About Kendra #4: I Love Backpacking

Last weekend my husband and I took our first backpacking trip!! Backpacking is hiking up a mountain with overnight backpacks, setting up a tent and camping. My husband and I love to hike so we have been slowly purchasing everything we needed to make an overnight trip. Lemme tall ya'll. It was a BLAST!

We set out at 6:00 p.m. on Friday night. Everything was packed up!!

Whats in those backpacks? You may ask... 

My husband is carrying the tent at the bottom of his backpack. We each have a mummy sleeping bag, pillow and inflatable pad to go under our mummy bags. We also have a change of clothes, cliff bars for snacks, head lamps, a first aid kid, toiletries, and a few other miscellaneous items. Our backpacks have camel backs in them for water. 

See the little orange thing on the strap across Brendan's chest?? That's a whistle! We each have one on our strap in case there is an emergency. I like to blow them and say things like, "WATER BREAK!" LOL... So one day when there is an emergency my husband won't pay attention to my rigorous whistle blowing. He will just think I am really thirsty! haha :)

Now remember I said we left at 6:00 pm? We were expecting it to be cooler. Well it was still 95 degrees and there was 64% humidity. So about a mile into the hike, my shirt was drenched in sweat. But we pushed and made great time. Talk about a work out! Carry an extra 20 lbs on your back while doing a strenuous hike. I was so happy and proud of myself when we made it to the top!!

Backpacks off!!!! 

We made it to the top for the sunset! It was beautiful. We stood on the rocks and watched the sun do down.  My pictures don't even do it justice!

 Every time we go hiking I sing, "How Great Thou Art." It just blows my mind that God spoke everything into existence. God is great and greatly to be praised! His handiwork is perfection.

We had to set up camp before it got too dark. So we set to work... The tent is usually pretty easy to set up. It took us a little longer than planned because we hadn't put it together in months! So I put on my head lamp to help Brendan see. But then I started getting attacked by bugs so I put on my hood lol.

Thank God for bug spray. I made it out with 4 mosquito bites. Not bad for the swarms we had to hike through! And yesss I am so blind that I had to take my glasses hiking. If I take them off I get headaches because I can't see.

We got the tent set up.. But we put on the rain fly because there was a chance of thunderstorms so we didn't want to get soaked in the middle of the night!

Brendan hard at work. Me taking pictures and fighting off the mosquitoes. My arms were sore when we got home from swinging them at bugs! lol 

We stuck our backpacks in that little section to keep them protected from rain and animals. They are curious and like to take things lol. We put our food in a bag and threw it about 100 ft away from our campsite so that if a bear came it wouldn't tear up our backpacks trying to get a midnight snack :)

I snapped a few pictures of the night sky...

 There were three super bright and large stars. We think they were planets. I wish that I had a telescope out there. Once it was pitch dark, you could see stars everywhere. It reminded me of growing up in Nor Cal and staring at the stars on summer nights. It was the best.

We slept until about 5:00 am. I dreamed about bears and lions all night. Needless to say I was a little nervous staying in the wilderness all alone but we survived!! Here are a few pictures on the way down:

 I kept telling Brendan, "its so beautiful that it looks fake!!"

I have been up here countless times and it never ceases to be

absolutely breathtaking! 

 This is where we stayed. Ceder Glen. Beautiful location!

Look at that morning view!! I sang hymns the first 10-15 minutes of our hike. It was so beautiful and refreshing. No cell phones, no city lights, no loud noises just me, hubby, Jesus and His marvelous creations!

I had a fabulous time!! I am so glad we got to go.

I think I should get Camper of the Week or something :)