Hiking Trip Reflection
Foster Johansson
To begin my reflection of this fun hiking trip,
I would first like to start off with all the things that could have been improved upon, and that next time I won't do. The hiking trip was fun but I could have chosen my group better. My group was loud and obnoxious(and me) and it affected my trip in very poor ways. My group and I went too far and we could've improved everyone's hiking trip if we split up. Although my group was fun in itself, we annoyed everyone around us and that is not very polite. For next time I go on a trip of any sorts, I will be sure to choose a group that wont take it too far, and I hope my other group members feel the same. The second thing I would change is the food that my group and I bring. Most of my group took the bulk of the food we were to bring, so I was relieved and at the same time a bit worried to be only carrying cheese and butter. In the end I should have foreseen that I could not trust my group to bring all the food, and should have taken more food myself, just in case. Altogether we brought just enough food for two lunches and two dinners. We did not have enough food, and the food that we did bring was unhealthy and did not provide much nutrition. This made me feel a bit of regret for coming hiking with the group I chose.
Next, I'm going to talk about packing my bag. When I first started packing my bag, I got everything together in one spot, and then started planning where to put them in my pack. I put the soft stuff in one pile, the hard but lighter stuff in another, and the heavy/food items in a different one and packed them according to the sheet we used to learn how to pack. The hardest part about packing the bag was trying to find space for my Therm-a-rest and my sleeping bag. Next time I will bring some bungee cords or some rope with me, specifically for tying my bigger items on the sides of my pack. I was glad to have other group members though, because we worked out a way to carry everything mostly equally split up between us. In total I was very happy with how I packed my bag, and was glad I had the knowledge on how to pack.
Lastly, the camping itself and the hiking were both lots of fun. Throughout most of the hiking, I wanted to be a bit ahead of the big group because they were loud and made it hard to enjoy the sounds of nature. The hiking was amazing either way though because of the sights, lookouts, and just nature in total were all beautiful. While hiking my hips started getting sore, and my shoulders were aching, but soon we had a break, and the hurt went away. Then when we got to the campsite to set up the tents, my group had a lot of trouble setting their tents up as there was a bit of confusion at the start of the trip, and they had to take a tent that they had not even tested out. Thankfully the poled were still inside. Once we got setup though, it was a very warm and comfortable night, and I felt refreshed in the morning. Overall both hiking and camping were a great experience.
In conclusion, my hiking trip could have been a lot better with a different group, but it was still an experience of a lifetime. I would do that hiking trip a thousand times over and it still would not stop being an amazing experience.
Next, I'm going to talk about packing my bag. When I first started packing my bag, I got everything together in one spot, and then started planning where to put them in my pack. I put the soft stuff in one pile, the hard but lighter stuff in another, and the heavy/food items in a different one and packed them according to the sheet we used to learn how to pack. The hardest part about packing the bag was trying to find space for my Therm-a-rest and my sleeping bag. Next time I will bring some bungee cords or some rope with me, specifically for tying my bigger items on the sides of my pack. I was glad to have other group members though, because we worked out a way to carry everything mostly equally split up between us. In total I was very happy with how I packed my bag, and was glad I had the knowledge on how to pack.
Lastly, the camping itself and the hiking were both lots of fun. Throughout most of the hiking, I wanted to be a bit ahead of the big group because they were loud and made it hard to enjoy the sounds of nature. The hiking was amazing either way though because of the sights, lookouts, and just nature in total were all beautiful. While hiking my hips started getting sore, and my shoulders were aching, but soon we had a break, and the hurt went away. Then when we got to the campsite to set up the tents, my group had a lot of trouble setting their tents up as there was a bit of confusion at the start of the trip, and they had to take a tent that they had not even tested out. Thankfully the poled were still inside. Once we got setup though, it was a very warm and comfortable night, and I felt refreshed in the morning. Overall both hiking and camping were a great experience.
In conclusion, my hiking trip could have been a lot better with a different group, but it was still an experience of a lifetime. I would do that hiking trip a thousand times over and it still would not stop being an amazing experience.
