Maybe this should seem obvious but...

>>678243
>I went to a place I hate
>I can't walk 6 miles without pain
you must be an amerifat. fuck off to somewhere else

>>678244
Wow man i am an amerifat and even i can walk over 6 miles with a pack on this guys just a sack a shit. though yes prolly murican"

>>678243
I go camping mostly to fish, hike and camp along a river, it'll provide you with a source of food and recreation

>>678243
>pack too heavy
>out of shape
>why were you on a horse trail?
>why are you going somewhere with no destination in mind? like an overlook or waterfall or something?
>why didn't you have proper equipment to deal with the sun and the temperature?
>i dislike being alone in the woods

Literally nothing you complained about is necessarily inherent to camping. Every single thing I just listed above could have been solved by actually planning out a trip. The biggest thing you need to think about is why are you going? It sounds like you're a generally depressed, whiny piece of shit with no friends, and you're trying to escape your shitty life. That's not how camping works, unless you actually enjoy being alone in the outdoors, or have friends who you enjoy being outdoors with.

For your upcoming trip, here's what you should do to plan-
1. Select a general place you want to go. Chattahoochee Nat'l Forest is about three hours from Macon, which is where I'm guessing you are. Look for a place with destinations- scenic overlooks, string of waterfalls, etc.

2. Figure out how far you want to hike each day, taking elevation gain and fitness level into account. You're clearly out of shape if you can't hike 6 miles without your knees blowing out, so pick something easy.

3. Look for trails in the area that match your daily mileage goals. Plan out the actual route you want to take- Google is your friend. There are a ton of small hiking clubs with crappy, early-2000's looking websites that have amazing amounts of info on them. Spend time searching.

4. Look up the average temperature highs and lows for the dates you'll be out there. Pack accordingly. You don't need clean pants and shirts for every day, just new underwear and socks. Bring goddamn sunscreen, dipshit.

Cont...

>>678266
5. Plan out your meals. Learn how to dehydrate food or buy the pre-packaged stuff. Bagels are bulky but don't get crushed. Tortillas are more delicate, but super easy to pack. Tortilla PB&J roll ups are one of my favorite trail lunches.

6. Plan for the downtime at your campsite. Bring a book or a battery pack for your phone to listen to music or something. Bring a small amount of alcohol to sip on if it's cold- don't get drunk though, that's a good way to fuck up the next day.

7. Ask friends if they want to go with you. If you have no friends and are looking to escape that fact, this is probably not the best way to do it. Instead of running away to the woods, try not being a whiny cunt.

I like camping because it relieves stress. Daily life is fast-paced and it's nice to get away from a lot of that every so often. It's therapeutic to go out for a week, tune your schedule to the sun, and homeostasis is your only responsibility. I guess overall, I enjoy the simplicity of camping that's hard to recreate in the rest of modern life.

Other benefits I enjoy are fresh air, nice views, sense of accomplishment and my first meal back in society.

>>678266
>1. Select a general place you want to go. Chattahoochee Nat'l Forest is about three hours from Macon, which is where I'm guessing you are. Look for a place with destinations- scenic overlooks, string of waterfalls, etc.

Seconding.

If only because you'll learn a lot about living and a little about love.

>>678243
>there is nothing spectacular about a mosquito filled swamp that's sitting around 100% humidity 10 months out of the year and loaded with copperheads

Yeah that sounds horrible. I live in Wisconsin, and like 60% of camping spots are pretty shitty. But about 40% is FUCKING AWESOME.

>>678243

You're right. Camping is pointless. You should stay in your mom's basement and play CoD as ng as she'll let you.

>>678321

You may also find a pyramid of cans or something.

>must have purpose
>op does not enjoy experience
>enjoyment is purpose

tldr op is doing it wrong

I'll tell you why I camp. I do it the challenge. I live a pretty cushy life and it gets stale. humping 40lbs of gear 10 miles down a dirt track is how i prove to myself that I am strong and independent, and it serves to remind me that life isnt so bad at home. Its also how i clear my head. when im innawoods, my worries become simplistic. Food, water, shelter, if i can get those 3 tiny things together for a couple nights then my mind is free to wander and sort itself out. If you see no positive efdects from camping, then dont do it.

>>678243
Mostly I like it as a reason to get out of the city and enjoy the fresh air. Also, and I might be alone here, but waking up feeling like shit in all the places that aren't completely numb from the cold is the only way to enjoy what's in my opinion the best part - warming yourself up by the fire with some hot water or coffee and taking in the scenery.

That said camping's not for everyone but I appreciate you giving it numerous tries before giving up on it. I can't get anyone I know to bother.

>pack was too heavy
>didn't research and hiked a stupid trail
>went to a swamp

I have a hard time you are not trolling, or maybe you're just stupid?

Try a fucking mountain next time fool. Get some view. Also don't overpack on a swampy horse trail like a retard...

>>678546
This guy gets it.

Yall got mad really fast and scared him away. That's not how you teach people here - all he probably got was the amerifat comment before giving up. If we just answered the damn question we could've shown someone else the upsides of camping. Wouldn't that have felt nice? Instead now I'm just pissed at an anime forum and bitching about camping.

>>678243
I do it to get away from society.

>>678546
Yup

When I get back from a long trip, everything is so easy. Even the first time sitting in the car, in a seat that is crafted for the human form, is amazing. I appreciate all I have so much more
>comfy bed
>being indoors instead of exposed to the elements
>level surfaces everywhere
>furniture designed for humans instead of rocks
>a stove that turns on with a flick of a dial
>flush toilets
>cold beer
I appreciate these simple things every day and do not take them for granted because I go without them regularly

>>678243
I fail to see the purpose of toasting fresh bread, but different blokes for different strokes I suppose.

But seriously,
>outdoor sex
>less people
>good views
>better quality sleep somehow, even though I always end up off my thermarest and onto cold ground by the end of it
>don't have to overpack because all you need is food, a stove, filter, knoife, tent, sleeping bag, thermarest, first aid kit and 2 sets of clothes (one emergency and one you're wearing)
>if you're with other people you can split the load a bit (one person carries the tent, one person carries most of the food, one person carries the lube, etc)

i drive to where i camp with my 4x4

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>>678552
>Yall got mad really fast and scared him away.

Lol I'm still here. Just didn't see a reason to reply.

I do appreciate the actual advice given. I'll also argue I was in pretty decent shape @ 165 lbs and deadlifting 4 plates around the time I went - pic related was about 8 months prior to going.

But being able to squat 3 plates or DL 4 doesn't mean hiking through slog like I was is easy at all. Nor does it mean your joints are ready for that kind of long term load bearing, as I found out the hard way. The pack was WAY too heavy for that long of a trek through that kind of terrain. I think it may have been around 55-60 lbs, but it's been at least 2 years.

Best advice seems to be to find something you want to go see that isn't accessible by a vehicle. That would seem like enough of a purpose to put the work in. Just roaming around near the swamp with a giant pack is misery. Lol, also learned my boots (steel toed work boots) probably were not the best for hiking through that kind of shit either, as they must have weighed 10 lbs each considering the mud caked up on them by the end. That's part of what destroyed my knees and made it much harder than it should have been.

>>678270
1st shower after a week /out

45 minutes of pure hot steaming bliss

>>678839
ironically your shape is probably your downfall. One of the strongest people I've ever known had almost no endurance.

I'm actually Amerifat (damned desk job) and can easily hike 10+ miles/day with a very heavy load. Take a normal load and add 2 camera bodies, 4 lenses, and a tripod. I probably start out with at least 70-80# pack if I'm on my own.

Hiking/camping and all the things that come with it are the only things in life worth doing

>>678243
Stick to car camping if you're too fat and out of shape to hike 6 miles. Don't bring alot of useless shit. Ditch the 6 person Coleman tent for a 1-2 person lightweight tent. Go someplace nice. If you really don't like being outside, why bother putting this much effort into camping?

>>678243
I think next time you go camping, you should start a thread here on /out/ describing every step of your journey. Post pics of every leaf you come across, every odd-shaped stone, every bird you see. That will surely give a sense of reason to your trip.

Or bring a gun and just shoot at random stuff you see.

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>>678908
>I think next time you go camping, you should start a thread here on /out/ describing every step of your journey. Post pics of every leaf you come across, every odd-shaped stone, every bird you see. That will surely give a sense of reason to your trip.

I have a bunch of pics from last time. I suppose I will resize and post in a sec for shits and so people can see what kind of thrilling fucking terrain I got to march through.

>Storytime

Idea when I planned was to do 3 days, 2 nights. Start at a campsite that was at the bottom of Oconee National Forest. Technically it runs next to Ocmulgee and is not contiguous with Oconee, but given the lack of resources present to set up an entirely separate National Forest territory, makes sense to just make them 1 territory.

Plan was to hike along the trail next to the river until I got to Ocmulgee River Bluff on the first day. Spend the second day fucking around, keep some of the gear stashed at the campsite, and mainly take it easy. Third day would be wake up and walk back to the car.

Unfortunately things did not go as planned.

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Time was around March, but it was still cold enough that the traditional Georgia swam of fucking insects hadn't come out yet. I barely saw a mosquito the entire time.

It had rained about 2-3 days prior, and the trail was a horse trail. I didn't know prior exactly what these two things in combination meant. I quickly learned though once my first footfall sunk a few inches into the mud. The soil on the trail and near the river was made of adorable Georgia clay of course, and so it retained a lot of moisture near the surface. Normally without the pack, I'd have probably been able to traverse it with sneakers without sinking much, but with the pack on, it was unavoidable.

Additionally I came to find real quick the boots I was wearing were not the best suited for hiking. Steel toed work boots are for working so you don't get your goddamned toes amputated, not trying to lug them through soaking wet ground. The mud quickly clogged the deep treads and added several pounds to each boot, making things fun all the way from start to finish.

Pic attached is probably a yote, cause we have those here now. Considering how little the yote would weigh, shows you how soft the soil was.

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Pic of an abandoned campsite I came across which was right by the trail. There wasn't a huge amount of trash on the trail, but I did see a few bits and pieces.

Made me wonder how safe people thought it was camping right next to the trail. I'd much rather be far enough off to at least be out of eyesight. Far too easy for someone to come fuck with you on the off chance they're out there to fuck with random strangers.

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This is what the average stream crossing looked like. Irony is that it really wasn't much worse here than it was on the trail as a whole in most places.

Lots of little unmarked streams coming off the main river that ran into the woods and soaked the trail in places.

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Some scenery and another stream crossing. The weight of the pack made a few of these take a lot of work to get through and I was pretty concerned the boots were going to sink too far for me to get out.

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Topography of the trail didn't follow the river in all places. There was a nice trek up the bank that led into a solid forest of pines where the ground was nice for about a mile. You'll notice all the stuff near the river is old hardwoods.

I was following trail signs on the left side - CLEARLY FOR HORSES FUCK

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Some of these crossings were starting to get fun, and by fun I mean impossible in most places.

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Scenery. A few trees uprooted on the bank - had to have been in the last few months maybe. Convenient maybe if I hadn't been carrying anything, but no way was I going to get across one carrying the pack.

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And this is where things started to really get fun.

So the actual trail leads through that gap across the river. The railroad ties down are very deceiving and much steeper than the look. Water was probably around 3 feet deep in the middle, although I didn't go down to check. It was very clear there was no way I was getting across.

Not just considering the boots filling with water, the soft dirt in the riverbed would easily suck me under with the weight of the pack. Liklihood of actually making it across was near zero. Maybe without the pack I could have jumped most of it. Thought about leaving the pack on one side and then trying to float or drag it across with a rope, but didn't have the equipment to do that.

With no other option, I decided to take a detour in the direction of the flow hoping that the creek would narrow downstream where I could get across and get back on the trail. Knowing I was leaving the trail, I needed to make sure at this point I kept my bearings because I could realistically get lost if I wasn't paying attention.

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Other side of the crossing. Yup good luck. I guess a horse might be able to make it across. Who the fuck knows. Would seem to me it would sink badly in the mud, and that first step looks way too tall for it to get up.

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Sign says Crow Branch. I forget if this was on the topo map I was using, but I seem to remember it was near the impassable crossing.

Cause people like me don't get to go out. Modern life is lame. Yeah, roughing it out in the sticks isn't completely fun, but it's brings you back to a primitive activity that is a dying tradition.

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So I went along the creek for what seemed like forever, assuming that the shit would have to run out eventually. Kept checking my watch and the sun to figure out how much daylight I had left, because I knew if I took too long, I would be forced to set up camp in an area that might not be optimal, or even safe.

Finally followed that fucking creek until it ran into a drainage ditch under a crossroads of dirt roads. I started down one for a little bit before realizing I honestly had no fucking clue where the road was going.

I checked my map and determined I had probably added about 2 miles of detour to an already 4 mile trek. I was also uncertain continuing on if I was going to hit another impassable crossing and then I would really be fucked because I'd have to make camp there. My water was also half gone, and I was saving some to cook with. Filtering water out of the Ocmulgee, much less a creek of the Ocmulgee, did not appeal to me - if you look at the pictures you can see why. The water is incredibly turbid, and while I did bring emergency purification tablets and a small tin pot to boil in, trying to filter that dirt wasn't something I wanted to do unless I had to.

At this point it was probably around 3pm or so, and I knew at that point I had to decide whether or not to turn back. Taking the safe option, I turned the fuck around.

>>679147
>done way worse with a pack
It's hard to tell from a picture, but that looks crossable
Shimmy over if you don't want to stand up

At least it isn't a rushing torrent that will sweep you to your death if you fail

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Trekked my ass all the way back to the campsite. At that point I had gone about 2+ miles down the legit trail, and 1 mile into a detour. Walked the 1 mile back from the detour to the trail, then the 2+ miles back to camp. Every joint I had was screaming thanks to the terrain. Walking on nice even ground is one thing. Slogging through the sucking mud with a heavy back and work boots that felt like lead was another.

With my pack off (thank god) I threw together a fire, boiled up enough water to make my freeze dried shit, and tried to sleep. Got up the next day and left. Joints were so stiff I could barely move.

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This is a map of the trail and where I had to detour, and my intended path. It doesn't do the topography justice though. The areas where the trail deviates from the river goes way, way uphill. Far enough uphill that hardwoods stop and pines start. Maybe around 100-200 feet of grade? Not sure, as there were very few open sight lines to see very far through the trees as you can see by the pics.

As stated, weight of the pack was approx 60 lbs, not counting the stuff I had in my pockets and my lead weight boots. Way too much bullshit. I'd take it down to 30 plus water and go from there maybe if I tried again. Would take minimal tools next time and get actual lightweight hiking boots.

A lot of lessons learned. A lot of pain too. Nothing spectacular about it except for the failure, lol.

>Storytime over

>>678839
that's a less than ideal build for backpacking. with few exceptions, backpacking is all about endurance and core strength. you're into bodyscuplting, which is fine, but tends to leave one with underdeveloped core and abdomen, which are key to humping a pack over long distances. the fact that you can lift 4 plates but couldn't carry 60lbs is proof of that.

>>679173
There's nothing about that build that screams bad for backpacking to me. You can be fat and have good endurance, you can be swole and have good endurance as well. One does not denote the other, but they aren't mutually exclusive either.

>>679186
he blew his knees after hiking for 6 miles with a 60lb pack. what more do you need to know he has bad endurance?

look at his abdomen and lower back: absolutely zero definition, despite his fairly low bf%. that's why he couldn't carry a pack.

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>>678839
5'10 or so m8 backpacking is a delight and meditative. As others have mentioned you need a destination and a thorough plan you made shit decisions and got a shit impression of what hiking can be.

>>678243
Not everyone like the same things. Maybe it's just not for you, but first...

>Too heavy pack
A 3 day pack should be around 8kg/16lbs without water at worse. You don't need special $200 stuff for that, just don't pack things you don't need.

>During the trip I saw miles of nothing but trees and bog
I don't like inawood either. Try mountain, or go to trails know for their landscape. Hiking is not vagabonding, you should know your road before you leave your house.

>The "fun" of being alone,
If you don't like being alone, ask the internet for friends to get out with.

>a mosquito-filled swamp that's sitting around 100% humidity
Don't go there, seriously, man, what the fuck.

Remember: nice pack, nice path, nice place and some buddies.

>>679159
If the trees are not rotten, this is not difficult at all.
At worse, remove your shoes and hold your pant.

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I camp cuz its a way to provide independent shelter / breathing-space for myself.

Many parts of it are suffering, but in the end i choose to do it.

I like space. And i like it how there are less rules, symbols and paperwork innawoodz.

For equipment: I aim for as light as possible.

Shoes: for warm weather I have Vivobarefoot Stealths (lol gear fapping). They are light as kungfu/balette-slippers and even after swamp-diving they dry out in a few minutes while still wearing them...

For winter shoes Im still looking. Im thinking long leather or felt boots with thin bottoms.

Anyway: the lighter the more free i feel. Free to turn my hike into a sprint if I feel like it. Free to jump and crawl and climb. These to me are fundamental joys of being outdoors.

My most extreme gear experiment has been just my clothes, firemaking tools, knife, metal cup and a sleeping bag.

It was super fun, but only feasible in good weather and food-abundant area.

>>679209
I'm not saying that he's got good endurance, as he's made it pretty clear that he doesn't. I'm saying there are plenty of people that look almost exactly like him who do have endurance.

>>678321
I never knew how much that muddy water meant to me...

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>>679209

Did you even read his post?

He was carrying a ~60 pound pack and wearing steel toes caked in mud.

That is a good way to fuck up your knees, even if you are in shape.

>>678839

Try limiting your pack down to something like 35 pounds or so and wearing trail runners/running shoes.

You probably don't need more than 35-40 pounds of stuff anyway and make sure the pack you are using has a nice padded hip belt and is adjusted to place most of the load on your hips.

Also, trail runners/running shoes are much lighter than boots and will dry out much faster when wet.

inb4 ankle support

Yeah 60 lbs is INSANELY heavy for your weight. A 165lbs man should not carry over 1/3 his body weight. What the hell did you pack? Even if you have a giant 10lbs sleeping bag, and monstrous 10lbs tent, a ridiculous 10 lbs sleeping mat, and 20lbs of food you still wouldn't be at 60 lbs.... that's absolutely insane.

Even if I'm camping at Temps in the single digits I'm no where near that, AND I have the frame and weight to carry much more (220 lbs)... AND I hammock camp so I carry extra insulation stuff, AND my stuff is NOT ultralight by any means.

I mean seriously I have to know what was in this 60 lbs pack.

>>680480
>make sure the pack you are using has a nice padded hip belt and is adjusted to place most of the load on your hips.

Oh it did. I had a "normal" leather belt on my pants though, and it dug the edge of the belt directly into my hip bone for the entire trip. It was tolerable at first and eventually became unbearable.

>>680727
>What the hell did you pack?

Lots of useless shit, including hatchet and "backup" knife, lol. No way was I going to need to run through that much wood. The "tinder" I brought was actually a gallon-sized bag of lighterknot I had pre-processed at home. Yes, I had a few pounds of wood in my fucking pack the entire trip.

Lessons learned, although IMO it wouldn't have fucked me up so bad if each boot didn't weigh 5-10 pounds on its own and I wasn't trying to march through soft, sticky mud the whole time.

>>680760
ehh it's okay dude, we all do silly things some times. you've learned and you can have a better experience in the future. you should get a flint stick or pack some water proof matches, you can collected deadfall pretty easy. I've hiked in runnign shoes and those suck for long distances too, not worth more than a day trip and back to the ol' car or close camp site.

>>678839
The thing about backpacking is that being strong is not the only thing you need to think about when trying to carry heavy loads for long distances. Work on your cardio.
Think about how the military prepares soldiers to slog around with a 100 pounds of gear on their backs. They aren't lifting weights and getting pumped. They run and challenge their stamina. It's about building endurance and mental fortitude.
That's not to say that lifting won't help you keep that pack up, but a heavier guy has more bodyweight(muscle) to move. He's going to use more energy and needs to pack more food weight.

>>682181
>mental fortitude
This, right here

>>678243
There's plenty of purposes. Maybe if you enjoy it sometime later you'll see one of those purposes.