Hey Everyone,

My name is James, and I am an outdoor and camping enthusiast turned backpacker. Went on my first four day trip on the Chattooga River Trail a few weeks ago with my four legged boy Kodak. It was absolutely awful, and now I am addicted. Made it to the trail head way to late, had a storm dump on me in the first 30 mins, and made a wrong turn missing any close by campsites. Set up camp just before a second down poor, and tried to get some sleep. Repacking my bag I began to realize "I'm on a river trail, why am I carrying 5 liters of water..." My pack was way over packed at somewhere in the 30 plus lbs. The next three days were pretty much the same, rain, rain, and more rain. My protection was a Walmart Ozark Trail poncho. I toughed it out though, and really learned a lot about myself. Now, I just want to get back out there after doing a few weeks of research, ordering some massively lighter gear, and leaving the kitchen sink at home.