The Imperfect Backpacker

Backpacking Tips and Stories

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Campsite Spotlight: Big Creek #37, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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Big Creek, next to backcountry campsite 37.

Scale is 0 to 4.

Time of Year Visited: November

This site doesn’t score high for privacy.
  • View: 1.5 You’re in the woods along a big creek, but you will likely see other campers.
  • Water: 4 You’re on a river.
  • Accessibility: 1.5 This campsite is just under 6 gently ascending miles from the Big Creek trailhead, which is near the town of Mount Sterling, NC.
  • Solitude: 1.5 Yes, you are in the backcountry, but you can easily see the other campsites along river. No foliage or brush to separate them.
  • Comfort: 3.5 Flat and shaded next to a large, babbling creek. No bugs in November. Fires are allowed at times.
  • Coolness: 2 River camping is better when you’re in the backcountry and you can hear the river moving.

Of note: This campsite lies near the junction of Big Creek Trail and Swallow Fork Trail. Just downstream from the site you can fish for brook trout. You can easily see then contemplating your lure. Catching them might be more challenging.

An angler tries his hand at trout fishing on Big Creek.

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Creatures Seen and Unseen

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For every creature you see in the wild there are countless more nearby, lurking just out of sight. Most times we don’t think about them, but at certain times in the backcountry we become more aware. And sometimes we wish we hadn’t. Ignorance is bliss after all.

Like the time in the Yosemite backcountry. I hadn’t seen another human in two days. I backtracked through the snow due to a swollen river, retracing my footprints, only to find fresh bear prints following my prints.

Or the time in Zion. My fourth night on the trail, when my head lamp caught two glowing dots looking back at me. My headlamp reflected off the retinas of something, but was not strong enough to tell me what it was. But my mind registered the spacing and equated it to something of good size. This happens fairly often in the dark of the backcountry.

And then there is any time you lay quietly in you tent and listen to the noises of the wilderness. You become very aware.

I had another of those experiences this past weekend in Congaree National Park. A few of them actually.

We visited relatives in the mountains of North Carolina over the long Labor Day weekend. I then took it a step further and was able to slip away from there for 27 hours to Congaree National Park in South Carolina for an overnight adventure.

It was 86 degrees and hot in the parking lot after my 4 hour drive. As soon as I reached the trail and the shade of the high canopy that the many towering trees provided, it was noticeably cooler, even comfortable. But the humidity was still high and I was quickly sweating.

I hiked over eight miles, enjoying the knees and coned trunks of the bald cypress trees. I tried to spot an alligator in Weston Lake that a hiker had told me about but saw large turtles instead.

The farther one hikes from the visitor center and the boardwalk the more overgrown the trails become. I found myself moving through narrow passages with overgrowth brushing both sides of my bare legs and I hoped that there were no chiggers as I was already scratching a dozen bites from the day before in North Carolina. I also had become aware that many spiders, some 2-3″ long, built their webs along the trail. Also, the trail was torn up in many areas. It reminded me of when wild turkeys scratch for grubs but on a much larger scale. I wondered if it could be wild pigs.

A section of the River Trail.

The River Trail reaches the Congaree River and runs near it for about a mile and a half. I spent the night in a flat dry spot off the trail, about 1/2 mile from the river. Hiking out in the dark I immediately noticed how many spider webs my headlamp picked up along and over the trail. I was fascinated and a little freaked out. I tried to take pictures of the spiders but failed in the dark. Even on the stem of the River Trail, which I had just walked the afternoon before, there many large webs over and around the trail – webs that I couldn’t have possibly avoided having not seen them. This meant the spiders likely rebuilt their webs every night after the hikers and animals went through. I ducked and dodged my way around the webs, sometimes going through accidently. I’d then wait to feel the crawling on the back of my neck as I looked ahead for the reflectors to make sure I was still on the trail.

The Congaree River

While still on the River Trail, I heard an awful noise. It took me a moment to place it – wild pigs. There were more than one and maybe they were fighting. They sounded nearby. Wild pigs were not something that I wanted to run into on the trail, especially in the dark. I tried to capture some of their noises on my phone but they seemed to pause each time I started recording, as if they knew what I was doing.

I came to another web with a large spider and stopped to get a photo, but then the wild pigs started again. This time very close. They seemed to be just out of the reach of my headlamp. I took off more quickly. But the faster pace didn’t work well in the dark. I found myself crashing into the spider webs, which panicked me more. I was suddenly off the trail crashing through the brush in the dark. The pigs and spiders were working together! But if I were trapped in a Charlotte’s Web movie, this was a much more sinister sequel.

Orbweaver

I stopped and calmed myself, found the reflectors, and got back on the trail. I proceeded at a brisk but controlled pace and soon the squeals receded in the distance.

Somewhere just before or after the Oak Ridge Trail Junction I clopped across a bridge over a creek and heard a great splash below. I spun my head beam down to catch something large moving quickly through the water and into darkness. A gator. Or I assume it was a gator. I couldn’t tell in that brief moment but I wondered what else would make such a splash getting in the water then move away so quickly.

After over an hour of hiking in the dark, I was glad to turn off my headlamp and hike in daylight. I reached my car a short time later having had a more intimate experience with nature – after all, that’s why I do it – and left behind Congaree National Park, where the wild pigs and spiders are in cahoots.

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Top 10: Cool Gadgets That No Longer Go Backpacking

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Lightweight Emergency Bivvy by SOL

I’m a bit of a gear junkie. As such, I’ve gathered a collection of stuff. It generally works out after a trip that some of those things you carried into the backcountry, you end up carrying back out without ever having used them. Maybe you didn’t need your rain gear this time. Or it didn’t get quite cold enough for the fleece. And there are some things that you carry that you hope you never use, such as a distress beacon, the emergency divvy shown above, bear spray or that tourniquet. 

After each trip I make an assessment of what were my most essential pieces of gear. What worked? What didn’t? What was not even used? When it comes to gear assessment, it usually boils down to this – is it worth the carrying weight? Recently I’ve noticed in my collection of stuff a sub-collection of really cool gadgets that I thought would be really useful on the trail, or that I just had to have, which I no longer even take with me anymore. Here are my top 10 cool pieces of gear that I just had to have and that rarely, if ever, see the trail anymore.

Three Spice Holder

Honorable Mention) Spice holder – This compact little guy holds three spices of your choosing, two of which are usually salt and pepper. Individual salt and pepper packets work pretty well instead. I generally prepare my own food so I don’t need to carry a lot of extra spices. But we’ll see; this one might make a comeback.

10) Emergency Survival Pack – A signaling mirror, emergency blanket, compass, fire starters, sparker, duct tape, whistle, safety pins, hook, line and sinker all in a waterproof pack the size of your hand? Pretty cool. This one is nice to throw in when doing a day trip in the backcountry, but all of these items are already accounted for when doing overnight backpacking.

Emergency Survival Kit by SOL.

9) Hammock- A hammock as main sleeping shelter might be good. As a resting place, in addition to the tent your carrying, not so good. I took this to Isle Royale for down time in base camp. Problem was we didn’t have a base camp and were always on the move or staying in shelters. Great for base camp or primary shelter, not so much for backcountry relaxing only.

8) Protein Powder Cans – One time in the dessert I didn’t have a food cannister and there were no trees to hang a bag on. As a result, critters chewed threw my new, heavy duty, waterproof bag (not sure why I took this to the desert). Now I have a collection of plastic protein powder jars that I felt would make good food cannisters in certain situations, because they are much lighter than a bear cannister. But the situation for their use is fairly specific: you’re not in bear country and there are no trees to hang a bag. In other words, you are in the desert. So I have used these on the occasional desert trip and the varmints haven’t chewed through them yet. At least they didn’t cost me anything.

7) GoPro- I “bought” a GoPro as a work anniversary gift several years ago. It is lots of fun and I’ve used it while mountain biking in the Ozarks and to capture four days on the Mineral King Loop in stills taken every 60 seconds (see Videos page). But it takes some extra batteries to capture recurring stills or to do significant video, so it’s not as handy for backcountry trips.

6) Large tarp- Years ago I bought a nice Kelty tarp to use as a dining fly and gear tent. I thought the bigger the better, right? I was temporarily forgetting the bigger, the heavier.  I used it initially back in 2012 and threw some gear under it. I don’t believe I took it again until last year to Isle Royale National Park when I planned on using it as a base camp dining fly. Problem was the same as with the hammock; we didn’t need it.

SAM Splint – purchased in 2011 and still has the wrapper on it.

5) Sam Splint- This one falls into the I-hope-I-never-need-it category. I picked up this pliable, lightweight, and versatile splint after completing wilderness first aid training years ago, and carried it on all my trips.  At some point I  realized I may never use it, and if I ever need a trail splint I could make one out of something. I stopped taking it.

Garmin Oregon 450 – I should have sold it before it became outdated.

4) Handheld GPS – Also a work anniversary gift, the Garmin Oregon 450 GPS was kind of heavy, and I didn’t think it very intuitive to use. And frankly I just prefer a map and compass so after one trip the Oregon has been sitting in a drawer. GPS units have come a long way since then and I now have GPS on my watch (also a work anniversary gift) that I use as backup navigation. Note: I’ve just realized a couple things: a) I always pick outdoor gear for my work gifts, and b) I’ve been working there a long time.

Assorted lights.

3) Assorted Lights. 

Crank light by LL Bean– This is small and fairly light and doesn’t need batteries. It has a small solar charger and a hand crank to generate some light. I used it while hiking in the dark in Zion National Park and it worked well enough. The problem is that it’s not hands-free like a headlamp, or as bright as one, and therefore unnecessary.

Inflatable light – This device has a solar charger and is collapsible/inflatable so it is lightweight. Problem: not bright enough for good lighting so more of an ambiance light, and I’ve not had many romantic dinners in the backcountry.

Handlamp/lantern by Joby- This head lamp snaps into a casing that turns it into a lantern. Cool idea, but in practice it made for a bulky headlamp and a not-so-great lantern.

Folding Backpacker’s Saw by Coughlan’s – not a bad weight, just not necessary.

2) Foldable Saw- I think I have been on one trip where 1) open fires were allowed, and 2) I couldn’t find any small, downed limbs that I couldn’t break.  Just not worth the weight. Note: I also tried a wire saw on that same trip, and had it actually worked, would have been worth its weight.

1) Scrubba washing bag- This bag is a portable, packable washing machine. Basically a thick bag with a washboard feature and an air vent, you put your dirty socks in with a little soap and water. You push out the air and scrub. Replace the dirty water with clean for a rinse cycle. It actually works pretty good, but here’s the thing: I like to carry one change of clothes in case I get wet and I’m rarely on a trip long enough that I need to wash clothes, or have an additional change. Maybe if I were thru-hiking, but I doubt many thru-hikers would recommend carrying the extra weight of a wash bag.

This charger is small, but a bit heavy, and has been replaced by a solar charger.

TBD:  My latest gear gadgets: collapsible cup, cutting board, lid light for water bottle. These are  my latest gadget purchases. I think I’m slowing down.  I’ve taken these on my last couple trips, so far I’ve used the collapsible cup multiple times for coffee, the lantern light maybe once, and the cutting board twice. We’ll see if they become mainstays or make the list.

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Get More Solitude for Less Miles in Voyageurs National Park

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Little Shoepack Lake

One backpackers’ axiom states that the further you get from the trailhead, the less people you will see. This has been mostly true in my experience. So I was pleasantly surprised when a 3 night trip over Memorial Day weekend resulted in complete solitude only a short distance from the trailhead.

Blame it on COVID or people not traveling far, but my local state park has been busier than ever, while Voyageurs National Park on a holiday weekend was not.

Little Shoepack Lake

It could be that Voyaguers is tucked way up there in Minnesota, bordering Canada. Then factor in that it took a 30 minute boat ride to get to the trailhead. So we may have just traded hiking miles for boating miles. Regardless of the reason, this was one of the physically easiest backpacking trips I’ve every done, yet I had solitude comparable to some of my trips deep in the backcountry.

From the time we were dropped at the trailhead on Saturday afternoon, we didn’t see another soul until Monday afternoon. At one point we had not one, but two lakes completely to ourselves (and maybe a few bears, moose and wolves).

Quarter Line Lake

Due to our late afternoon drop off, we packed in only a mile to our first lake. Jorgens Lake only has one small backpackers’ campsite on it, along with a canoe that you can rent with your reservation.

On Sunday we packed just over a mile to Little Shoepack Lake where we picked up a canoe and paddled to our campsite. This reservation included both Shoepack and Little Shoepack Lakes which were connected by a 1/4 mile trail. Each had a single backpackers campsite on it accessible only by canoe, and we had our choice of the two. We checked out both then chose Little Shoepack to save us some time on the way to the next lake.

The trail crosses a small cascading stream.

On Monday we packed about 2 1/2 miles to Ek Lake, where we again had the lake to ourselves and I enjoyed a float on my sleeping pad. We also took our day packs to Agnes Lake to do some more fishing. On Tuesday morning we had less that a mile to pack out to our pickup point.

We saw eagles, loons and many beavers. It’s hard for the midwest to match the beauty and serenity of the West, but a calm morning on a sunny lake can bring peace and stunning reflections on the water.

Ek Lake

Aside from having to handle a couple hundred ticks, this 3 night trip was easy, peaceful and just what someone cooped up for 3 months needed. Plus we caught and ate fish on the trail, which is always a bonus.

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Fun with Maps

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Your backcountry adventure begins with a map. Whether you are going on a cross-country trip with the family or a backcountry adventure all by yourself, the planning begins with a map. Using a topographic map in combination with some compass skills unlocks endless navigation possibilities. But for trail hiking, a map will do, so let’s start there.

Maps come it all shapes and sizes, and I love them all. Road maps? Yes! I still keep a paper atlas in my vehicle for perusing when others are driving. Wall maps? Yes! I have a few hanging upstairs. I even have a globe. I also have multiple map apps on my phone.

My backpacking equipment begins with my compass and a map. And I know what you are thinking…

You: “But Paul,” you say, “you can use a handheld GPS and not have to worry about navigating. It is called technology. Try it.”

Me: “First of all…”

You: “Wait, I’m not finished. Also, you are old and you need a shower. Okay. Now I’m done.”

To you, I say, first of all, be kind to your elders. Secondly, that smell is not coming from me. Is it? And thirdly, yes, there are really good GPS systems out there. If your GPS is working and you know how to use it, it is hard to get lost. But blindly following a dot on your screen can still get you in a pinch. There is also the potential for dead batteries and a lost satellite signal.

For me, matching a topographic map with your surroundings is fun. Charting a backcountry course and following it is a great challenge, relying on your own skills. My navigation tools start with a map and compass, my preferred method, but I also carry backups. These include a backup map, a phone with a couple hiking apps that track you while in airplane mode, and a GPS watch with topo maps.

Hiking maps range from novelty, to basic trail maps, to topographic maps, to detailed orienteering maps. Choosing the right one for your trip can save you time and it might keep you out of trouble.

If you are hiking in a fairly populated area, where trails are well marked and you might even have a phone signal, then a simple trail map like the free ones available at visitors centers will probably be fine.

A free trail map from Pinnacles National Park Visitors Center.

If you are heading into the less populated backcountry, even if you are hiking on trails I would recommend a topographic trail map. If you are traveling off trail or bushwacking in the backcountry, you will need a detailed topographic or orienteering map of proper scale.

And if you are hunting for buried treasure, you will need a treasure map like the one shown below.

I made this map for my kids many, many years ago, and while they never found the treasure, they did find adventure.

So you’ve decided a treasure map is nice, but you need a topographic map. When choosing a topographic map, there are a few things to consider: does it cover the area I am going to be hiking ;-), what is the physical size, and what is the scale?

Your map should obviously cover the area you plan to hike but then it should show some of the surrounding area is well, in case you get off track.

National Geographic Trails Illustrated topographic maps, such as the one shown below, are large, colorful and weatherproof. They are printed on both sides and provide a lot of valuable information, such as campsite information and park rules. These maps are great for planning your trip. For navigation in the backcountry, though, they may cover too much area, meaning the scale is too great and there is not much topographic detail, so be careful.

Scale refers to the ratio between two points or features on the map and the actual distance of those same two points in the field. A scale of 1:50,000 means, for example, 1 cm on the map equals approximately 50,000 cm (or 0.5 km) in the field. In simpler terms, how much area does the map show? The smaller the second number in the scale, the more detail your map will have, but the less area it will cover.

Compare the two maps below showing a small section of Voyaguers National Park. The photos show approximately the same area of the park, however the first map is 1:50,000 scale and has much less detail of the topography (the area appears almost flat), while the second map is an approximately 1:24,000 scale map. It shows the many small hills and valleys you will be hiking. This is because the first one has a contour line for every 50 feet of elevation change, while the second one has a contour line for every 10 feet of elevation change, and it paints a better picture of the land.

Approximately 1:50,000 scale.
Approximately 1:24,000 scale.

I once took a “shortcut” (rarely a good idea) and went off trail in Sequoia National Park. It looked pretty straightforward on the 1:50,000 map I was using, but I found my in terrain much steeper than I anticipated. When I reached the ranger station the following day I picked up a 1:24,000 map. The detail it provided would have saved me a lot of grief in this area as well as a few others where I lost the trail on my four day trip. So pay attention to the scale of your map, and one more pro tip here: it is generally more helpful to get your map before your trip, rather than after it.

Scale is usually indicated on the map in the legend area of the map, as shown below. Also in this area is a ruler scale that can be used to estimate the distance on a map in actual miles or kilometers.

When we talk about using a map in combination with a compass, we will discuss declination and how to compensate for it. Declination (or variation) is the difference between true north, which is shown by the north-south lines on your topo map, and magnetic north which drives your compass. But you can ignore declination for now if you are using a map only.

Free, printable maps such as the 1:24,000, such as the one of “Ash River NE, MN” shown previously, can be found at natgeomaps.com. The are colored and show good detail. The are called Quad maps because they break an area into four quadrants and you can print only the quads you need.

Finally, take care or your map. If you print the free quad maps you will need to weatherproof them somehow. An unprotected map will disintegrate quickly in foul weather. But even a weatherproofed map should not be used to keep popcorn in a hot air popper, as seen below.

Now I’m off to Voyageurs National Park for a few days!

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Go Wild Safely: Go Solo

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Part 3 of 3

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Are you looking for fun or solitude?

The benefits of solo backpacking are numerous. Solitude. There is more time for personal reflection and intimacy with nature. You can create your own plan. You can do things at your own pace. It is much easier to get a group consensus, and if you still cannot then you might want to see a doctor. Did I mention solitude? If you are looking for these things, then solo packing might be for you.

As with most things, there are tradeoffs if you decide to backpack alone. The greatest of these, and the one that most people focus on, is that the risks that come with being out in the wilderness increase. There is no one to go for help if you get in a pinch. Of lesser concern, but still a factor to consider, is that there is no one to share the experience with, and to reminisce with later. Who will laugh at your stale jokes? All of the planning, packing and carrying is up to you. For these reasons, camping with others is often more fun.

For going solo, the same rules that I mentioned in Start Small and Go Big apply. They become even more important when you are alone, so review parts 1 and 2 of this article if you are considering a solo trip.

Know your limitations. Know what you’re getting into. Follow the rules. Leave an itinerary. Plan, plan, plan.

Are you ready to go solo? I knew I was ready when…

I was hungry for the solitude and I had the experience of many trips with others in a variety of environments. I had led multiple successful trips where I was in charge of planning, and I felt a responsibility for those that were not seasoned trail veterans. I had become somewhat comfortable, through practice, with my wilderness skills: navigating with a map and compass, multiple ways to start a fire, and wilderness first aid.

Little mistakes will be made. Gear will be forgotten. You’ll take a wrong turn. You might make a poor choice. But you will overcome these. It’s part of the journey. You just want to avoid the big ones. Also, I always carry a satellite beacon when I go into the backcountry so that I can send a distress signal if needed. Again, this is probably more important when going solo.

The thought of being alone in the backcountry can be intimidating, but if you prepare properly, the sense of serenity and accomplishment are hard to match and can be exhilarating.

On my first solo trip, I ran out of water, but came across a small but stubborn patch of snow. It sustained me, and boosted my spirits, until I reached the next watering hole.