The very first time Mike took me backcountry camping trip was in the summer of 2005. We had been together 2 years and were preparing for possibly backpacking around Nova Scotia in the fall (we ended up driving). We decided to do the Mantario Trail - a 60 km trail that ran along the Manitoba/Ontario border that at the time, was mostly maintained by volunteers (I am not sure the status of the trail now). Mike was a boy scout and had spent two years in the outdoor rec program in Thunder Bay, had tree planted for a number of years and was just overall an outdoorsy guy. And although I didn't consider myself a city girl or even all that high maintenance (ie I didn't (and still don't) wear make up or blow dry my hair and I considered myself fit (I played hockey in the winter and soccer in the summer), this hike definitely tested all of my physical and mental limits (and running out of toilet paper and not having the car at the end of the trail trailhead were only the tip of the iceberg).
But I did it and I learned from that experience and now enjoy multi day hiking trips. (Mike also learned from the experience too - he now knows he needs to pack more toilet paper when he is hiking with me).
However, in all of our hiking trips, it often feels like Mike does everything. He packs the tent, the food, the thermarests and all the other things I probably don't even know about. He cooks the food each morning and evening, hangs the bear bag, and sets up a tarp to try and keep our stuff dry in the rain. And yes, I carry a pack and set up the tent and thermarests but I often feel that these are things he could do but I am not sure I could do his tasks...
So this is my plan for summer 2019. Do an overnight hike not with Mike. Can I pack everything I need into my pack. Can I ration my food and cook it that night? Can I hang the bear bag? And most importantly, can I deal with things that might come up that I don't even know about?
So stay tuned....anyone want to join me?
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