since, I've been able to visit Daniel Boone SF, Harper's Ferry, Catoctin Mountain Park, and a teeny bit of Shenandoah.
I have a big list of all the national parks I want to visit (Denali, Zion, Glacier, Olympic, and Acadia and my current top 5), but currently I'm trying to hit the state parks in my area. If anyone here is from Indiana, and is familiar with our state park system, I just visited Clifty Falls over the weekend and LOVED it. Did a lot of off-trail hiking, snapped some cool photos...I can't wait to go back. I think this weekend I'm going to hit Prophetstown SP. I've had a lot of difficulty finding hiking companions around here, but one of my coworkers is typically pretty good about going with me.
Anyway, I'm REALLY excited to start asking gear questions...mostly because my 25th birthday is in just a couple of weeks, and I'm trying to ask for some new stuff. Should I make a separate thread for that in the gear section? Or just add them here?
I'm hoping this ends up being a really great community for me!! I'm super excited to get to know y'all.
Cheers!
