# The Big Trek

Part of the Backpacking Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/backpacking/guide/index.md)

> **11.** Do the following:

This is the capstone of the Backpacking merit badge — a five-day, 30-mile trek that you plan from start to finish. It covers:

- **Writing a comprehensive trek plan** with route, schedule, food, gear, safety, and budget
- **Executing the trek** with at least three campsites and a service project
- **Keeping a daily journal** documenting your experience

### Requirement 11a: The Trek Plan

> **11a.** Write a plan for a backpacking trek of at least five days using at least three different campsites and covering at least 30 miles. Your plan must include a description of and route to the trek area, a schedule (including a daily schedule), a list of food and equipment needs, a safety and emergency plan, and a budget.

This plan is significantly more detailed than the one you wrote for Requirement 9. A five-day trek requires careful logistics — you need to carry more food, plan for more variables, and think further ahead.

### Route Description and Access

- Describe the trek area: geography, terrain, elevation range, and notable features
- Provide driving directions to the trailhead
- Note any permits required and how to obtain them
- Identify the trail(s) you will follow, with distances between landmarks
- Mark water sources on your map and note their reliability

### Daily Schedule

Build a day-by-day itinerary. Here is a sample framework:

| Day | Start | End Camp | Miles | Notes |
|-----|-------|----------|-------|-------|
| 1 | Trailhead | Camp A | 5 | Easy pace, settle in |
| 2 | Camp A | Camp B | 7 | Longest day, big climb |
| 3 | Camp B | Camp C | 6 | Service project |
| 4 | Camp C | Camp B or D | 7 | Flexible route |
| 5 | Final camp | Trailhead | 5 | Pack out |

> **Tip**
>
> Build flexibility into your schedule. Allow at least one "buffer day" or shorter mileage day in case of bad weather, injuries, or slower-than-expected progress. A rigid schedule that falls apart on day 2 creates stress and poor decisions.

### Food and Equipment List

- Create a complete meal plan for all five days: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks
- Calculate total food weight (1.5–2 pounds per person per day)
- List every piece of personal and crew gear
- Assign crew gear to specific crew members
- Identify where you will resupply water and how much you will carry between sources

### Safety and Emergency Plan

Your safety plan should be more detailed than for a weekend trip because you will be farther from help for a longer time:

- Emergency contacts (ranger station, search and rescue, hospital)
- Evacuation routes from each section of your route
- Communication plan (cell coverage map, satellite communicator if available)
- Medical information for all crew members
- Bad-weather contingency plan (where to shelter, alternate routes)
- Wildlife precautions (bear country protocols, food storage method)

### Budget

- Permit fees
- Travel/gas costs to the trailhead
- Food costs (itemize by meal)
- Fuel costs (stove fuel)
- Any gear rentals or purchases needed
- Emergency fund

![A planning workspace showing a topographic map, a handwritten schedule, a food list, and gear laid out on a table](https://ik.imagekit.io/doulacoop/tr:w-800/mbu-assets/merit-badges/backpacking/guide/trek-planning-spread?v=dcb6a4b3)

### Requirement 11b: Execute the Trek

> **11b.** Following the Leave No Trace Seven Principles and the Outdoor Code, take the trek as planned in requirement 11(a) that is at least five full days, covering at least 30 miles and utilizing at least three different campsites. While on trek, complete at least one service project approved by your counselor.

This is the adventure you have been building toward. Five days in the backcountry, covering at least 30 miles, sleeping at three or more different campsites, and completing a service project along the way.

### The Service Project

Your service project should be approved by your counselor before the trek. Ideas include:

- **Trail maintenance:** Clear fallen branches, remove rocks from the trail, or repair water bars (drainage structures that prevent trail erosion)
- **Campsite restoration:** Clean up and naturalize an overused or damaged campsite
- **Litter cleanup:** Collect and pack out litter from a trail or campsite area
- **Invasive species removal:** Pull non-native plants from a trail corridor (get guidance from a ranger)

> **Safety First!**
>
> Get approval from the land management agency (Forest Service, Park Service, BLM) before performing any trail work. Some areas require training or specific tools. Your counselor can help coordinate with the local ranger district.

### Making the Most of Five Days

Five days is long enough to experience a true rhythm of backcountry life. By day three, the trail starts to feel like home. The routine of hiking, cooking, and camping becomes natural. You start noticing details you missed on shorter trips — the way light changes through the day, the sounds of the forest at different hours, the satisfaction of covering miles under your own power.

> **Did You Know?**
>
> Scouting's highest-profile backpacking experience is a trek at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico. Crews hike 50–100+ miles over 7–12 days through rugged mountain terrain, visiting staffed camps along the way. Earning your Backpacking merit badge is excellent preparation for a Philmont adventure.

### Requirement 11c: The Daily Journal

> **11c.** Keep a daily journal during the trek that includes a day-by-day description of your activities, including notes about what worked well and thoughts about improvements that could be made for the next trek.

Your journal is both a personal record and a learning tool. At the end of each day, take 15–20 minutes to write about your experience.

### What to Include

For each day, write about:

- **Miles covered and route taken** — where did you start and end?
- **Weather and conditions** — what was the weather like? How did it affect your day?
- **Highlights** — what was the best part of the day? A view? A wildlife sighting? A great meal?
- **Challenges** — what was hard? Steep climbs? Rain? Blisters? Group dynamics?
- **What worked well** — gear, meals, pace, campsite choice, navigation
- **What you would improve** — did you pack too much? Not enough? Was the schedule realistic?
- **Personal reflections** — how are you feeling physically and mentally? What are you learning about yourself?

> **Tip**
>
> Bring a small, lightweight notebook and a pencil (pens can freeze or leak). Write in your journal at camp each evening while the day is fresh. Keep it in a zip-lock bag to protect it from rain. Your future self will thank you for these notes when planning the next adventure.

![A Scout writing in a small journal by the light of a headlamp at a backcountry campsite in the evening](https://ik.imagekit.io/doulacoop/tr:w-800/mbu-assets/merit-badges/backpacking/guide/journal-writing-campfire?v=fc73141a)

### Video Resources

[Philmont Scout Ranch — Plan Your Trek](https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/treks/): Learn about Scouting's premier backpacking experience at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.

[National Park Service — Plan Your Backcountry Trip](https://www.nps.gov/subjects/camping/backcountry-camping.htm): The National Park Service guide to planning backcountry trips in America's national parks.

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- Next: [Extended Learning](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/backpacking/guide/extended-learning/index.md)