My friend and I are thinking of going backpacking the 35km loop of the Western Uplands Backpacking trail in two weeks. We were thinking of driving down Friday evening so we can depart for the trail early Saturday morning, hike all day, sleep over and finish off the trail before heading home. I'm coming from Waterloo so I would like to leave early afternoon on Sunday afternoon to get back. We've both canoed in the back-country but neither of us have backpacked before. We are both average build with an average physical activity level. Do you guys/gals think that this is attainable? We are unsure of a typical speed we would be traveling with gear on a hiking trail.

Thanks,
Ryan.

There are two trip logs under the "Trails" tab on the homepage of AA. Once you get to that page, on the left is a tab "Interior" that will take you to the trip reports.



Barbara

Thanks Barbara. I've never seen that page before. This website just keeps getting better and better =)

Ryan.

Don't pack as you do for canoing, backpacking will require a lighter load. It's one thing to do a 2k portage with a heavy canoe pack but 10K is another matter. Shave the weight where you can and you'll have a much nicer trip.

Backpacking is a great way to travel, if you find you like it you should try Killarney, the trails there are far more scenic as they go through the mountains. Though that does mean a lot of up an down but it's worth it.

In only 2 weeks you can count on hiking on snow, ice, mud and water, so bring the appropriate gear footwear and extra footgrips!

AM

If you really want to leave on Sunday afternoon, I think a 35km loop might be to much unless you plan on hiking 25kms or so on the first day. The trail condition will not be the easiest and progress will be slow. If this is your first hike of the season, it can become a painful outing, but only you can decied. Have fun.

This web site will give you some info, my wife and I are of the same build as you describe and have done the higlands a similar loop in a weekend, we pushed it and hurt a bit but it is attainable. The only thing I would suggest is advil its a wonderful thing. 2 with breakfast and 2 with dinner lol

I second Chris's suggestion of Advil, Tylenol will not help you recover even though it will make you feel like you have. I'd also add duct tape to your list of gear, it is by far the best dressing for blisters. First hike of the year is bound to provide blisters.

I personally believe in popping blisters on hikes, the rational being that they will pop anyway it's better to do it your self and clean them and dress them before hiking on them. I've had undressed blisters get infected and it can be enough to keep you off your feet.

Thanks Everyone. My friend and I will be a bit more cautious now, originally we thought it was going to be a breeze but that's probably common for a rookie. I've added duct tape and advil to our list of gear (Thanks to Chris and zeb). We have decided that we are going for it but we're not reserving anything until we get there in case there is snow or cold rain forecasted for the trip weekend.

What would be a reasonable weight for each of our backpacks that would not provide too much strain? I would like to know as more of a guideline to know if we've packed too much stuff. If I've learned anything from my first-time canoeing in the back-country is that a first time out usually means too much stuff.

Ryan.

1/4 to 1/3 of your body weight is considered a good standard. I like to go lower than that but I'm a freak for the lightweight packing.

The Western Uplands trail would be a good route for you guys, especially if you're not sure if you can do the whole loop. Having just taken a look at the map, the trail is set up so that you can do shorter loops if necessary. Try it out, and if after your first day you haven't made as much progress as you would have liked, just cut across and do one of the shorter loops. Get a map if you don't have one already and see if that might be a reasonable option for you guys.

Having said that, as long as you guys are willing to push it on your first day the full loop should be manageable. The wet, muddy, snowy terrain will likely slow you up considerably, and it'll be hard to gauge the extent of that until you get there, but at least there are options and you can adjust your route on the fly if necessary. I'd pack as light as possible to make the trek easier. Hauling large amounts of gear is never fun, especially over long distances. 30-40lbs would probably be about as much as I'd want to carry.

Good luck on your trip

Be prepared for mud and wet.

My daughter and i did this hike about 3 years ago and it was the first backpacking trail for both of us. We did it in early may afer she finished her exams. I believe that it was an early spring that year since it was not very cold however it was really muddy.

The first day wasnt bad, i believe that we did about 25kms that day. We left around 9 in the morning and went until about 6 since large puddles and slippery rocks slowed us down. The worst part of the hike howerver was getting going the next morning. My daughter enjoyed it an has since done the backpacking trail up in achray with her boyfriend however i have decided that backpacking is not for me.

My sugestions are to bring numerous pair of dry socks and perhaps a set of cloathing that will be kept dry for the night in the tent. Also be ready to be rained on.

Good luck, and have fun

Jim from Niagara