Welcome to the Bougie Barr Camp to Pikes Peak Trail Series — a set of 2 mini episodes from a low-key, high-comfort backpacking weekend in Colorado with my friends Meg and Charlie.
The premise: tackle Pikes Peak via Barr Trail over three days instead of one, with pancake breakfasts and spaghetti dinners built in, because if Barr Camp's going to cook for us, we're letting them.
Day 1 was the hike in — a trailhead GI emergency (we kept it real), $40 trailhead parking, 7 miles and 3,500 feet of gain up to Barr Camp, and three single-person tents pitched so close we were basically sharing one.
We talked through pre-trip chaos, why we keep saying yes to "insane" trips, period-brain on trail, and why small backpacking trips still count as real ones.
In this episode:
- Trailhead diarrhea and a very honest play-by-play
- The case for "bougie backpacking" (pancakes, spaghetti, a cabin we didn't even need)
- 7 miles, 3,500 feet, and stale BeFree filters
- Three solo tents smushed into one squad
- Why "small" trips are still real backpacking trips
🎧 Hit play for trailhead chaos, deep commitment to the bit, and the calm before summit day.
Where to learn more about Allison:
🎁 FREE GIFT: Grab the Outdoor Backpacker Starter Kit for FREE here to get started on your journey with backpacking. (shedreamsofalpine.com/adventure)
🥾 BACKPACKING COURSE WAITLIST (shedreamsofalpine.com/waitlist): This is our signature program where women who are done waiting finally get the skills, the plan, the coaching, and the community to make backpacking real. You'll learn everything you need to get out there safely and confidently — and you'll do it surrounded by 2,000+ women who are right there in the trenches with you, cheering you on every step of the way. If you've been circling this goal for a while, this is the place to finally land.
Learn more and join our waitlists for these programs here:
