https://venkatraman.blog/posts/Recent content in Posts on venkatraman.blogHugoen-usThu, 04 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://venkatraman.blog/posts/easy-pass/Thu, 04 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://venkatraman.blog/posts/easy-pass/<p>This is the story of my wife&rsquo;s and my first-ever backpacking trip. We&rsquo;d been wanting to backpack for a long time, so when the opportunity finally presented itself, we had to take it. We got lucky and snagged some North Cascades backcountry permits in the early-access lottery, and the plan was a two-night, three-day journey through bear country. Quite a lot for a first trip! To make matters worse, two more experienced friends who were supposed to join us (and show us the ropes) later backed out, which only fueled our anxiety.</p>