Sunday, March 27, 2022
Hunter and I had been hanging out for a few days on and off near Tucson, Arizona and we were trying to put a backpacking trip together. There’s plenty of trails for backpacking in Arizona but I had one major problem that could keep us off trail overnight – where do I park my RV- my home?
Where to Park the RV During a Backpacking Trip
I haven’t backpacked since the Colorado Trail in 2021 with my friend Stephanie. So you can imagine my excitement when Hunter said she wanted to backpack. Let’s just say I couldn’t think of anything else until we came up with a plan.
But I had a huge problem with coming up with the plan – backpacking and living in an RV are not very mutually exclusive.
Most backpackers gear up and leave their “sticks and bricks” home to hit the trail, usually parking their vehicle at the trailhead. I generally can’t do this. Everything I own is in Minnie Rambles (my class C RV), I don’t feel comfortable leaving her at a trailhead. If I go backpacking I need to leave my home somewhere safe like a friend or family member’s home or a trusted camp area.
Plus, when you leave an RV at a trailhead law enforcement tend to think you’re staying overnight in the motorhome and this is a no-no at most trailheads. They don’t like RVs parked at trailheads overnight.
It’s been a challenge trying to find a solution as to where I can park my RV and then backpack. I can store it but there’s a monthly fee and it’s not cheap. That’s the only solution I’ve come up with, or leave it at someone’s home. Until I realized I can leave it at the BLM in Lake Havasu. It’s not the best option to leave my home on public lands since it’s not the safest for the RV but I knew I could.
I’ve stayed numurous times at the Lake Havasu BLM areas and witnessed RVers leave their rigs behind for days. Since I’ve been here many times over the last few years I felt safe to do the same, for one night.
The plan was made – we’re backpacking 6 miles from the Havasu BLM to the Lake Havasu, Pilot Rock Cove to be exact.
I’d park my RV at Havasu BLM and we’d head off from there.
Plans Made, Let’s Backpack!
Hunter still had to get a few things done in Tucson but I moved on over to Lake Havasu BLM without her Sunday morning. On the way I hit my favorite place to dump the RV tanks, get fresh water and propane – RV Pit Stop in Quartzsite, Arizona. Located right on Highway 95, it’s a super easy in and out!
I pulled in late morning and begrudgingly took my RV storage apart to locate all my backpacking gear. Boy, does it take up all the space! “How do I fit all this gear in one 50 liter pack?”, I wondered to myself. Miraculously, it all fits comfortably.
I knew I had to have it all ready before Hunter arrives later so she has somewhere to sit in my RV. Plus, I don’t want to look disorganized, do I? Lol.
By 5 PM my gear was all stuffed into my backpack and now I prepared mentally for putting 20 pounds on my back to hike 6 miles to Pilot Rock, Lake Havasu. I purposely day hike with around 12 – 14 pounds to always be ready for backpacking. This seems to always let my legs and back know to never slack cuz more weight could be coming there way at any moment.
Hunter arrived a little later. We got her gear ready, ate and headed off to bed so we could be refreshed for our dirt journey the next morning!
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