Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Lightweight vs heavy boots?

I’m hopelessly lost, but making good time!

Was just talking with my dad last night about our first actual backpacking trips. He’s thinking it was ‘77. The dude carried a half-gallon of milk the very first time, I kid you not. Lord only knows what else we were carrying. Hey, I was a kid. I blame him, haha. I remember my pack was some janky old thing checked out from the outdoor program at the college he taught at, same with the greasy stinky old flat sleeping bag, etc….. And I remember it was really hard, it hurt, got blisters, froze my ass off that night, and whatever I had for a sleeping pad, wasn’t.

Within a few years we had our gear much more together (for the era anyway) and my younger brother got old enough to start coming along. That was when we’d get up into the Pecos, the San Juans, I don’t remember where else. Put me in the wilderness with a creek and my rod and a few Panther Martins and I was in heaven.

I sure hope kids these days are getting these experiences, but I fear they aren’t.

I’ll have a pack on in just a few days. 7 weeks, 800+ miles. Maybe this time I’ll finally “get there”. Jeez, I hope not. Then what?!