The Most Important Thing we Bring in the Backcountry!

Bringing the right gear is important when traveling in the backcountry, but there is one thing that is even more important and that is our mind. When we travel in the backcountry, we are willingly walking away from our modern society with all of its complex systems. These systems make it very easy to take care of our basic human needs (warmth, water, food & safety). These systems work so well that we barely think about them. However in the backcountry, we become solely responsible for our basic human needs. The decisions that we make can have dire consequences. 

For this reason, having good judgement and the ability to make good decisions is crucial. It is unfortunate that things like mindset, decision making and leadership skills don't get talked about as much as what jacket to buy or what snacks to carry. Fortunately, there is a simple first step that we can take today to improve our mind for backcountry travel and that is awareness. 

If we can work to step back from the fog of routine and daily life and notice more of our surroundings and notice our mental and emotional state, we can build that “muscle” in our mind that allows us to be more aware. Jocko Willink, author and podcaster refers to this as detachment. Detaching our mind from the emotions of the situation so that we can become more aware and engage our rational mind to make decisions. 

Like we discuss in our course The Prepared Hiker System, if we practice trying to detach and become more aware in our daily lives, we will build a more prepared mindset for our backcountry adventures. So start today and try to broaden your view a few times throughout the day and see what else you notice!