What is New Age Backpacking?
New Age Backpacking is defined as a backpacking trip in which the participants choose, for their own reasons, to slow down, cover less territory, and enjoy the scenery while still having a quality experience that is not dependent on mileage or elevation gain. It is a term coined by a close friend of mine and myself while hiking the Bob Marshall Wilderness in 2011. We had planned on a 50+ mile, seven day loop that would take us from the trail head over mountain passes scattered with high alpine lakes and through dense forests and open meadows. Unfortunately, our plan was cut short when the area we had planned to hike take caught fire while I was en route to Missoula. At first we were a little bummed out, seeing as though we had spent a considerable amount of time planning our route. But backpackers have to be resilient and adapt to the circumstances that Mother Nature permits them, so we decided to cut the distance of our trip down considerably, hike to a quiet spot, establish a base camp, and spend our time bagging unnamed peaks, bushwhacking, swimming, and enjoying our nightly allotted amount of whiskey. We decided that we would rather spend our time relaxing and enjoying our surroundings rather than walking 10+ mile days and, as a result, the term new age backpacking emerged. We haven't looked back since.