I’ve begun reading Rebecca Henderson’s book and travel log of her “walkabouts” – called Long Distance Walking in New Mexico and Colorado. In 1987, 1988, and 1989 she did three solo long-distance walks, pulling a hand-made cart behind her with her tent and gear.
She and her partner had tried hiking the rocky Appalachian Trail, but found they preferred long-distance solo walking on country roads instead. For her first summer, Rebecca backpacked and walked from her home in Albuquerque north through New Mexico, through the mountains of Colorado, then had to stop in Silverthorne due to a shin injury.
For her second summer, Rebecca created her first iteration of her pull cart, and it was upright, a little like a large grocery cart. She strapped her backpack and supplies onto it. She walked north from Albuquerque again, this time walking a more western route through the mountains to Gunnison, Colorado. She sometimes had other mini-trips in her summers so would take the bus to the reunion or retreat, then return by bus and continue her walk. She designed her pull cart to break down into poles, removing her 20″ bicycle wheels.
I’m still reading, but in her third summer walk she’d redesigned her cart to be at an angle, making it easier to pull. She’d learned that with the cart she would walk twice the number of miles and it was easier. For her third summer, she trekked south in New Mexico and explored the Gila Wilderness and Jemez Mountains, sometimes leaving her cart to backpack into the wildest areas (the rangers wouldn’t allow her cart, it was considered a vehicle, lol).
Rebecca Henderson was a 44-year-old Quaker woman inspired by Peace Pilgrim. I’d never heard of either but shortly after beginning this simple log, my spirit responded and said “go!”
I was made for adventure and since I’m currently not larping, this sounds like a brilliant idea. It’s inspired me so much I’ve already gotten a little carried away buying gear! We have car camping equipment but not backpacking, though my husband used to backpack before we were married and together we ventured out once with a group (I was pregnant at the time and didn’t realize it yet.) Maybe I can talk him into joining me, but I’d also like to try solo trips.
I’ve been thinking through it, figuring out baby steps. Since it’s just getting warm enough on some days, I’ve switched to walking as my main exercise, taking long walks when I have time. I’m planning a 6-hour or so walk on an upcoming March Saturday. I’ve already mapped it out (part of the fun). I’m going to walk from my house to Palmer Park, our largest city park which is like a mini-mountain itself with hiking trails through its woods as well as many along its sunny mesa top. It has bears and mountain lions and everything in there! It’ll take me 50 minutes to walk to the park, then I’ll spend 3 hours or so walking the various trails (taking breaks as needed), then 50 minutes to walk home again. For a day walk, my simple leather backpack will be enough, and I’m making my short list of supplies.
After that I’ll plan to walk to various friend’s homes just outside of town. I have one friend out on the plains in Peyton, so I can walk from my home east for 8 hours to arrive there. I’ll practice pitching my little tent in their yard, maybe spend the next day with them (depending if I can get off work for a 3-day weekend), or the evening, then walk home again. I also have Quaker friends to the north in Black Forest, to the west in Manitou Springs, and one down south in Pueblo. I can take a few weekends to walk there, spend the night, and walk back.
My plan was to try walking all day first this month before buying gear, but I’m afraid I got ahead of myself as I often do, one of my character flaws. I need a thicker sleeping pad for our car camping anyway (we camp in the mountains every summer). Ever since my hip problems and even after my hip replacement surgery, I need a softer sleeping pad. The old Thermarest Basecamp pads we have are only 1″ thick and I can feel the ground. My husband is able to use those only when he has both of them on top of each other. (We both weigh a bit more now in our 50s than in our 20s!)
Yesterday I spent the morning driving up to Denver. I’d found a thicker sleeping mat for only $10, it’s quite a bit thicker, and for $10 I can try it out and see if it’ll work. I’ve been window shopping for all kinds of supplies and brand new backpacking gear is so expensive – well over $100 or $200 for each item! It would take me several thousand dollars to equip with new things, which defeats one of the main purposes of walking – simplicity! But I’ve discovered that FB Marketplace and Ebay have a ton of like-new, good quality gear at way cheaper prices. I could outfit myself with just several hundred instead of several thousand. (I have a job now and steady income, which is making this possible.)
Rebecca put details in the back of her book about logistics and gear. On the road she lived in a Bill Moss 1-person tent, and it was super simple and easy to put up with just her, it kept her dry and warm in all kinds of weather and low temperatures, and she could sit up in it.
I went online and soon discovered that the Moss tents were the best ever made back in the day, produced in Camden, Maine. Later the company got bought out and the products were then manufactured in China, the quality deteriorated, and the brand went out of business, the tents discontinued. I found campers online who LOVE their Moss tents, they are such high quality that they last for a lifetime. Now old used ones on Ebay go for just under $500 up to over $2000! I couldn’t find any on FB Marketplace. I was eyeing the cheapest one on Ebay. For reference, new tents I’d been looking at ranged from $500-$2000 as well. There are cheaper used or like-new tents on FB Marketplace, but the quality is not the same as the Moss line.
Then suddenly a 2-person Moss tent appeared on FB Marketplace, one that was in better shape than all the ones on Ebay, and it even still had its original footprint ground tarp! None of the others have that anymore. I experienced a full-body YES – THIS IS MY TENT moment. So even though I haven’t yet done my all-day test walk, I thought about it for several hours, then messaged the seller, as I suspected this was going to go fast. He had it for $675 but lived in Denver, so I could drive up instead of paying for shipping and insurance.
Yesterday I spent all morning driving. Got to Denver, bought the $10 sleeping pad and the Moss tent. The old couple were friendly, they invited me in, we laid out the tent and he showed me everything. They used to backpack. When I mentioned Peace Pilgrim (I haven’t read her books yet), the wife had one of her books and she gave it to me! That was an unexpected delight. Then the husband took a few minutes to teach me all about backpacking stoves, he had quite a collection (which he wasn’t selling). He showed me the different kinds and how they work. I thought I was eventually going to get the kind that you just plug into a propane tank and the pot holder sits on top. But he showed me a better Whisperlite system where you have the little red gas tank and can see how much is in it anytime, can refill and reuse it, etc. That one was a little complicated to set up. Then he showed me the Svia all-in-one unit – so cool! It can burn any type of fuel, so you can use it anywhere, is super tiny and light, like the size of a small soup thermos (a little smaller than that even). It comes with its own tiny pot but you can use it with larger pots and pans, too. It obviously lasts a very long time.
That was so fun, spending time with them, learning about the stoves. I drove home, stopping at Castlewood Canyon State Park for a short walk in nature.
So I’ve done it again. Got a bit ahead of myself and spent a lot of money. I was so glad I had the money in my Travel Savings and could buy it. (At first I’d prayed for the provision to buy the tent, then was guided to look into my Travel Savings and behold, I had just enough!) I’ve invested in one of the best quality tents ever made which will last for the rest of my life, and maybe I’ll be able to pass it down. Soon these Moss tents will disappear. So I don’t regret my decision. It does have an old musty smell, so I need to practice setting it up by myself in the backyard to air it out and try it out! Maybe with my five-year-old grandson.
Rebecca had made her own pull cart, but I see there’s a used game cart on FB Marketplace for only $25…
