Day Trips

I love day trips because they help me to reset my mind and curiosity for life by exploring somewhere I’ve never been before. No matter where you live, there are bound to be many hiking trails, rivers, lakes, or a picturesque town you’ve never been to within a 3-hour drive from your house. I complete a lot of hikes by taking day trips to places that are less than a few hours’ drive from where I live. A day trip to me means driving less than 6 hours round trip to somewhere where no hike is required or where the hike is less than 8ish miles. The definition of a “day tip” may vary to you depending on your energy level or how far you are willing to drive. It can be as simple as a drive to a lake an hour away that requires no hike. I try to take at least two day trips a month in the spring, summer, and fall. My packing list is the same every single time and I take a lot of food with me because I’d rather have more food than less. Everything listed below fits into my 35L backpack.

• PB&J
• Protein Shake
• 2 pieces of fruit (usually an apple, orange, or banana)
• Protein bar
• Water
• Sunscreen
• Bug Spray
• Beef Jerkey
• Pocket Knife
• Taser
• Bear Spray
• Garmin inReach Mini 2
• Camer Gear
• Multiple layers in case it gets hot or cold
• Ace bandage wrap
• A bracelet that extends into rope

Overnight Trips

Overnight trips include long road trips, multi day hiking, and backpacking (I have yet to backpack). I do not feel comfortable backpacking because a majority of the time I travel alone, and I am too scared to sleep by myself in the woods. This may change in the future, and I will definitely keep you posted. For now, for all of my overnight trips thus far I have spent the night either in a hotel or at a campground. I plan overnight trips when I know I am going to be taking a multiday road trip (such as my Oregon Coast Road Trip) or when I want to do multiple hikes far from home that are close to each other, but I wouldn’t have time to complete them in one day (such as my Columbia River Gorge trip). For overnight trips I will eat food that I pack in my cooler for breakfast and lunch, but for dinner I will splurge and eat at a restaurant in the nearest town. I love trying out new restaurants and this is also a way to prevent me from getting burnt out on food that I pack. If you are staying at a campground, you could also utilize a campfire and grill. I choose to go the easier route because I cook a lot at home and like to pack as little as possible. My packing list for overnight trips includes everything in my day trip list, but with the addition of a few things:

• Light source
• Toiletries
• Enough clothes for night and however many days your trip is
• More quantities of food from my day trip list
• Protein yogurt
• Oatmeal (if you have access to hot water)
• Cooler
• Ice Packs
• Sleeping Bag (if you are planning to stay at a campground)
• Tent
• Camping chair
• Air mattress & pump that fits into the cigarette lighter plug in my car