How Michelle Took Her Mother on a First-Time Backpacking Trip in the Rockies

Welcome to the Gossamer Equipment journey report! Our community is constantly searching for new backcountry experiences to try and tips for preparing and packing for them with an ultralight mindset. That’s why we’ve asked our brand ambassadors to dish the details on their latest and greatest journeys.

In this blog series, you’ll discover:

  • Route suggestions
  • Challenges and highlights of the trail
  • Tips on how to prepare your journey
  • Equipment lists from our brand ambassadors

Our most recent submission comes from Michelle Zhang, a fastpacker and backpacker who divides her time between California and Colorado. Michelle has completed single day hikes on trails such as the Ptarmigan Traverse and Timberline Trail, and has fastpacked longer trails, such as Alta Via 2. In this journey report, she shares some background on how she planned to take her mother on her first backpacking trip in the Rocky Mountain State. We hope her insights help inspire your next adventure with a friend or family member!

Tell us a little about your journey and where you went! What area did you explore? How many days or miles did you travel?

My mother and I went to the San Juan Mountains, just outside Silverton, Colorado. We did a two-day backpacking trip that covered 8 miles.

What got you excited about this journey?

During my mother’s 60th birthday, she told me she wanted to go camping at least one more time, before her body wouldn’t let her do it any longer. Growing up, my parents always took us road-tripping to national parks and stayed at campgrounds along the way. They loved camping! I was more than thrilled to propose this trip to my mother because she’d never been backpacking before, and it would be an opportunity to share a peek into my lifestyle with her.

Tell us a little about how you packed for this journey.

I gave my mother the Kumo 36, and I packed the Mariposa 60. The hiking itself was at high elevation (rising to 13,000 feet), so I wanted to make sure my mother didn’t have to deal with any challenges with a heavier pack weight. I asked her to just carry water and some layers for herself, and Gossamer Gear hiking poles of course! Everything else I packed in the Mariposa, including The Two shelter, a warmer sleeping bag for my mother, a Katabatic quilt for myself, sleeping pads, Jet Boil, snacks, dinner, and a water filter.

What were some of the highlights of the journey?

The highlight of the journey was showing my mother the alpine lakes and how blue they were. Getting to share my experience backpacking with her was so special, as she had never been backpacking, just car camping.

What were some of the journey’s challenges?

The elevation was definitely tough as we got closer to 13,000 feet. Since my mother was coming from sea level, this would be a pretty big step for her. To prepare for this, we stayed in town at about 6,000 to 8,000 feet for 3 days before our trip. The night before our journey, we slept at 9,000 feet to get her body ready for the backpacking trip. I made sure she was hydrating as much as possible on our hike. I also ensured she had a very light pack and didn’t have the extra challenge of carrying heavier items.

Get Inspired to Take Less and Do More Through Shared Community Knowledge

If you want to follow along with more of Michelle’s adventures, you can find her on Instagram.

Have your own stories from taking someone on their first backpacking trip? We’d love to hear them! Share your insight with us by tagging Gossamer Equipment on social media (@gossamergear) and using the hashtag #takelessdomore.

Looking for more outdoor adventure inspiration? Check out some of our other posts on the Light Feet blog.

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