Brandon and Jerry share insights from ultralight backpacking on how to develop skills and knowledge in any area of your life.“Don’t get caught up in being the expert. Be caught up in being a student.” – Brandon CunninghamHow Did Jerry Build Up Skills for Ultralight BackpackingBackpacking is not an activity to be taken lightly. People are rescued from the wilderness every year because of poor planning, such as running out of water, not having the right clothing for the weather, and miscalculating the time needed to hike a trail. Some people, unfortunately, die in the process.Becoming one of those statistics was not an option if he wanted to have his wife’s blessing over this newfound hobby and passion. Below is the process he underwent to build his skills and how to develop your skills and knowledge for any area of life.First, Do the ResearchJerry broke down the large category off ultralight backpacking into smaller chunks or subjects. Here is the Big Four. Hiking safety and techniques, especially foot-care Food and water Sleep (and shelter) Where to backpack in TexasFrom there, he asked a series of questions that needed answers. How do I prevent blisters when hiking? How do I hike with trekking poles? What shoes do I wear to safely hike ultralight? What is ultralight backpacking? How do I filter/purify water? What foods are best for backpacking? I want to sleep off the ground, therefore a hammock may be the best way to go. How do I hammock camp? (He didn’t search that entire phrase.)What Next? Google that stuff! He did not take his information from one resource, but from many in order to determine what was reliable from what was not. It became apparent over a few weeks who the most reliable resources were, the people everyone else on the Internet seem to reference.The right mindset on how to build skills and knowledge in your life.He joined forums like Hammock Forums, and on Facebook he found some groups like “Backpacking and Hiking in Texas” where he could post questions and read what others had posted. YouTube turned out to be the biggest resource as he seemingly has become hooked on channels like ShugEmery, a man in his 60s who talks about hammock camping. He’s like the Robin Williams of backpacking!Second, Practice What Was LearnedOne of the greatest lessons Jerry learned from his service in the U.S. Army was that being on a mission was not the time to try out a skill for the first time. You train in the field as much as possible. Before that, you practice, practice, practice while still safely in garrison.If it was a cooking skill, he practiced in the kitchen or backyard. If it was a hammock skill, he walked to the nearby park and practice setup techniques. It’s a good chance he made the neighbors nervous at times.Third, He Just Did ItThe first few trips were meant to be with groups, but people kept backing out at the last minute. Jerry eventually drew a line in the sand and decided to go anyway. His first few trips were solo overnight trips.If you want to know how to improve skills and knowl
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