Newbie Backpacking

If you’ve enjoyed the outdoors for a while now, you will inevitably take a newbie hiker/backpacker on a trip sometime.

I’m talking about the kind of newbie where you must explain wicking fabrics vs. cotton, hanging food, etc. Having gone on a few of these trips myself, I’ve started a collection of odd items that people bring on trips.

• Glass dog bowl- because it was their dog’s favorite bowl. Trust me- once your dog has put in a few miles, they could care less about what they are eating from. I’ve even used a plastic bag in a pinch.
• Decorated backpacks- oh right that is me.
• Rolls of paper towel- ummm what do we do with the dirty ones may I ask?
• You won’t believe this one- Lysol. Yes, Lysol. The logic was to use it for the latrines. For me- if the latrines are that bad I’m using the woods.
  

That being said- some of the most fun trips are ones with newbies. If everything always went seamlessly I would just start shopping at the mall on the weekends rather than hiking or biking through the woods.