Where It all started

I grew up in the footfalls of the White Mountain National Forest in Littleton, New Hampshire. Since there isn’t much else to do in the area, my family would take me hiking on fall weekends and during the hot summer days. As I grew into a teenager, I started signing up for school sponsored outings, even getting the chance to spend the night at the Lonesome Lake Hut in Franconia Notch State Park. As my experience on the trails grew, so did my love for it. I eventually started planning hikes with just my friends, and once I was in college I started working on my 48 4,000 footers.

Through it all, there was always my love for the outdoors and adventure. After University I moved to Portland, Maine and began exploring the southern coast of Maine. Although I loved Maine, I found myself traveling back to the White Mountains most weekends… I just couldn’t get enough of those peaks! Then an idea started to take hold… what if I started BACKPACKING? You know, tossing your entire life into a backpack and sleeping alongside the trail for a night or two at a time? I was captivated- now that’s my idea of freedom and adventure.

There was only one problem- I had never been backpacking beyond the Lonesome Lake Hut experience in High School, and my art teacher planned it! I had no idea how to plan a backpacking trip or even what type of gear I needed, but I knew that I’d figure it out.

So with nothing but a dream and some courage, I spent the next couple weeks studying the art and science of backpacking, figuring out what I’d need, how to use what I had, and what route would be the easiest, most scenic, and also get some 4,000 footers crossed off my list. Once the planning was done… I hopped in my car and went backpacking for the fist time ever, completely alone.

I learned a lot from that first solo backpacking trip, and I learned it all the hard way. But it doesn’t have to be that way for you.