#  Wilderness Backpacking Trips 

 



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Our wilderness backpacking trips involve 6 days of hiking throughout the native northeast such as on New Hampshire’s Monadnock Sunapee Greenway, Vermont’s Long Trail, and the Appalachian Trail. FOPpers will carry all necessary gear and supplies in a pack while hiking through various terrains and wilderness areas. Typically, this trip involves setting up a new campsite each day, with the exception of a few lay-over days- which is when backpacking trips remain at the same site for an additional night and do day-hikes or other activities. There are 3 types of wilderness trips with varying degrees of difficulty.

## Trip Difficulty: 

We offer trips of varying levels of physical challenge so that we can provide fun and challenging experiences for anyone. When you fill out your preferences for trip type, you will be asked to rank your preferences about what your ideal FOP trip would look like. Think about if these statements apply to you, and on the application you can rank how much you identify with each statement:

- I would rather spend most of my day hiking than doing group activities at a campsite.
- Physical challenge and accomplishment helps me grow and bond with others.
- I am physically active every day.
- On an ideal trip, I would be hiking about 7-9 hours per day.
- On an ideal trip, I would be hiking about 4-6 hours per day.
- On an ideal trip, I would be hiking about 1-3 hours per day.

There are many ways to have a fun, challenging, and productive FOP experience. Challenge can mean different things for different people. Also, remember that any one trip probably combines more difficult and less difficult parts and this number is simply a guideline for when we are considering where to place you.



 

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##  Sample Itinerary for a Wilderness Backpacking Trip: 

7:00 AM - 9:00 AM

- Wake up at one of your campsites after spending the night under a cozy tarp. Brush your teeth, get changed, and get ready for a day of hiking!
- Eat a delicious breakfast of oatmeal or cereal. Enjoy a warm cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate.
- Pack up camp- take down the tarps, pack your backpacks with group gear, and fill up water bottles at a nearby stream.

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

- Take off hiking for the day!
- On trail, you’ll chat with your leaders and fellow FOPpers, play trail games like contact, sing trail songs like “The Princess Pat” and stop along the way for snacks, specifically GORP (a bag of pretzels, dried fruit, m&m’s and other goodies), and water breaks.
- Hike for about 3 miles before stopping for a lunch break.

 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

- Lunch break!
- Find a good spot under the shade of a tree or on a beautiful lookout to eat lunch.
- Lunch might be a peanut/sunbutter and jelly pita, hummus and cheese on pita, or adult lunchables.
- Play games like contact or big booty or stretch out before hitting the trail again.

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

- Finish your hike!

 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

- Arrive at camp! Set up tarps, take group gear out of packs, and fill up water bottles.

 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

- Starting cooking dinner! Dinner might be a FOP classic such as gado gado or backcountry samosas.
- CHOW (you’ll learn what this means soon) and enjoy a long dinner with your trip.

 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

- Sump and clean up dinner. “Sumping” is how we clean out our bowls and cookware in a way that follows Leave No Trace principles.
- Brush your teeth and put sleeping bags and pads under the tarp.

 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM

- Do a processing activity inside or under the stars with your trip. “Processing” activities are facilitated conversations designed to get you thinking about the transition to college, your identity, and help your group bond.

 9:30 PM - 10:00 PM

- Bed time! Rest up before a day of hiking tomorrow.



 

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