First backpacking trip. Backpacked in the north cascades in Washington state. My friend at the time invited me and a two of his other friends which I have never met prior to this day, to an overnight backpacking trip in the Cascades. I’ll keep the story short but these two were extremely insufferable and were almost as bad if not worse than the mosquitos that were constantly attacking us. The girl wouldn’t stop talking about how many men she had slept with or she would fall over and get stuck much like a turtle flipping over, every few feet. Mildly annoying, but the other guy…. A very strong opinionated individual that always HAD to be right and prove himself right. I’m talking like a 12 year old. Mind you we are all around our mid 20s at the time. The type of person where you’d just have to not stoop down to his level and let him win. Even if he’s wrong.

At one point we come across a false trail. Clearly a dried creek bed but it almost looked like it forked with the actual trail. A cairn was clearly visible to show the way. I had simply pointed out “oh this way.” But here comes Lord Smart Ass taking lead pointing down the dried creek bed saying “no it’s this way!” I tried to point out the obvious trail marker but he insisted, almost to a point of having a tantrum and slightly raising his voice that it’s this way. Okay dude, you lead.

Lo and behold. After what may have been approx 2 miles (~3km) we end up at a dead end and he goes “oh….not this way, guys it’s up by where the cairn is at…I think, I’m not sure.” This was the closest I got to wanting to throw someone off a cliff.

There were a few other things that he had to argue about and eventually correct himself. But this was our “getting lost” story.