Arizona Adventures: my first backpacking experience!
Every travel has a why behind it. The reason for traveling to that particular place during that particular time. Why Arizona? Why February? Why backpacking!? Each February, the National Lutheran Outdoors Ministry Association (NLOMA) holds a conference where Lutheran camping professionals come together for renewal, fellowship, and professional development. This year it was held in "sunny" (I'll get to that) Tucson, Arizona; we would simply tack on a few extra days after the conference for our trip . That covers the why behind the place and time but backpacking? Carrying days worth of gear and food on your back, hiking hours on end, going to the bathroom outside, and the likelihood of getting blisters may not appeal to many. So why backpacking? I appreciate opportunities to try new things, challenge myself, and grow one of my coworkers (who has become a great friend) is a backpacking pro and her stories (while many detail the struggle and not-at-all glamorous parts of