Planning Next Steps (Spring 2020)

Our 2019 season is over, because we’re not prepared, mentally or gear wise, for winter trips. We plan on adding more cardio to our workout routine this winter. I will be looking for a lighter, two door/two vestibule tent. We’re leaning towards the 2018 Hubba Hubba NX that’s on sale now for $240. Seems like it might be more durable for beginners than other, lighter tents. I might also be on the hunt for a better fitting pack? Or finally deciding if I should keep and cut up mine. Hopefully I can find a good solution to the sleeping pad gap, and maybe I’ll also try making another DIY sheet. 

Next spring we plan on convincing DH’s family, who live 20 minutes from the Kettle Moraine (WI) State Park - North unit, to shuttle us there and pick us up at the end so we don’t have to rent a car and/or do a loop. They have shelters off the Ice Age Trail that you can pitch tents next to for $15/night. (No dispersed camping allowed.) You have to reserve in advance and I see they are already booking up for next May. That will probably be the easiest spot for us to practice backpacking without campgrounds. 

Otherwise, for true dispersed camping I think we will need to rent a car and head up to the north woods, somewhere in the Nicolet National Forest. DH is concerned about bears in Colorado (something about predators that are larger than him). Wisconsin has a lot more bears, so it will be a good chance to put into practice all the (black) bear safety we’ve been reading about. I think a practice run on somewhat of a home field will make us more comfortable. At least we should be far enough north to avoid rattlesnakes. Lucky me :) 

I will try to update this blog with our spring trips, although if you visited my book blog you would see I sometimes lose interest in writing projects. Fair warning and no promises. If you made it this far, thanks for reading!