Women's Backpacking Practice Camp Out

Join our women’s community of women who seek challenges, adventure and community in the outdoors. The four-week, hands-on backpacking series will give you the tools and confidence to get outside backpacking and exploring with confidence. We’ll start with instruction and end with a local overnight backpacking adventure! Join us for one session or sign up for the entire series.

Sessions one - three are $20, the overnight session is $50. Get the whole series for $99! Go to the Metroparks website to register.

Session One: Getting Started 

Date: Thursday February 22nd

Location:  Chrisholm MetroPark: 2070 Woodsdale Rd. Trenton, OH 45067

Cost: $20

Time: 6 p.m.

What do you need when prepping for your backpacking experience? We’ll talk through a typical gear list, the ten essentials, sleeping system options, what to wear and how to prepare physically and mentally for your experience. Participants will receive a class binder to keep, with included checklists and local suggestions for practice hikes and backpacking routes.

Session Two: Food, Water & Critters 

Thursday, March 21st

Time: 6 p.m.

Location: Chrisholm MetroPark:  2070 Woodsdale Rd. Trenton, OH 45067

Cost: $20

Let’s talk about fueling this epic journey! You’re going to be carrying everything on your back and walking all day long – eating right and hydrating are essential to the experience. We’ll talk about trail food and options for water filtration, with a demonstration on how we cook our food around the campfire on a camping stove. We’ll also discuss the food and other “smellables” – all those things that might attract the bears, mice and other critters in the forest – and how to keep that to a minimum. Participants will receive recipe ideas and get the chance to taste hiking food samples.

Session Three: Hygiene, Leave No Trace and Let’s Hike!

Saturday, April 27th

Location: Rentschler Metropark, 5701 Reigart Rd,  Hamilton OH 45011

Time 10 a.m.

Cost $20

Alright ladies, it’s time to talk hygiene – our issues are a little different than our male hiking buddies, so we’ll cover everything from brushing your teeth to peeing in the woods. We’ll go through some Leave No Trace principles, including how we can respect nature and other hikers, where to set up camp and starting fires. Bring your backpack and make it heavy! We’ll talk about how to properly pack it before starting on a short, interactive practice hike around the park. Participants will receive their own LNT card.

Session Four: Practice Hike + Backpack Overnight

Cost: $50

Saturday, May 25th 3 p.m.  to Sunday May 26th  10 a.m.

Location: Governer Bebb Metropark, 1979 Bebb Park Ln, Okeana, OH 45053

It’s camp out and time! We’ll put everything we’ve learned into practice and have a great time with our new outdoorsy lady friends while we do it! Bring your loaded backpacks and your sleeping system for this overnight celebration of completing the classes. Our final session will include a gear shakedown, hike, on-site water filtration, fire building, a backpacking meal buffet and a toast to our awesomeness and the outdoors. Included:  Snacks, Backpacking Dinner Trial Buffet, Campsite Fees, Guided Hike, Discount to the Fall 2024 Arrow Adventure Women, Wine and Wilderness Retreat.