[VIDEO] First solo backpacking trip - Nahmakanta Lake Loop in the 100 Mile Wilderness

[FatherGoat]

My first backpacking trip - 2 days 1 night, ~25 miles. The trail followed the AT for about 8 miles along Nahmakanta Lake in the 100 Mile Wilderness. After breaking away from the AT the rest of the miles were along some fairly rugged local trails.

The trail was absolutely gorgeous; being so remote is completely different from other hikes I've been on. Not once were there any sounds that weren't from the forest - not even faint sounds of roads or planes. It was peaceful, calming, and a little unnerving all at the same time!

This trip taught me a lot about being in the back country by myself. I made some pretty serious mistakes that luckily didn't carry any serious/permanent consequences.



I hope you enjoy. Hit me with any comments, questions, suggestions, or funny jokes.

Full trip report available at: http://fathergoat.com/namahkanta-lake-loop/

FatherGoat

[12trysomething]

Nice trip report and good lesson learned. I don't believe you had giardia though. It takes 7-10 days for the symptoms to appear, not within minutes, hours. You may have had a bug or something else prior to the trip. That being said, I am glad you are OK.

Rob

[FatherGoat]

Yes, thank you for clarifying.

I had a back and forth with some folks on Reddit we came to the same conclusion. The time from infection to acute symptoms appearing is usually 1-2 weeks.

I'm leaning more towards some severity of heat exhaustion. Just prior to getting ill I had gone through a very hot, and very dry spot of trail.

Thanks for taking a look - I'm glad I'm ok too!

P.S. I was subbed to your channel under a different account on YT - just subbed with my FatherGoat account. Great work on the videos, I really enjoy 'em.

[Klaussinator]

Good stuff, enjoyed the video! The best trips are the ones where you learn something and live to tell about it, haha.

-Klauss

[pnyberg]

Top notch, I'd say. Or to quote from MASH (the book), finest-kind!

Every backpacker develops their own style, but personally, I'd much rather get my sneakers (and socks, and pant legs) wet than hike across a stream bare-foot. One of the reasons to choose sneakers as foot-wear is that they dry pretty quickly.

I've hiked the 100 Mile Wilderness twice, and have clear memories of Nesuntabunt Mtn kicking my butt both times.

Judging food requirements for a backpacking trip took me longer to figure out than almost anything else. It took me years to figure out that while backpacking I run a pretty substantial calorie deficit, and my body is perfectly OK with that. I suspect I'm in a small minority on this point. Eventually, I learned to stop carrying food that I wasn't going to eat. But again, everyone is different, and when in doubt, take more. It sucks to be hungry.

Links to any info on the area you were hiking in off the AT would be appreciated. The Maine AT maps show no trails in that area.

Looking forward to your next hike.

--Peter

[Les Rust]

Glad that you're doing okay. Lots of nice woods, water, and wilds up there in Maine.

[FatherGoat]

Links to any info on the area you were hiking in off the AT would be appreciated. The Maine AT maps show no trails in that area.

I'm glad you liked the video and thanks for the thumbs up, it means a lot.

I've got the GPS tracks posted on my site here. I've got a map of my tracks with pins for POI's which is also downloadable in KML and KMZ.

It makes me feel a bit better that I'm not the only one who has had trouble dialing in my backpacking food. I've been on half-dozen trips this year and can't seem to get nutrition just right yet. I'm keeping my eye on it though, and think I'll have it dialed in pretty good for the next one (famous last words, right?)

I took a look at your channel and subbed. You've walked along many of the same trails I plan to walk myself.

Happy Trails!

[tjayblues]

Loved the video!

Pollywog Stream sounds like something out of Fraggle Rock

[FatherGoat]

Loved the video!

Pollywog Stream sounds like something out of Fraggle Rock

Could have been nice to have some Doozers build a little sky bridge across Pollywog Gorge!

Glad you enjoyed the video - happy trails.

[romaic666]

nice video thanks for sharing