I'm not really a competitive person by nature, but i love the idea of a little friendly competition to get people motivated on getting outside under the stars, next to rivers and lakes, for as many nights as possible, as often as possible.
i dont care who you pray to, or what you believe in, i think you would all agree that its so important for the soul to do just that.
new to BCP...
so, what qualifies as a bag night? any camping or strictly backpacking?
so, if only backpacking in counts, then dont bother reading on, because i have only camped thus far and got a little long winded and excited to share my excitement.
camping thus far: total 12 nights
Bryce canyon
-Jan 23-26 (3 nights with nice days but whopping low lows of 5-7 degrees. first time i've ever camped in the snow, and coldest i have been camping by far, we were definitely the only dummies in a tent and not an rv - thank god for merino wool, propane heater, and multiple down comforters)
Zion
-feb 21-23 (3 nights) watchman campground.
this was a great trip because it was cold enough and early enough to ward off the millions of fairweathered visitors. the shuttles were not yet running so we got to drive up the canyon and do some road bike shuttles back down. this was also my first experiences with a dslr cam which im having alot of fun with. did angels landing solo, and kolob canyon hike as well with the lady.
Moab
-april 16-19 (4 nights) Blm camping willow creek trail rd.
weather was phenomenal, first time taking my shirt off in 2014 for an extended preiod and busted out the shorts. we rode bikes 5.5 miles uphill from camp into the west border arches natl park near balancing rock, and enjoyed the downhill for the ride back. a day of lounging around camp all day, with a night hike to corona arch to do my first light painting... cant take credit for the photos, that was my real photographer buddy, but i get an assistant credit for doing the painting with a maglight and the creative incentives of lighting angle etc. i was pumped on the great opportunity to learn a fun new skill with a veteran.
Zion
-april 28-29 (2 nights) south campground
interesting to see zion transform from what i thought was already crowded in Feb. to the booming natural disney land that it is when the weather cooperates (funny enough, it had just snowed here days before). Did observation point trail for the most stunning vista i have ever witnessed, and some fun night painting with my brother who was visiting from San Fran. and just a chill day around camp relaxing the tired legs. we head to Capitol Reef the next day after a brief hike in fairyland loop in Bryce, and were planning on camping but it was supposed to get down to a balmy 34 degrees, which was a bit cold for my city slicker brother so we decided to call it a road trip instead of a camping trip and got a hotel in torrey for the night.
and beyond...
may 6-?? (14+ potential nights)
headed down to san rafael today to do a few days of car camping around goblin valley and check out some slot canyons with the GF. after 3 or 4 days of camping and working our way over towards Moab to check out Arches and Canyonlands etc, were gonna sack up and do our first backpacking trip in utah which im immensely excited for, and (new thread pending), would love some advice and suggestions/recommendations or any input at all from everyone. I do not foresee many, if any, hotel nights and am so stoked to do the longest camping stretch of my life with at least 2 short backpacking jaunts (hopefully 3) between car camping nights.
judging by what i have seen and read so far on this site, i am just a novice outdoor adventurer compared to a lot of you guys. with big ambitions to up my game, and plans to figure out a way to be outdoors as much as possible.
that being said, i should get some sleep, hope to see you guys getting out there as well and feeding your souls
computer acting funny,
pictures to follow..
.
I need to get out there more.