Hi I'm Julie! Any backpackers here?

Hi everyone! I've been hoping to re-form my dreadlocks after having my first set almost six years ago through a twist and rip-similar method, but these new ones are going to be no hassle, no force, only watching what nature does to my hair.

I know that depending on the hair type, dreadlocks are ever changing and take months to years to fully mature. In six months I'm leaving for a backpacking trip on a popular trail that will itself take 5-6 months to complete, meaning that the entire second half of the first year of my natural neglect dreadlock journey will be happening in the woods! Does anyone have any experience similar to this and advice they can share?

The only thing I'm mildly concerned about is getting twigs and leaves in the forming hair, but I'll be traveling with a friend who promised they'll be my groomer monkey in place of me having a mirror.

updated by @juliecat: 01/22/20 09:33:16AM

well mine started at a rainbow gathering in the wilderness. only a few weeks but been to many others later on. sometimes my dreads would be dragging in the mud caked in so much mud they were 3 times the normal thickness

its likely i did have pine needles and stuff stuck in them but didn't worry too much about it

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

First welcome to the site and congrats on deciding to start the journey again. Even better the natrual way. 

I'm not a back packer and I'm only five weeks into the journey of natrual dreads but I work on a farm which means I get hay, feed, dirt, an such in my hair daily. I also like to hike in the woods(mostly foraging) so I also deal with twigs, leaves etc. That said its not a huge issue to pick all that stuff out even without a mirror. 

I can image that pine needles would give dreads a nice herbal scent haha!

Thanks p3rmaamp, it probably will be

something about pine needles and pine in general every backpacker should know..

burning pitch pine causes pine fever the symptoms are very much like broncitis

chewing the pine  needles or better yet pine sap cures the pine fever

furthermore when at high altitude (io assume your hiking the adirondak trail so not so high this side of the country) but high altitude over 9000 feet if your used  to sea level you will get altitude sickness .. a killer headache  low energy thing

right about 10,000 feet where you need it most  grows osha and yarrow both help altitude sickness

osha i thinks best, you chew a lil chunk of the root  (its a strong taste but i kinda like it..pines very strong too)

when you chew the osha root it makes  what some people call 'mouth tea' because its str5ong its more like a tincture  so just chew a small chunk  slowly  sucking down that tea till symptoms go away repeat when they return

besides helping the altitude sickness by helping you intake more o2  over time it will help your lungs actually expand up to 25% so you can acclimate to living at higher altitudes long term

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Thanks soaring-eagle that's really cool info! I love natural herbal plant remedies for everything, that's going in my notebook for sure! And I'm actually hiking the Appalachian trail, I've done sections of it before but I've never gone long distance hiking before

let me know when your in pa nj area 1 of the gliderports i fly out of where they have ridge soaring's right up there near the trail

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

That sounds great will do!