I’ve been backpacking since I was in elementary school — around 3rd or 4th grade. I was a Cub Scout at the time, and my dad and I started going on hikes when he introduced me to backpacking and going on overnight trips. 

For Boy Scouts, we went to New Mexico, where we were in the wilderness and away from people for six or seven days. It was a lot of fun — we had to train for about a year and a half for that. We’d train by going on hikes up and down Mission Peak while carrying weight, and then getting Chipotle after.

I like that when I’m backpacking, everything is in one pack, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting anything. As long as you pack right, you’ll have everything on your back that you need to survive. The only thing I dislike is hiking when it’s really hot, and your whole body just feels sore and tired.

When we backpacked in Vermont, it was really treacherous. There were times when people wanted to give up, but pushed through because we hadn’t come all that way just to miss the views, and we eventually made it. 

In the future, I want to go backpacking in Machu Picchu. I haven’t been yet, but I’m planning on going in 2027 with my dad. The views are really beautiful, and it’s a challenging hike as well, so it would be really rewarding to accomplish this. I’m planning to start training for this next summer.