Trip Wise & Trail Ready – 7 Part Series

$185.00

Trip Wise & Trail Ready – 7 Part Series – Currently FULL!

Please email: info@back40training.com to put your name on a wait list or to inquire about upcoming series and mini sessions! 

A confidence boosting, self empowering, and soul filling learning series for those who need a little help to get out backpacking or day hiking on their own or confidently with others.  Practical, applicable, experienced advice and guidance by someone who used to be in your shoes!

SERIES SCHEDULE includes group hike in/out to lesson site:

Wednesdays May 10 – June 28 (no session May 31) 6:30-9:30pm

  • Trip Plans & Gear Essentials
  • First Aid Kits, Blisters, & Bear Spray (we will have inert spray for practice!)
  • Emergency Shelters & Basic Knots 
  • Fire Starting, Water Purification, & Food
  • Trail Health/Hygiene & Leave No Trace
  • Compass/GPS, Emergency Communications, & What to do if LOST!
  • Sleep Essentials, Camp Luxuries & Loading Packs

OPTIONAL SERIES FINALE OVERNIGHT HIKE:  July 14-16th (Group to decide destination)

COST:  $185+GST  Includes many take home gifts! (Does not cover final group hike expenses)

LOCATION & WEATHER:  Local urban-rural interfaces within the Meewasin Valley & Saskatoon area. We will choose different trail areas for each session.  This will be communicated to the group before each session.  These events will run, regardless of the weather – we will adapt!

GEAR:  You do NOT need “all the gear” to participate in this series.  You will need to be dressed for whatever the weather will be, have a “day pack” of your own essentials to be out for 3 hours, and be self-sufficient.  It is strongly encouraged that you bring whatever version of your pack is that you have – some of you may want to bring your full backpacking pack to get a little fitness and experience in! You will get many ideas about gear, clothing, and skills but you do not need to bring anything to show your experience or lack-thereof to the sessions.  Details will be sent prior to each session so you can prepare your gear and clothing for the upcoming one!

COMMUNITY CULTURE:  It is my goal to host this series as a way to share my experience, demonstrate sound leadership in outdoor settings, foster skill development in areas we are weak, and share my knowledge of common gear/brands.  Those with experience and a good sense of community usually feel compelled to share and I encourage any participant in the group to share their own voice of experience or ask questions of curiosity.  Let’s build a community who supports, encourages, and inspires each other  to enjoy the outdoors in our own individual way!  This series is for beginners and all those who still value the opportunity to learn!

Category:

Description

TRIP WISE & TRAIL READY

This Series is perfect experience for anyone who is looking to gain confidence, learn about gear and trip skills, build connection, and be inspired by others to get out on the trail.  Day hiking or overnight backpacking is the foundation of this instructional series but many of these concepts can apply to paddlers and bike-packers as well!

A common thing I hear is people say “my friends don’t like to go outside”.  Many people express how they feel alone in the desire to pursue time on the trail, are afraid to go out alone, and admire those who hike/backpack/camp.  Many people do not have connections to others that have mentored them, shared experiences and learnings, or have gear to get started.  This 7-Part Series is to help those who WANT to get started – to take the first steps!

You do NOT need to have ALL THE GEAR.  You need to come prepared to be on the trail for 3 hours, dressed for whatever the weather is, and be willing to learn from ALL the participants in the group!

Each session will begin and end with a group hike so we get some exercise and start to test our packs and trail feet.  Details will come out before each session to help you better prepare!

—–

Trip Plans & Essentials – covers various ways to create trip plans and the importance of certain components of trip plans for Search and Rescue.  Trip plans will become a part of each future session for practice!  Essentials will be an ongoing discussion throughout the series – however this session will introduce the concepts of “Essentials” and the relevant advice behind them.  We will have LOTS of gear examples for you!

First Aid Kits, Blisters & Bear Spray – I will cover the basics of first aid kits, give a little advice on preventing HOT SPOTS from getting worse and properly covering blisters once they form.  We will also have INERT BEAR SPRAY (Practice spray) for everyone to practice the basics in deploying your best defence against a bear! We carry it….but we don’t really know how it works!

Emergency Shelters & Basic Knots – I am always overwhelmed with knots and shelters.  This session will cover 2 really quick emergency shelters you can do with a tarp, tent pegs, and some paracord.  I suck at knots but I have mastered a few which are easy to do and learn.  I also know if I am putting up an emergency shelter –  things are bad – which means these shelters are easy, quick, and memorable for the future need.

Fire Starting, Water Purification & Food – Let’s be honest – I most likely won’t be bush-crafting a massive fire without a lot of practice!  So this session will cover EASY fire starters you can make at home and allow you some practice with various methods to get a fire started.  We will also explore a variety of water filters that are on the market…and top up our water bottles to enjoy a taste test!  Food will ALWAYS be a conversation in all our sessions but we will focus on a few things specific to food choices while hiking.

Trail Health, Hygiene, and Leave No Trace – You can’t avoid the call of nature when you are out all day.  Women especially struggle with bathroom needs while on the trail.  Peeing in the woods is a fine art not everyone has mastered…and pooping is a whole other feat.  Got your period on the trip? Thanks Mother Nature!  Regardless of your gender identity – we need to talk about all the struggles and the real effort we can all take to leave no trace and manage our backcountry waste while on trip.

Compass/GPS, Emergency Communications, and What to do if you’re LOST – We will focus on compass basics and how you can orient yourself to the map & environment you know around you.  We will explore our phone navigation apps and discuss our over confidence in them working. We will go for a hike and challenge our trail orientation skills!

Sleep Essentials, Camp Luxuries & Load Distribution – This will be a full pack hike to practice packing our packs smarter!  We will discuss smart sleep system choices, ground pads, and sleeping bags.  We will also show off a few camp luxuries (show and tell yours too!) that some might want in the future! Hike your own hike!