I'm sure there are many other OF members who love camping and hiking, so I thought I would start a thread for photos, tips, or anything related to backpacking. Please share your experiences!
I'll start. While I did some car camping as a child and had one or two backpacking experiences in my teens and twenties, it wasn't until I moved to the mountains nearly 20 years ago that exploring the wilderness became a favorite activity. Many years of trial-and-error and exploration followed, and happily, despite the effects of aging, I am still able to spend time in the mountains each summer. The majority of my backpacking consists of 3-4 day solo trips, with canine companionship, although now and then I can tempt my wife or a friend to come along. My favorite places are high-country Colorado wilderness areas, where I can hike in and achieve complete isolation at timberline for a few days. I have gradually become more minimalist in what I carry, which has made a huge difference in my enjoyment of the experience, and also caused me to become a bit of a gear-head.
To kick things off, here are some photos of my first 2019 trip, which covered about 50 miles over 4 days in the South San Juan Wilderness area in southern Colorado. It's a beautiful place and a great place to explore. It's also far enough off the beaten path that it isn't heavily trafficked; except for the immediate vicinity of the trailhead, I saw only one party of four hikers during my trip.
After a long drive, I hiked in to camp at an alpine meadow.
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The next day started with a detour around Alverjones Lake with my seasoned hiking companion Zelda.
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The terrain in this wilderness has a lot of plateaus at 11,000-12,000 ft, split by a series of valleys. The high country is mostly rolling, with sparse forest.
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Ruybalid Lake would be a great spot to camp someday.
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Ruybalid Lake from above.
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Farther from the Continental Divide, there were only patches of snow in shady spots.
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As I moved towards the Continental Divide, the patches of snow became more frequent and the drainages were running high.
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Lovely campsite at Victoria Lake.
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Facing 5 miles of postholing on my planned route, I decided on a change of plans.
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Third campsite at a really beautiful off-trail lake with lots of trout. DM for details.
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Cozy in the tent.
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A valley meadow on the return to the trailhead.
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