On my way to a work conference, I stopped at the William Bankhead National Forest in Alabama. This was my first solo backpacking adventure.
Borden Creek Trailhead was a couple miles down a gravel road - kinda sketchy in a rental car
I showed up to the trailhead around 5ish Friday. There were a handful of cars parked along the road but I didn't see any other hikers. I gathered my things (forgot my hiking poles back in Ohio. I never realized how much I depend on them) and started hiking on the East side of Borden Creek.
After 30-45 mins, I came across Fat Man's Squeeze - a rock formation where you have to really squeeze through. I had to drop my pack and squat/shimmy through. Pretty cool.
Ended up hiking for an additional 30-45 mins and found a nice spot for the night. I had to shimmy down somewhat of an incline to fill my gravity filter from the creek. Batoned some wood and made a small fire. Rehydrated some pasta with veggies and had a king-size PB Twix. Laid down in my hammock around 8:45.
I had my 1.7dl WBBB
Superfly tarp
Lafuma 40* sleeping bag
Eddie Bauer DIY UQ
I wore a 100 weight top and bottom with a synthetic hat
I slipped my sit pad under my butt and threw on a second pair of socks late at night and slept snugly.
All in all - a successful first solo night out.
A quick video below -
Bookmarks