Senior Project Reflection

During my final year of high school there is an additional project I must complete, but unlike most of the projects I’ve done at New Tech, this one must be completed on my own. Doing a senior project helps develop independence and creativity, and helps students like me explore any variety of topics that they wish they knew more about. For my senior project, I am going to go on a backpacking trip. I want to gain a connection to nature and sustain myself in a way that I can’t do here in the frontcountry.
Until a few years ago, I had never gone on a backpacking trip or overnight. I would never have guessed that I would very much enjoy the experience, or that I would ever want to do it again, so I was uncertain about how I wanted to do the trip, until I realized that most of the good I get out of backpacking comes from the views and the people I’m with, rather than the hiking. I realized that I could hike to a camping spot, set up camp, and just hang out around there for a couple days. I thought about
going alone, but then decided that, for one thing, it might be too frightening for my first time doing a small trip, and I might get eaten by a bear or something. My friends enjoy camping and I have gone with them on some trips before, so I thought it would be fun and useful to go with them. Going on this trip will be a good way for me to stay active and continue to appreciate nature and live sustainably. I have gone backpacking before, but never with a small group. The times I’ve gone have been with the camp that I work at during the summer, Camp Jack Hazard. On those outings I was looking after about eight children for the duration of the trip, so while the experience was enjoyable, I’ve never gone and just had time to myself to appreciate nature and a few friends. As well as having to look after kids, on my previous trips I never really needed to be sure about what I was bringing and how I was packing it. Sure, it’s somewhat important, but on those trips we usually bring more food than we end up eating anyway, so it hasn’t really been a big issue for me in the past. Now, however, I’m going to try not to bring much more than I really need. I’m going to bring some games to pass the time, but I don’t plan on many more luxury items apart from a sleeping pad. I have most of the equipment that I’m going to need and plan on borrowing some things, like a tent.
At Jack Hazard we bring tarps on our overnights, but I plan on living in the lap of luxury in my brother’s 5 x 8, two-person tent. A major factor I will have to consider is weight. I’ll have to be carrying enough gear and food to be able to enjoy myself without being crushed under the weight of my backpack. I’m going to need to balance my clothes and equipment with my comfort and strength. One of the most valuable things I’ve read about preparing for a trip is that having the right equipment and making sure it works properly can save you from a potential disaster, and I plan to follow that lesson. In the book Backpacking: The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started on Your First Backpacking Trip, Timothy S. Morris emphasizes the need to always try to conserve space and weight in your pack. Weight is the enemy, but if you arrange things properly, you shouldn’t have any
trouble. I hope that this project will allow me to enjoy myself out in nature while distancing myself for a short time from the hectic life I lead in the real world. I think that It will be a lot of fun and I hope that it will inspire me to go on many more trips in the backcountry.