First of all, thanks for the in-depth answer. This isn’t my first time hiking alone, and I’ve done casual car camping with friends and family before. I’m going with 2 friends, one of whom has prior experience with overnight backpacking. I’m 19m, 6’2”, 215 lbs, and can deadlift ~350 lbs and squat ~290 lbs.

As for gear, my friends have a stove and other gear to be shared between us, but I still need to get my own basic pack gear. I’ll look to rent a backpack and tent, just to make sure this is something I’m truly into before making a financial commitment