Leaving the Trailhead Early
Set up Camp by Nightfall to Prepare your Gear for the Day Ahead
Apr 4, 2006
If I had one piece of good advice for backpackers it would be to start early, so you don't have to hurry up the trail to set up a campsite before dark. An early start enables you to enjoy the journey more - which can be as good as the destination.
You are also practicing good lightning safety and awareness when you plan an early start to your trip.
- The earliest starts happen when you camp at or near the trailhead the night before. Then you are able spend the evening sorting your gear, packing your backpack, and go to bed early, to be up at dawn the next morning. This is especially important if you are planning to hike to a higher elevation than you are acclimated to. Being there a night early gives your body time to adjust to the elevation change.
- Drink lots of water before you start out. Avoid alcohol, as that can make altitude sickness worse. (Becoming an avid backpacker caused me to more aware of my healthy and not so healthy habits, to the point that I gave up alcohol six years ago).
- Taking some food and water breaks on the trail gives your body time to recover from the stress of a strenuous hike. Once last summer I was spent after the first 7 miles - just about the time I was approaching timberline. I set up my tent and me and the dogs took a midafternoon nap. An hour later I was revived, and made the next four miles to my alpine basin destination easily.
One of the great things about being up in the mountains is the down time - the time when you are relaxing and start pay attention to things up there you either didn't know about, or had forgotten. It is usually simple stuff, that we often overlook - the clouds moving in front of the face of a peak, a bird singing somewhere below in the forest at evening, a distant elk bugle.
Those things are why I am so passionate about getting up there as often as I can. I like to be reminded how great life on this earth is, and the beauty and mystery present in one day and night. A few days up there and I forget all about my busy life, and rediscover my authentic self.
An early start gets you closer to the downtime, when you can relax, and start healing.
