Women Who Travel Podcast: How to Get Out Into the Wilderness This Summer

LA: I mean, I have a meltdown if I realize I have to make my bed when it’s time to go to bed, and then I have a mess to get into. So I feel like, yeah, I wouldn’t cope well.

EP: In terms of good first-time backpacker itineraries, I would highly recommend doing less mileage than you know you’re comfortable doing on a day hike. So if you day hike six or eight miles routinely, maybe try to cut it down to five miles just so that you know that your body can handle the distance and the elevation gain with a big, heavy, maybe 30 or 40 pound backpack on. And also be really mindful of water sources, particularly near camp. You might not need to refill water on the way to camp if you’re only doing five or six miles, but you’re probably not going to want to hike in many gallons of water on your back and then need to use that to cook and wash your dishes and things.

LA: You see, I’m like a relatively adventurous person and I’m already stressed as you are describing it about running out of water and…

EP: And one more tip, I think this goes for car camping or backpacking as well. I would say always have a sleeping bag that is at least rated 10 degrees warmer than the lowest temperature that’s predicted for your trip. And that’s just a really good safety margin to have so that you’re super cozy and warm and you get a good night’s sleep and you aren’t left shivering and hating your life in your tent.

LA: Yes, I was going to say actually, as well as being hungry, I don’t fare well with being cold. And actually at a music festival once I was with a friend and we grabbed some sleeping bags from her parents’ house, got back to our tent a little bit drunk, very late at night and got into our sleeping bags and realized they were child-sized ones, and they went up to our waist and we had to spoon for warmth the entire night in our tent. And it was maybe the coldest I’ve ever been.

EP: Oh no, I’m glad you survived, Lale.

LA: Thank you. Nothing more humbling than pulling the sleeping bag up and it stopping at your hips.

EP: Yeah, that sounds pretty classic.

LA: So where can you get started if you want to get out into nature this summer? That’s after another break.

EP: So I looked up a couple of little mini itineraries that I have either day hiked or personally backpacked to that I remember being easy in terms of parking. I believe you do have to get a wilderness permit from the national park that houses each of these itineraries because they are popular parks. But one of my favorites that’s super short is Sunrise Lakes in Yosemite, I believe it’s just about three miles to the first of the lakes. There’s a trio of these cute little lakes right behind Tenaya Lake, which is huge. It’s right near Tuolumne Meadows, which is a really famous area of the park. And I feel like Sunrise Lakes gives people a little baby glimpse into what it feels like to tackle a longer backpacking trip like the John Muir Trail or something where you’re in the Sierras, you’re going to Alpine Lakes, you can cool off by jumping in the lake at night after your hike is done.