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Appreciation post: I was planning my routes backwards for 6 seasons
Six seasons of backpacking and I always planned my trips the same way. I would pick the big view, the summit, the lake, and work backwards from there, then jam the miles into whatever days I had. Last June on the Rae Lakes loop out of Onion Valley I hit a 4,200 foot climb at 3pm with the sun full on me, and I sat down on a rock and just felt dumb. The tip off was honestly a guy about 60 years old passing me going downhill at a steady pace while I was dying, and he said he plans his days around water and shade now, not views. So I started doing that. I look at where the creeks are, where the climbs land in the day, and I pick the camp spots first. My daily mileage actually went down to like 8 or 9 miles and I finish trips way less wrecked. Curious if anyone else flipped their planning order like this, or am I just late to something obvious?
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taylor_barnes5911d ago
I did the same thing after a trip in the Wind River Range where I climbed 3,000 feet in the afternoon heat and just cooked. Now I map out the water sources first and plan my big climbs for the morning when I still have legs. Funny thing is my mileage dropped to around 8 miles a day too and I actually enjoy the trips more. That old guy gave you solid advice.
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