The Front Country VS The Back Country
I will often load my pack up, throw my hiking gear on, and begin to sprint out the door when I am hit with my most often asked question – “Where are you going?”
“The back country!”
Though relatively vague and subjective in meaning, the back country is where, for me, the truest sense of adventure lies. The closest definition I could give relating to the back country would be, in the most literal sense, the side of a mountain or mountain range that opposes its surrounding town or city and has little to no man-made infrastructure. It could be an old logging road that has long since been abandoned. It could be the Panthertown Valley where the occasional bridge and lite trail maintenance are the only signs of human contact. It could be, and often is the case for me, the land that lies beyond the trails throughout Appalachia.
Though often discouraged by various outdoor authorities due to the fragility of some ecosystems and the inexperience of many hikers in exploring the back country, there is plenty of adventure to be had on a spur trail. This is where navigation gets more complicated and the casual walk transforms into an expedition. The land gets harder to navigate, so planning a path of attack is critical, and keeping track of one’s own path is key to circumventing the deep valleys, flowing rivers, and various other obstacles that one faces in these areas of the forest. The waterfalls are often buried in lush greenery, meaning that enjoying them from an observation deck is off the table. You have to overcome thickets of rhododendrons and thorns to claim an intimate view of the beauty offered by the back country.
Getting back out often requires quality map reading skills and (depending on how far back you’ve gone) the aid of a compass or gps. There can be multiple mountaintops to traverse, and sometimes the land often looks totally different than it did on the way in due to the weather that day or even the changing of the sun shining through dense vegetation making the light patterns throughout the valley shift. This makes marking your path very important.
The most important thing, however, is respecting the rules and regulations of your own backcountry areas. If an area is marked off limits in the backwoods, there is often good reason for it. It may be to preserve an endangered species, keep people from walking over what could be a place of historical or scientific significance, or even just to let the land heal from excessive wear and tear by those who refuse or are unaware of how to tread lightly and leave no trace. Either way, there’s plenty of it to go around, and there’s plenty more adventure waiting out there. Go claim it if you’re ready.
Adventure On!
-JGM