Backpackers find solace, relaxation in journeys disconnected from technology
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — Joe Hardisky and Tammy Veloski trekked more than 14 miles through Clearfield and Cameron counties on a one-day journey through the Quehanna Wild Area — all while carrying backpacks weighing more than 20 pounds each.
The two members of the Butler Outdoor Club have hiked for days on end through forests around the East Coast, setting up shelters overnight and cooking stew on portable stoves to keep their energy up.
This is their idea of relaxation.
And while the journey is the destination for people like Hardisky and Veloski, they occasionally find something in the woods that make the heavy hauls even more memorable. On this recent trip, they came across a 40-yard water transportation system made from V-grooved logs that brought water down from a spring to a cabin site that was deep into the woods.
It’s finds like this that Hardisky said make backpacking trips some of the most satisfying experiences he has ever had.
“It was amazing and it was still working like it probably did all those years,” said Hardisky, who spoke from a truck stop that he said could not be more of a contrast from where he was just a week before. “It's the idea that you're getting away from everything, just some really remote areas.
“If you do a four-nighter and you're out for five days or so, when you step back into traffic it's almost like culture-shock.”
Hardisky and Veloski each described themselves as experienced backpackers who trade the comfort of their homes for the compact embrace of a camping tent for at least several weeks of the year. And while they load their backpacks with years upon years-worth of gear before venturing out into the woods, they both said people should try a one-night trip before investing in 20-plus pounds-worth of camping supplies.
Because while the overnight stays are cheap, they require some earlier buy-in for a person to be comfortable.
“Basic thing is your backpack, but then your tent, sleeping bag, whatever you have to keep you warm,” Veloski said of the contents of her backpack. “Food depending on the number of days, a way to filter water because you don't want to drink bad water. With food you need some kind of cook set, we have a pan and backpack-sized stoves and the fuel that goes into (that).”
For their trip through the Quehanna Wild Area, Veloski’s backpack weighed 24-and-a-half pounds. Hardisky’s weighed about 30 pounds. Veloski said she has optimized her backpack build to be as light as possible while still holding everything she needs for a trip. It takes know-how that she gained through years of hiking and learning what she could live with leaving behind.
On Friday, May 29, Veloski unloaded her backpack at the home of her friend and fellow camper, Carol Bickel — taking item upon item out of it like Mary Poppins unloading her carpetbag. When she reached the bottom of her bag, Veloski had what looked like a room’s worth of supplies at her feet.
“You learn what you don't really need, because remember you're carrying it every mile you're walking,” Veloski said. “I try to keep everything light. My first was 37 pounds, but under 30 is always my goal.”
Bickel is a camper herself, but does it in more ways than one. While she enjoys the occasional few nights in a tent, she and her husband, Steve Bickel, regularly take their camper out for a few weekslong stays. The Forest River Cardinal camper is their third — and their most all-encompassing — being equipped with a full kitchen, electricity, shower, bedroom and more.
“We usually go camping at Pymatuning state park. We spend six to eight weeks there every summer,” Carol Bickel said. “The camper is pretty much ready. The only thing you have to put in is the perishables.”
The mobile camper experience differs pretty greatly from that of the backpacking one. The Bickels said camping on wheels lets them carry a lot more supplies, and be away from home for longer periods. So, they are “glamping” in the name of being in a remote place for longer.
The Bickels can also make camp more easily in the winter. Carol Bickel said that like any other established campsite, “car campers” just have to pick up after themselves.
“You're responsible for maintaining the camp sites and tidying up the bathrooms,” Carol Bickel said. “It's nice because you can take day trips in the area to flea markets and summer markets and summer concerts.”
Veloski said safety is always a priority for herself and other backpackers, and she always brings an extra day’s worth of food on her trips, just in case. It just has to be light and compact.
“I use dehydrated foods, you just add water,” she said. “For breakfast it's oatmeal. I take backpacking food; I actually put them in freezer Ziploc bags. You can cook right in the bag if it's a freezer bag. It's weight- and space-limited to your pack.”
Hardisky also said that while he doesn’t take too many electronics with him — his cellphone is mainly on hand to take photos, since reception is bad to non-existent on most trails. He also bought a spot device about a year ago, which can dispatch preprogrammed messages but can’t receive any. This is mainly a precaution that is helpful to share information and a time of return for people at home base, he said.
“It's a hail Mary if you get into those situations if you're injured or need help,” Hardisky said.
Veloski said she prefers to bring a simple map with her on trips. Not only does it not rely on a cell signal, but a paper map is also lightweight.
The backpacking trips the Butler Outdoor Club plans sometimes take hikers through a loop, and sometimes take them out-and-back — they have to return on the same path they leave through.
The Quehanna Wild Area, Hardisky explained, has the main trail forming the loop featuring a couple connectors plus many side trails. It’s a good place for new and experienced hikers alike because beginners can go on a shorter trail while long-timers can take on the entire loop.
Hardisky and Veloski have also each traversed parts of the Appalachian Trail, a must-see for any backpacking fanatic, they said.
Veloski and Hardisky each also said there is a bit of a bell curve for people who go from beginner backpackers to regulars. They may start out with limited supplies, leaving their backpacks relatively lightweight.
“When I first started I had a pair of hunting boots, I picked up a backpack, I didn't have a stove, pretty basic,” Hardisky said.
Then, as they get more gear, that backpack gets heavier. It’s only after optimizing supplies that the weight goes down again. And that’s not to mention the difference the season makes in backpack weight.
“Over the years, my summer pack might be 40 pounds and my winter pack might be 45,” Hardisky said. “Last year, I bought a new summer warmer-weather sleeping bag and it's down rather than synthetic. And that saved me a pound-and-a-half.”
But as Veloski said, it’s what she doesn’t have out in the woods that makes the trips such a good escape, literally and figuratively.
“You realize you don't need to have the internet, you don't need to watch TV. It's nice to relax,” she said. “Sometimes we have a campfire. You go to bed a lot earlier without electronics. You get up when it gets light.
“It's a nice place just to relax, and you get to places backpacking that you can't get to on a day's hike. It's kind of cool not seeing other people.”
