Welcome to episode 185 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'm Josh Legler and this is the first 40 miles.

Today on the first 40 miles within 24 hours we hiked a cumulative 25 miles, ate 15 pounds of food, built 3 teepees, and breathed

in more campfire smoke than the Surgeon General would recommend.

Today you'll hear a trip report

from our adventure with our friends

who've never been backpacking before.

And for today's gear review, we'll share

a game that we played in camp. Then learn how to make a

simple item to put in your 10 essentials. All this and that's about it. Today on

the first 40 miles.

In last week's episode we talked about a trip that we were about to take

with our friends who had never been backpacking before and we're back. We made it. Everyone survived.

We didn't even have to get out our first aid kit.

No. It was a pretty successful trip. It was a pretty short trip, but yeah, I would call that trip a success.

Everyone left smiling.

Yeah, me too. If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter, then you've already seen the spoilers.

But we had a great trip with our friends who had never been backpacking before.

And we picked a trip that was going to be close to home, just a half hour away. A short hike just a little over a mile each way into

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