Editor’s Note: Staff writer Elly Heskett went on the Loma Hikes backpacking trip.
A weekend of forging new friendships, lugging thirty-pound backpacks and dining from bags marked a historic moment for Loma Hikes, a student-led outdoor club at Point Loma Nazarene University. On March 22, the group of 17 students embarked on its first overnight backpacking trip, a 13-mile trek along the Pacific Crest Trail in Julian, CA. After more than two years of organizing hikes to connect students with nature, Loma Hikes pushed its boundaries with this ambitious outing.
“The goal for Loma Hikes is simply to provide a space for students to be out in nature,” Matthew Swift, a third-year software engineering major and one of the club’s leaders, said.
“As a team, we’ve been itching to do a backpacking trip for a while,” Swift said. “Ever since the Coyote Mountain backpacking trip in the fall semester led by Loma Outside [another PLNU outdoor club], people have non-stop talked about going backpacking, so we figured we’d make it an event ourselves.”
For Swift, the allure of backpacking lies in its blend of two passions he’s long cherished.
“I love hiking and camping, so being able to combine both of them was really what interested and pulled me into backpacking,” he said. “Just the concept that I get to carry an entire mini-house is so cool to me and pushed me out of my comfort zone to try something I’m not super experienced with.”
Yet, he acknowledged the steep learning curve of hiking difficult trails.
“Starting backpacking is daunting. There is so much gear to research and understand, permits to figure out, learning how to read maps,” Swift said. “I have learned so much from this last year of trying out and getting into backpacking, and what I’m hoping is that we’ll be able to provide a safe space for students to try a super fun hobby and feel somewhat comfortable doing it.”
Anna Mason, a third-year environmental studies major and fellow leader, shared Swift’s vision.
“We’ve been doing a lot of hiking,” she said. “We might as well do something bigger.”
Having joined with Swift after a personal backpacking trip in the fall, Mason said, “When I got brought onto the Loma Hikes team, we immediately went straight to planning a backpacking trip since we both had some newfound experience. We also got to see how it really impacted students and wanted to replicate that space.”
She said her goal is to keep the momentum going and get more people outside.
The trip had its challenges, including the preparation for the trip.
“There’s so much you need to know, like how much water and food you need, permits for camping, regulations on trails and other little things that I never would have thought about until I was backpacking,” Mason said.
New to the leadership team, Melia Bennie, a second-year social work major, brought her passion for the outdoors.
“Backpacking and being outside has always been a powerful outlet for me and an amazing opportunity to explore the nature near us, while also a great way to exercise in community,” she said.
Raised on hiking and camping trips near Big Bear Lake, CA, with her family, Bennie credits her father’s influence.
“The love my dad had for it inspired me, and the simplicity and beauty that comes with exploring and living with nature with others is so profound to me,” she said.
Bennie also highlighted the physical demands and uncertainties of the hobby.
“Some challenges of backpacking come with having to carry all your food, water, tent and bedding on your back, which can get really heavy and hard to go miles while also carrying so much weight,” she said. “Since this was Loma Hikes’ first backpacking trip, we were a little nervous about all the potential dangers like weather, bringing enough food and safety.”
For the leaders, the outdoors offer more than just physical activity; they’re a conduit for deeper connections.
Swift said he finds spiritual resonance in nature. He said one of his favorite things was finding connections between the Bible and nature.
“Whenever I am out in nature, I can make connections with things that I see to things that I’ve read about in the Bible, and it’s one of the most satisfying, life-giving things,” he said. “That is why I wanted to get more into backpacking.”
Bennie echoed his sentiment in that she feels closer to God when she’s outdoors.
“Through hiking and backpacking, it has also deepened my relationship with God and the ways that I see and experience him through his nature.”
With the club’s first backpacking triumph behind them, the leaders said they are eager to have more students join them.
“Of course, nothing is comfortable the first time,” Swift said, “but we can at least get rid of the headache of getting gear, permits and figuring out a route.”
