Looking back at my first backpacking trip I have to laugh. My partner at the time was an avid backpacker and he was long overdue for an overnight trip. After much planning on his part and many eager nods from me, we found ourselves in Glacier National Park. I wore old tennis shoes and slept in a four pound sleeping bag from Target. I had a brand new Deuter 45+10 Backpack from REI, and had no idea how to use a camp stove. My base-weight today is 21 pounds, but it was probably closer to 35 pounds on this trip. But you have to start somewhere, right?

First Backpack

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