Land Between the Lakes (Kentucky) Backpacking - January 2021

The dogs and I got an early start to the 2021 backpacking season with a January trip to the Land Between the Lakes (LBL) Recreation Area near Paducah, Kentucky.

Jaden and I had done a trip to LBL during my early days of backpacking, way back in October 2012, and, coincidentally, I just published the video from that trip back in mid-2020 as part of my #TBT series. That 2012 trip didn't go very well and I had always wanted to get back to LBL, with more knowledge and better prepared, and the opportunity came up when Jeremy from All Things Outdoors asked me if I was interested in joining a bunch of other Youtuber's on a winter LBL hike. There were nine of us total on the trip and it felt very much like the Ohio YouTuber's Meetup trip I did in November 2019. I've included the links for all the channels down below.

There must be something about the Land Between the Lakes for me because I had a number of things 'go south' on this trip as well: (1) 24mm Nikkor Z lens broke in half (yes, really!), (2) the zipper on my Zpacks 20-degF sleeping bag broke off, (3) my headlamp batteries died, (4) the shock bands on my Rode Stereo Videomic Pro microphone snapped, and (5) my Exped air pillow popped. None of these proved to be overly serious, and like all times you encounter 'challenges' while backpacking they all proved to be learning experiences in one way or another. (I now know my Apple iPhone makes a decent backup camera!).

The Land Between the Lakes was very much like hiking in Indiana or the midwest - not a ton of great views, mostly flat with a few small ups and downs to deal with, and a lot of the time just traipsing through the woods. There was surprisingly little time spent along the Lake, or even in view of it. But despite all that I did have a great time, and I'm glad that I got back to LBL. It was great to be out in the woods, even though winter time hiking is still not a favorite of mine! And what a great group of guys to hike with - the time in camp around the fire, sharing endless stories of everyone's adventures, is what always makes these backpacking trips so special to me.

Here are the links to everyone's channels:

Jonathon Slider's 'Trailblazing Hope Outdoors' organization:
www.trailblazinghope.com
Jeremiah Stringer Hikes:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/Jerem...
Jeremiah's 'The Backpacking Podcast':
https://www.youtube.com/channel/TheBa...
All Things Outdoors:    / @all_things_out_doors  
Backpacking with Jason
   / @backpackingwithjason  
Outlan:
   / @outlan  
Restless Outdoors:
   / @restlessoutdoors  
Hunter's Trip:
   / @hunterstrip7551  

Equipment / Gear List:

Still and Video Camera: Nikon Z6 https://amzn.to/3dHJvni​
Lens: Nikkor 24mm f1.8 Z-mount lens https://amzn.to/2QZqNOo​
Tripod: Sirui T-025X carbon fiber tripod https://amzn.to/3bH3Rvg​
Camera shoulder clip: Peak Designs Capture clip system https://amzn.to/2wRdusp​
Video Editing Software: Vegas Pro 16 https://amzn.to/2X5dKyu​
Pack: Zpacks Arc Blast 55L
Tent: Zpacks Triplex
Sleeping Bag: Zpacks 20degF Sleeping Bag
Sleeping Pad: Therm-A-Rest NeoAir X-Therm https://amzn.to/2yjrUlj​
Sleeping Pad: Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XLite https://amzn.to/39zju6v​
Pillow: Exped Air Pillow UL https://amzn.to/2WYE5hZ​
Stove: JetBoil Flash https://amzn.to/3azKRi7​
Stove: MSR PocketRocket 2 https://amzn.to/3dPtOL5​
Pot: MSR Titan titanium 0.9L kettle https://amzn.to/3bF1RDB​
Headlamp: Black Diamond Spot https://amzn.to/2R0JvoW​
Buff: Merino wool Buff https://amzn.to/3dCYHSC​
Recharging Battery: Anker 3500mAH ‘lipstick’ charger https://amzn.to/2URI7G3​
Camp Chair: Helonix Chair Zero https://amzn.to/2xzbwgh​
Camp Shoes: Xero Shoes Z-Trek https://amzn.to/3bA3X7I​
Wet Wipes: Survivorware Wet Wipes https://amzn.to/2JwbQ2e​