Welcome to episode 122 of the first 40 miles.

If you're new to backpacking, or if you're hopelessly in love with someone who wants you to love backpacking,

then this podcast is for you. We'll talk about the essentials, how to lighten your load, and how to make the most of your time on the trail. I'm your host Heather Legler. And I Josh Legler and this is the first 40 miles.

Today on the first 40 miles is it possible to go out into the wilderness with a crusty loaf and a canteen of water and then

derive everything else you need from the land? We'll share our experiences with foraging. Then on today's top five list, we'll share the top five things

that I do on every single backpacking trip. Next, we're skipping the summit gear review and having a little story time instead.

Then today's backpack hack of the week is a little bit creepy but super useful.

All this, and that's about it.

Today on the first 40 miles.

Foraging is such a romantic notion.

Foraging means that you find things on the trail to eat.

In fact, our trail wisdom from episode 96 was from David Cooper and he said,

I feel so independent now. I can get anywhere I want to. I have the few essentials I need and the few other things I need or want I can derive from the land.

Doesn't that sound so perfect and blissful like you just go out with a few things and

then you're out picking fresh berries and you have this wild greens salad and maybe you catch a fish and you have this perfect

little foraged meal and you're just so proud of yourself and you're like,

wow, I derived all of this from the land.

And in the places where the two of us and our family go backpacking,

we are surrounded by green. And so you think, well, when I go to the grocery store, I see green in the produce section. And so if I can just figure out which of all that green stuff in the forest is edible.

There's so much of it that I can't possibly go hungry out there. I just need to know

what it is that's edible. Right. In fact we were so inspired by this idea

that a few years ago Josh I bought you a couple foraging books for Christmas because I

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