During a recent maintenance camp with the Ozark Highlands Trail Association (OHTA), Duane Woltjen, gave me a Gerry Backpack manufactured in the 1960s. He shared that he used this pack in addition to three others for family adventures with his wife, Judy, and two sons.

Duane is a retired engineer, designer and builder of trails, and a longtime volunteer with the OHTA. During our discussion, he was busily cutting and drilling blazes for use as Ozark Highlands Trail markers.

When I tried that pack on, I decided it should see a few more trail miles. Since this would be a shakedown hike in anticipation of longer hikes to come this fall, I decided to do a simple over-nighter starting at the beginning of the Ozark Highlands Trail. Good friend, Eric Scowden, joined us, us being Hiker-dog and me.

I found the following note in the top compartment while loading the pack.

On the morning we departed from Lake Fort Smith State Park, I asked Eric to snap a photo to share with Duane so he could see the pack in use again.

Our destination was a new campsite location on Jack Creek. To reduce impact close to the creek shoreline, volunteers with the OHTA and Pack Rat Outdoor Center relocated the campsite to a nearby hillside. This site was a short walk from water and offered visual barrier from the trail.

While exploring the area, we found another nice campsite farther up the hill that could be an overflow location in case a group is already in the area we used.

There was ample room for several tents. Eric found an ideal spot and built a small fire in the established fire ring.

Evening temperatures made for good campfire conversation and affection time for Hiker-dog. She curled up in leaves close to my tent and remained quiet even when we heard coyotes and owl calls in the distance. Hiker-dog’s around twelve years old but still loves getting out on the trail. A couple of years ago, I wrote the story of our meeting in a little book called Gift From the Ozarks.

We had a great hike and I enjoyed carrying a pack that dated back to the beginning of backpacking’s popularity in the United States. I also found myself thinking of the beauty this pack took Duane’s family to see as he and his wife, Judy, built their family and formed strong bonds of love that serve as an example for others. Thanks to Duane for taking good care of this pack and passing it along to me so I can reflect on the significance of getting outside with family and friends.