As the title says, one of my friends wants to go on a backpacking trip with me. Usually I like to be very spontaneous and sorta “rough it”, which would definitely not be good for the guy. I planned out a nice flat-ish 30 km route for us where we can watch the sunrise and the sunset from an overlook. What are some things that I should do in order to make his first trip a little better?
30 km in one day with a pack? Are you trying to kill him? Unless he’s a rudgy player, 10 to 15 k max.
Its gonna be an over-nighter, so 15 km per day. I asked him how he feels about it, and have a few alternative routes going all the way down to 5 km per day. Also funny enough he was a rugby player in high school lol.
15km is a lot more doable. Especially if it’s flat terrain. Alternate routes are a great idea. You sound like you have it all planned out.
I would recommend standard stuff like… help them pack, everyone wants to overpack. Set reasonable expectations. Be up front (but not negative) about the things that are uncomfortable.
Most important - share your enthusiasm! Show, don’t tell, how much you like backpacking. Enthusiasm is infectious and goes a long way to someone enjoying their trip :).
I second helping pack, but for the opposite reason. I’ve been on trips where someone overstated their confidence they are prepared, only to find out they read about ultralight backpacking the week before and I’ve had to split supplies and cut the trip short.
30km in a day is an especially bad idea for a first time, because if someone is unprepared or gets injured half way (blisters can make it impossible to continue walking) then some poor schmuck has to come and get you and haul your ass back.