I wrote about the strong call of the wild sparking the need for a backpacking trip a few blog posts back, and now just over a month later I am less than fifty days before setting foot on the trail I chose to explore.

In realizing just how fast my next backpacking trip is coming up after I had decided that I “never wanted to go backpack again” and somewhat spontaneously decided to do this trip makes me a little nervous. Was there a particular reason I felt this way, or was that just the exhaustion and battered feet speaking? Am I going to somehow f— this trip up and want to go home early? Will I get eaten by wolves or have to fight off a bear? So many ‘what if’s?!’ playing through my mind trying to psych me out.

It’s not that I don’t doubt my ability, because I don’t think the distance is going to be an issue. It’s only 11km to the campsite, on a relatively flat trail winding through rainforest and beach. I’ve done this distance in a day with enough ups and downs, stretching what should have been 11km to 18.5 km after all was said and done. I just need to learn from my last backpacking trip and not make those same mistakes again to make life on the trail a little more enjoyable.

So what exactly were those mistakes?