Written By Yonderlust Ramblings
They say travelling together is the true test of a relationship…well, try backpacking together! It combines all of the factors of couples travel, but adds just a little more spice to the typical bonding experiences! I’ve got seven reasons why you should grab your partner and your backpack and head outside!
Table Of Contents
You Get to Problem Solve Together
Sorry to burst any bubbles, but backpacking trips never go according to plan! Something always falls through, something always changes, and something always “comes up”. Like when our tent flooded in the middle of the night, or when we got lost mid-hike, or when our pup decided she was done walking and refused to move! But the silver lining to this perpetual problem is that it sets the perfect stage for couples to be able to hone their problem solving skills, together! There’s no problem like a backpacking problem, because typically you are removed from civilization, and you have less resources available to you (you can’t just Google the solution), so you can really bounce off of each other’s creativity and strengths. It is possible to emerge from a backpacking trip more of a unified team than when you went in!
You Get to Conquer a Challenge Together
Hoisting thirty or more pounds on your back is not easy, but it is made easier when you have a collaborator along to support you and push you. Challenges are better when faced together, whether that is hiking a 14’er, finishing your first thru-trail, or spending a night outside for the first time! I do a lot of solo hikes, most recently taking on multiple state high points in my attempt to summit all fifty. My husband Ryan has not been able to hike all of them with me, but one of my most memorable and cherished backpacking experiences was being able to stand on the top of Arkansas together, and seeing him light up over that accomplishment! He understands a little more of my own passion now, and I have an even greater desire to conquer more challenges together!
You Get to Explore Together
Seeing and experiencing new things together creates the perfect bonding experience. The natural world is a free gift to us, and there are endless opportunities to explore its canyons, mountains, deserts, forests, and rivers together! Travel, in my opinion, is the best education you can ever receive, and in any relationship, finding new ways to grow and better yourselves personally and as a couple is a worthy endeavor. You will have your perspectives and opinions challenged, melded, and maybe even changed as you partake in these kinds of new experiences together.
You Get to Practice Compromise
As I mentioned before, backpacking never goes according to plan. You will no doubt have the chance to problem solve, and part of this tool box includes compromising! One of you is bound to be a faster hiker, an earlier riser, a slower packer. You will have the opportunity to adjust to each other’s preferences when backpacking, whether that is shouldering a heavier load, slowing your pace, or stopping to take one more obligatory picture! Compromise is possible, because you know what your shared goal is!
You Can Learn Something New Together
Did you know that there are four main water filtration options for backpackers? Do you and your partner know what to do if you encounter a bear on the path? Can either of you correctly read and use a compass? Or maybe you can learn together how to start a fire in the backcountry. I just recently gave my husband the run down on how to react to bear encounters, depending on what species of bear is present, while he has taught me how to effectively use a compass. He has taught me a lot of “hands on” skills, while I tend to share my planning and preparation skills, such as finding useful apps and researching trails and helpful pointers. Backpacking removes us from our regular daily settings, and kindly nudges us in a direction where we are almost forced to learn something new! Why not learn something new together?
You Get to Unplug Together
Yes, you will have the chance to set up camp, and then fill your time with all those things you have always promised you would do together. Like cook a meal together, even if it is a dehydrated meal. Or play cards, even if it is on a makeshift tree stump “table”. Or even just sit in silence and watch the sunset together until the stars come out. Backpacking is the perfect setting for getting back to the basics, because it is one of the few chances in life where our distractions are removed for us. It’s romance, even if it is a “no frills” romance!
You Get to Meet New People Together
This may or may not always be true, depending on the popularity of the hike you are backpacking. But I have found that on many of our hikes together, we have had the chance to meet other like-minded individuals, and the kind of connections you make while hiking are one of a kind. There is no camaraderie like the camaraderie amongst hikers and backpackers! I still remember the name of the lady I met on the trail at Guadalupe Peak one year ago! Backpackers speak their own language, a dialect made up of “what other hikes have you been on?”, “what’s the weather like up ahead?”, “where’s your favorite hike been?” or “run into any interesting animals?”. All of these questions inevitably end with an encouraging word and a boost of morale, which is why it is always uplifting to make friends together on the trail!
Considering backpacking together? Check out these tips on backpacking in South East Asia.
About The Author
Kristen is the author of Yonderlust Ramblings, as well as a full time wife, teacher, Texan, cheese-aholic, grammar nerd, and active travel chaser! All you need to discover this world, and yourself, is your own two feet!