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Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Community Writer: Catherine Emerson, Discovering a Passion for Backpacking

after finishing a 64 mile loop in the Gila Wilderness, July 2019


Hello, fellow Creative Savv readers! As a long-time reader, some of you may know me as Cat from the comment section. Lili has asked me to share about hiking and backpacking and how I got involved in those activities. Almost ten years ago now, while still homeschooling our kids, then about ages two to twelve, a fellow homeschooling mom mentioned that our nearby wildlife refuge in the Wichita Mountains offered group hikes on Thursday mornings. Turns out, these were originally intended for retirees, but hardly any were showing up, so they were welcoming anyone. As a then very fearful person, I appreciated the chance to get the kids outside for some gentle hikes, normally two miles or under, with other adults (and sometimes kids) along. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is home to many bison and Longhorn cattle, as well as Diamondback rattlesnakes, and  I didn’t relish the idea of going alone with children when I was so inexperienced myself. The leaders of the hikes varied, but all were kind and knowledgeable and taught us a lot about the flora and fauna of the area.

Fast forward a couple years and now all children are in school. I had continued to attend these hikes, but also found some other groups and was now venturing on longer, harder, and usually off-trail hikes. I loved it! My husband had been in the Army and often gone when the kids were younger, and my soul began to thrive with the new experience of outdoor time and the lovely people I met through these excursions. I became stronger and could now hike several miles at a time. My confidence grew as well. Somewhere in there, I became interested in Appalachian Trail memoirs, then stories from and about other trails. But backpacking still seemed just a little out of my reach. Who would I go with? I couldn’t imagine being out there alone.


Lake Katherine in the Peco Wilderness, June 2020

Somehow, I was introduced to the youtube channel of Jessica Mills, aka “Dixie”, a sweet, Southern, down-to-earth woman who had hiked the Appalachian Trail and was at that time hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Each week, I looked forward to her newest episode chronicling her adventure. My interest grew by leaps and bounds.


My daughters were involved in a scouting organization at that time, and I was the assistant unit leader for the teen group. The leader was planning an exciting trip canoeing in the Boundary Waters, so my oldest daughter and I began collecting gear over the next few months. Unfortunately, the trip was later cancelled for reasons I never quite understood, but we now had some of the equipment.


our tents near the old railroad tunnel at Caprock Canyon Trailway, April 2017

A young woman I had met through our ladies’ hiking group which I had begun to hold on Wednesdays also shared that she had an interest in backpacking, and had also collected gear. We took the plunge and made a plan to go! Just an easy short trip for our first time, over at Caprock Canyon State Park and Trailway, near Quitaque, Texas. It turned out to be a very warm weekend in April 2017, with daytime temperatures in the 90’s. But, we hiked in about 5 miles and camped near an old railway tunnel known for it’s bat population. That evening, we sat and played a card game as dusk approached, then settled in to watch the bats emerge from the tunnel. Wow, what an experience! As it grew darker and we could no longer see them, we could still feel them zipping by our heads. So amazing!


That trip started something for me. My super budget equipment was way too heavy and I really wondered what I had gotten myself into as I trudged along on that hot April afternoon. But waking up to mule deer grazing outside our tents and watching them as I sipped my instant coffee was such a wonderful experience and made the hard parts worth it. That fall, I planned a 3-day, 26.8 mile trip on the Eagle Rock Loop over near Mena, Arkansas, taking along my oldest daughter, the friend from my first trip, and two additional women. It was a challenge, this time with temperatures dipping into the 20’s at night, testing us in a whole different way. But we did it! And I was hooked!


sunset from the SW Rim at Big Bend, January 2020

Since that time, just 5 years ago now, I’ve backpacked hundreds of miles in many beautiful places, sometimes with friends, but a good chunk of it solo. Lots of miles over in southeastern Oklahoma and northern Arkansas on the Ouachita Trail, Womble Trail, the LOViT, and the Sylamore Creek Trail, among others. In Texas at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Big Bend National Park, in New Mexico at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the Gila Wilderness, and the Pecos Wilderness, as well as a couple trips up in Colorado. So many beautiful places in our world, and backpacking allows me to see a side you don’t necessarily get with a day hike or camping in a campground. I’ve upgraded my equipment greatly, so my pack weight can vary from about 21 lbs for a short trip in warm weather, up to about 33 lbs for a longer trip with a week of food and/or gear for cold weather. It’s become a great way for my soul to recharge, as my introvert self still has three children at home. Thankfully, my husband is supportive of this hobby and holds the fort down at home while I’m gone–couldn’t do it without him! 


Catherine Emerson is a hiking and backpacking enthusiast. Catherine, trail name “Corgi” (for her short legs), lives in southwestern Oklahoma with her husband, 3 of their 5 kids still home, 2 silly but sweet dogs, several rescue cats, and a small flock of ducks. When not on the trail, Catherine enjoys spending her time reading, knitting or crocheting, and gardening, with permaculture inspiration and aspiration.


18 comments:

  1. Amazing! That's all I can say. What a wonderful thing. I can hardly take a walk without my feet hurting and my breathing going crazy. I can't even bicycle up and down gentle rolling hills UNTIL I got an Ebike to help me along. Now I find I can even use a regular bike again without that tired feeling. I see hiking as a tough thing but I suppose if I tried it my body could acclimate but we have a lot of straightness here in Michigan. I loved your story.

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    1. Thanks, Alice! Many of my hiking friends choose to bicycle in the warmer months. Seems to be great exercise!

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    2. Alice, you are right about the lack of elevation in Michigan, but if you ever really wanted to get experience with hiking on hilly terrain, there are several state parks along the Lake Michigan lakeshore that will definitely get your heart pumping. We have hiked both in Hoffmaster and Muskegon State Park through the dunes and that's hard work. Sandy terrain plus hills .... whew. Then again, you may enjoy hanging out at the beach just as much. :)

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  2. Cat, I always enjoy your hiking stories. I laughed out loud at your nickname of Corgi. My husband has much longer legs than I do and can move along swiftly when we hike. He's the hare, I'm the tortoise. I tell him that if you are hiking with a group, you are only as fast as your slowest group member. Ha.

    I love day hiking but backpacking doesn't appeal to me. Sounds like it's a perfect fit for you, though. I get a lot of comments from friends/family about why we as a family do so much hiking. I think that, until you do it, you don't understand the inherent reward of seeing and experiencing things that few other people get to do. I wouldn't trade the natural beauty we have seen,or the wildlife encounters we have had. I get a lot of joy from photographing our trips and then creating a Shutterfly book from the pictures. We thumb through them all the time, reliving our experiences.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this post!

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    1. Kris, that's awesome that you day hike! In my humble opinion, the synergestic effect of outdoor time combined with physical activity can't be beat, especially to boost my mood. That's great that your family hikes together. My youngest son, now 12, has been occasionally backpacking with me since he was about 8. My husband and three of the other four kids go occasionally. The Shutterfly album is a great idea to document your trips!

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  3. Glad to get to know you a little better, Cat. I'm not a backpacker. While I enjoy hiking, I don't enjoy carrying everything on my back. However, my husband loves backpacking and usually does at least one big trip a year with other people he met through scouting. He echoes you in that he says backpacking gets you into to places to see things that most people don't get to. As you also mentioned, good backpacking equipment can be very expensive, but can be worth the cost for the comfort and dependability that it allows.
    Cat, your backpacking story is another reminder to not be overwhelmed with something new. Slow and steady progress will get you where you want to go. (Yes, I do mean that both firguratively and litterally. :) )

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    1. Live and Learn, you are so right about slow and steady progress! That's cool that your husband backpacks!

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  4. Oh, well. Hit publish too soon. Ignore the misspellings and typos.

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  5. Cat, I was wondering if you or anyone you know has rented backpacking (or even camping) equipment? REI has rented equipment for many years. I remember seeing the rental desk in the downtown Seattle store a long time ago and wondered about it. It seems to me that renting equipment could be a way for someone to try out backpacking without a huge initial investment.

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    1. Lili, I'm not sure REI rents equipment any more. Maybe it's an in-person thing, or just in certain areas? I've only been to the Oklahoma City store and two Dallas area stores. I can't find anything on their website about it. I did one find company online a few years back that did, but the cost made it more affordable to just buy inexpensive (but heavy) stuff at the time. I have gradually updated, bit by bit. My two biggest ticket items, my pack and my tent, were both purchased secondhand. The tent had never been used and I bought it for 25% less than new. My current pack was from ebay, also not use, also for a good discount. Once I knew what I wanted, I asked for my quilt as a Christmas/b-day gift (consecutive days). I do keep some of my older stages of equipment for when other family members join me or if a friend wants to try a trip out with little investment in cost. Some of my other friends do the same. Most years, I try to lead a beginner trip for those just wanting someone to mentor them the first time or two.

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    2. Oops, I was wrong! I did find a spot on the REI site just after I posted, about rentals. Sorry about that. There are none at the Dallas or OKC stores, which may be why I haven't seen it. They also have a notice on the page that they're beginning to phase out equipment rental, beginning this week.

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    3. Well that's too bad that REI is phasing out rentals. I always thought that was cool and would be helpful for someone wanting to try out equipment.
      It sounds like you've found ways to buy what you want at prices better than standard retail.

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  6. I love reading about what people are passionate about. Thank you for sharing your journey and love for the outdoors.

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  7. I need to enter another comment so I can say that I do get out and do outdoor activities. Two weekends ago we took a little getaway trip to Mackinac Island and bicycled around the island twice plus halfway around again. Then we took the gazillion steps up to a scenic area and back down. We've ridden our bicycles 12 miles around our local town several times and once when to Traverse City area to climb a huge dune. I feel like l'm less active than most but I'm still pretty active! Winter and cold is coming so this will all come to an end soon. I need something active to do indoors.
    Alice

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  8. Thank you Cat for the beautiful post about your love for hiking. I never knew how involved hiking could be since I live on an island. There are hiking trails here but i don't think it would take long to venture. It's a very healthy hobby to grow skills and experience, that could continue in retirement (as how your story began.) I am not the outdoors type, and rarely see outside these days. I feel I must be missing a whole lot of life and adventure. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Sorry, forgot to sign off, Laura 😊

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    2. The outdoors isn't everyone's favorite place to be. I think it's okay that we're all different in that regard. For me, personally, it is integral to my mental and physical well-being, so I have learned to be outside in some way (many days, it's in the garden, working), at least a few days a week even in the less-pleasant weather (heat of summer, early in the morning, and the colder days of winter, with the right clothing layers). I'll bet you have some interesting indoor hobbies.

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