28 / Sport and Trail Magazine
10 Reasons to Start Planning Your Own Back Country Trip
Story and photos By Robert Eversole Trailmeister
June. It’s the halfway point through the year, home to the summer solstice, and a wonderful time to start heading further afield and enjoying our animals in the backcountry! If you haven’t yet started planning your own backcountry trip here are ten reasons to start.
The euphoria of beating back the cold night air with a cozy camp fire
CampfireThere’s nothing like a good camp fire at the end of a long day on the trail. Even though a camp fire is almost completely unnecessary there’s no other feeling in the world quite like that of sitting around cozy flames as the night skies darken. For eons humans have found warmth, comfort, and and friendship in the glow of camp fires. I’m glad that things haven’t changed much! Watching the dancing flames is mesmerizing. I can sit and watch a campfire fire for hours and not be uninterested. The flickering display of a camp fire will put to shame anything that you may find on an electronic device.
There's nothing like the gentle sway of a lazy hammock to bring you to a level of relaxation only nature, fresh air and rippling lake waves can conjur
Experiencing nature as untouched by humans
“God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.” Martin Luther.
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of wilderness areas. Last year I spent 32 days within designated wilderness areas “where the earth and community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” I would have gladly extended my stays for much longer had I been able. With 765 separate wilderness areas totaling 170,515 square miles we have many wonderful rare and wild places to explore, retreat from civilization, and reconnect with the land. Visit a wilderness area this year if you can.
Waking up to fabulous views every morning
Camping mornings are the best mornings. Waking up to birds chirping, a faint hint of early morning sunlight, the beasts calmly waiting to be fed, and a million-dollar view. That’s camping. Last year during one trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness complex I hung my hammock in the trees next to a shallow lake. When morning came the shifting sunlight danced with the dark shadows in the cliffs a thousand feet above us. It was a fabulous performance!